Controlling and optimising total cost of production while striving to meet increasingly demanding sustainability targets can be a deeply challenging balancing act for mining. It’s a balance that Cummins, working in close partnership with the industry, is moving forward swiftly to meet. Meeting challenges is nothing new for a business that has been serving the mining industry for nearly 100 years—powering a rope shovel as early as 1926.
Today, Cummins provides a complete portfolio of advanced mining solutions, from first-fit engines for diverse mining applications to extensive aftermarket services and support. From 3.8L underground engines to the most powerful 95L surface mining engines, Cummins is committed to ensuring mines have the most reliable and fit-for-purpose products to power production 24/7.
Protecting that power is Cummins’ PrevenTech advanced remote monitoring and analytics solutions and a highly trained global service and support network.
Cummins continues to invest in the advancement of the internal combustion engine with a sharp focus on power density, emissions reduction and improved efficiency for mobile equipment. Meanwhile, the company is also looking at the entire mining ecosystem, such as lean burn power generation, microgrids and carbon-neutral solutions—all of which need to stand up to the harshest conditions.
Cummins is focused on enabling miners to achieve the lowest possible cost of production, sustainably. For support in this complex balancing act, please use the form above.
Power balanced with reliability
Cummins manufactures more than 3,000 first-fit mining engines every year, for every mining need. Cummins’ high-horsepower engines, unlike many alternative options, are designed as industrial engines first. They are made to run at 50+% load factor, leading to longer-lasting, heavy-duty performance. Advanced engine design paired with turbocharging capabilities delivers the torque miners need at the exact RPMs to lower cycle times and extend the engine’s life to overhaul.
The evidence is out there in mines worldwide. An Arizona mine site switching from non-Cummins engines to Cummins experienced a 43% improvement in mean time to failure and 69% improvement in mean time to repair.
Existing engine technology balanced with cleaner fuel solutions
All Cummins’ high-horsepower engines (19L-95L) are approved for use with R100 paraffinic fuels, often referred to as renewable diesel, including hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). Fuel used must meet the EN15940 standard. The potential is huge. Depending on the feedstock and fuel pathway from the fuel supplier, renewable diesel opens the door to reductions in net greenhouse gas emissions of up to 90%.
Cummins engines are also compliant with varying blends of biodiesel, and the company is actively exploring emergent fuels like ethanol and methanol.
Power technology balanced with digital control
Cummins PrevenTech is an integrated digital solution for end-to-end equipment health management, designed to connect monitoring, support and service experiences across the Cummins ecosystem—customisable for each fleet and operation.
By monitoring engine data remotely and providing early detection and diagnosis of equipment health issues, PrevenTech allows mining operations to increase uptime, lower production costs and improve maintenance and service planning.
Customers can choose to monitor their data independently or to leverage Cummins Care for 24/7 global monitoring and personalised recommendations.
Optimal performance balanced with total lifecycle cost
Cummins has 13 high-horsepower Master Rebuild Centres (MRCs) located strategically around the globe. At critical points in the engine’s life, Cummins’ expert service team manages major engine overhauls, from teardown and cleaning of components to assessment of the engine block and crankshaft for quality control and reassembling the engine using Cummins Genuine parts before final testing.
When a rebuilt engine leaves the MRC, it goes back home with a new zero-hour warranty, certified by Cummins at the same level as brand-new engines.
Increased energy demands balanced with reduced emissions
As energy usage increases, leveraging a microgrid can help mine sites meet energy demands, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure resiliency. But building an integrated system with utility, solar power, gensets and more can be complex.
Cummins’ Power Integration Centre (PIC) in Fridley, Minnesota, enables Cummins to consult with customers on feasibility and stability analysis of integrated system designs. Cummins also provides microgrid controls that provide a single interface control for a completely integrated microgrid power system.
Additionally, Accelera, Cummins’ fifth business unit focused on zero-emissions technology, is actively supplying PEM electrolysers for hydrogen production, enabling miners to produce energy for ore processing on-site.
Change is always a challenge. With Cummins expertise and innovation helping mine operators strike the right balance, change can be full of opportunity.
