OREANDA-NEWS. May 28, 2012. 25 years ago, two leaders of the automotive industry – the leading manufacturer of diesel engines CUMMINS Inc. (USA) and the Russian automobile corporation KAMAZ started their fruitful cooperation.

Business relations between the enterprises began in 1987 when top managers of Cummins Inc. including Vice President John Becker arrived in Naberezhnye Chelny to negotiate with KAMAZ. The meeting was productive, and the companies decided to cooperate henceforth.

In 2004, KAMAZ developed and entered a new line of vehicles into the market, and was the first to present the basic medium-duty truck KAMAZ-4308 with a capacity of 5.5 tons the heart of which was a Cummins engine. The success of this vehicle significantly exceeded expectations of KAMAZ, thanks largely to its engine which ensured good vehicle performance and low fuel consumption. It prompted top managers of OJSC KAMAZ to speed up Cummins engines assembling in Russia. As a result, the companies signed constituent documents in 2006 to establish ZAO CUMMINS KAMA JV in Naberezhnye Chelny to produce 140-300 hp engines complying with Euro 3, Euro 4, and Euro 5 for the Russian market. Tim Solso, Cummins Chairman, said then that the decision to establish the joint venture had been decisive in the history of the both companies. The Americans received access to the largest dealer and service network in Russia and the CIS, and KAMAZ became a holder of new technologies and found a new niche on the Russian market of engines.

To date, CUMMINS KAMA produces Cummins engines of Series B for the Russian market. These are electronically-controlled engines which comply with Euro 3 emission standards. The partners will assemble Euro 4 and Euro 5 engines (as corresponding regulations are introduced in Russia). To add to this, OJSC KAMAZ and Cummins Inc. signed a memorandum to produce Cummins license in-line diesel engines with a cubic capacity of 4.5 and 6.7 liters complying with the Euro 6 emission standard. The use of Cummins engines in the construction of KAMAZ vehicles enabled to increase competitiveness of KAMAZ trucks on the domestic and foreign markets due to a twofold increase of the engine life. This March, CUMMINS KAMA produced the 10,000th Cummins engine.