ATLANTA. There are three main “disruptions” occurring within the trucking industry today, according to a presentation by Srikanth Padmanabhan, president of the engine business at Cummins Inc., here at the inaugural North American Commercial Vehicle (NACV) show: energy diversity, connectivity, and automation.
And he believes Cummins must deliver “diversified, dependable technology solutions to our customers at the right time” in all three of those areas – even if they are not directly engine-related.
That’s one reason why Padmanabhan said Cummins forged a transmission development and production joint venture with Eaton Corp. back in April – a joint venture now beginning to bear fruit.
“The opportunities for this joint venture are huge – especially in the medium-duty segment,” he said.
Padmanabhan added that Cummins is planning to roll out a new 15-liter heavy-duty diesel engine in 2022 because, in his words, diesel engines will be “the best solution for decades to come,” noting that Cummins-branded diesels currently power 33% of the heavy-duty truck market and nearly 80% of the medium-duty truck market.
