Learn decarbonisation strategy, ‘Destination Zero’ by Cummins India

By Staff Report June 5, 2025 6:52 pm IST

Cummins India is decarbonising with the ‘Destination Zero’ strategy, which is helping them with product innovation and operational excellence. Ashish Aggarwal from Cummins India shares how they empower and improve their portfolio in line with this strategy.

Cummins has been a global name in power solutions. How do you align your India operations with your global roadmap while catering to local market needs?

With a strong legacy of powering India’s growth for over six decades, Cummins’ India operations are deeply integrated with our global vision. This vision is built on the foundations of local integration, continuous innovation, and an unwavering commitment to sustainability.

India presents unique requirements, from diverse customer preferences to market dynamics and evolving regulatory requirements. Our decarbonization strategy, Destination Zero, acknowledges these realities. It reflects our commitment to reducing emissions, driving product innovation, and achieving operational excellence. In line with this strategy, we offer customers the ‘power of choice’ by providing a comprehensive portfolio of technologies to choose the best-suited solutions for their operational needs. This approach directly supports national priorities, such as the “Make in India” initiative, skill development, and our country’s long-term sustainability goals.

Additionally, Cummins Technical Center India (CTCI), with over 3,000 engineers, plays a critical role as an innovation hub for India and global markets. The technical center enables us to adapt global technologies and develop India-specific solutions, further strengthening our ability to deliver relevant, reliable, and future-ready solutions.

How is Cummins prepared for future disruptions (climate change, trade wars, cybersecurity threats)?

As the creator of products that power some of the world’s most demanding and economically vital industries, resilience and adaptability are core to operating, continuously innovating, and serving our customers.

We understand that future disruptions, driven by climate change, evolving trade dynamics, or cybersecurity threats, require proactive and strategic responses.

Through our Destination Zero decarbonisation strategy, we are investing in next-generation technologies while creating a diverse portfolio of future technologies that empower customers with the right solutions at the right time, no matter where they are in their decarbonization journeys. This diversification ensures that we are well-positioned to meet the evolving regulatory and market expectations across different geographies.

We have built a globally connected and digitally enabled supply chain that leverages a diversified network of local suppliers. This enhances our ability to manage risks and maintain business continuity even in volatile environments. Cybersecurity is another critical focus area for us. We have established robust protocols, and our teams conduct regular threat assessment audits and maintain strong incident response protocols to safeguard our operations, customers, and partners from evolving cyber threats.

Organizationally, we promote a culture of agility and continuous learning, enabling us to respond rapidly to unforeseen challenges and opportunities.

Is Cummins adopting any localisation–globalisation balance strategy (“glocalisation”) for key components or technologies? How do you source the products for manufacturing in India and for India?

Our products are designed, engineered, and manufactured in India, serving local customers and global export markets. Our glocalization strategy leverages India’s strong supplier base to source critical components and parts with limited global availability or where dual sourcing is essential for supply chain resilience.

This has enabled us to maintain a resilient and agile supply chain amidst global volatility. Beyond our manufacturing footprint in India, our international operations also benefit from sourcing components from several independent vendors across India. By cultivating these strong local partnerships, we enhance our cost competitiveness and supply chain resilience and contribute meaningfully to the growth of India’s manufacturing ecosystem, aligning with the national vision of “Atmanirbhar Bharat.”