Cummins hosted Secretary of Energy Steven Chu in Colombus, Ind., Monday as the Obama Administration announced nine project awards totaling more than $187 million to improve fuel efficiency for heavy-duty trucks and passenger vehicles.

As the company’s news release explains, Cummins will receive nearly $39 million to support systems level technology development, integration, and demonstration for highly efficient Class 8 trucks (SuperTruck). Another $15 million will support advanced technology powertrains for light-duty vehicles (ATP-LD).

Cummins will partner with Peterbilt Motors Company, a division of PACCAR, for its SuperTruck project. The Cummins project will develop and demonstrate a highly efficient and clean diesel engine, an advanced waste heat recovery system, an aerodynamic Peterbilt tractor and trailer combination, and a fuel cell auxiliary power unit to reduce engine idling.

“Cummins has long enjoyed a collaborative partnership with the DOE. These R&D programs have helped us develop the best products for our customers and the environment,” said Cummins President and Chief Operating Officer Tom Linebarger. “We appreciate the funding provided by the DOE for the Cummins SuperTruck and Light-Duty programs, which will create jobs, help address climate change and reduce oil consumption. This public-private partnership is a win for our economy, a win for the environment and a win for energy challenges. We are looking forward to working closely with Peterbilt on this important technology project.”

Emphasize that partnership angle. The Department of Energy notes that with a private cost share of 50 percent, the awards will support nearly $375 million in total research, development and demonstration projects nationally. Secretary Chu said:

Improving the efficiency of our vehicles is critical to reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil and addressing climate change. Today’s awards will help demonstrate the potential benefits for long-haul trucks and passenger vehicles and will play an important role in building a more sustainable transportation system for the country.

Other funding recipients announced Monday were Daimler Trucks North America, Navistar Inc., Chrysler Group, Delphi Automotive Systems, Ford Motor Company, General Motors. So you can see why it was big news at the Detroit Auto Show, too. See Detroit News, “US grants Detroit 3, suppliers millions for fuel savings, jobs”

More…

• TruckTrend Magazine, “Department of Energy Allocates $187 Million for Nine Vehicle Efficiency…”
• WISH TV video, “Video: Cummins gets $54M to develop fuel efficient vehicles“
• New York Times (blog), “Energy Department Awards $187 Million for Development of Efficient Cars and Trucks”

(Caption: From left: Sen. Evan Bayh, Cummins Chief Technical Officer John Wall, Secretary Chu, Rep. Baron Hill. Photo courtesy Cummins.)

From today’s page one Wall Street Journal, “Exports Prop Up Local Economies“:

Much of the world may be struggling with the economic downturn, but life has been getting better in Columbus, Ind., Kingsport, Tenn., and Waterloo, Iowa.

These out-of-the-way places have become trade hot spots as U.S. exports, fueled by the dollar’s fall, continue to provide a rare spark in an otherwise gloomy economy.

While many economists expect a recent snapback in the value of the dollar and a spreading global slowdown to soften that growth, exports have become a key to greater local prosperity more than at any time in decades.

Columbus, population 40,000, is an export powerhouse thanks largely to diesel-engine maker Cummins Inc., which has added 1,000 jobs there since 2003. Kingsport, population 44,000, is home to Eastman Chemical Co., which is spending $1.3 billion to upgrade its sprawling chemical plant there on the strength of its global sales of plastics and fibers. And Waterloo, population 68,000, owes its healthy export economy to Deere & Co., which has announced its second major investment this year of its tractor plant there.

The stories reaffirms with numerous examples from U.S. manufacturers — and NAM member companies — the themes we emphasize here at the National Association of Manufacturers: U.S. exports are a bright spot in the economy offsetting slowdowns in other sectors, and given their importance it is critically important that Congress enact the three pending Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, Peru and South Korea. See our recent Labor Day report for more.

The article by the Journal’s manufacturing reporter, Timothy Aeppel (who consistently writes accurate, interesting stories), concludes with some observations from Drew Greenblatt, owner of Marlin Steel Wire Product in Baltimore, NAM board member, and tireless testifier to the ability of U.S. manufacturing to compete globally:

Marlin has sold baskets in Mexico and Canada for several years and more recently has found customers far beyond, in places like Denmark, Japan, Israel and New Zealand. “But my all-time favorite is Taiwan,” says Mr. Greenblatt. “Think about the concept: There’s a Chinese shipping clerk over there that opened a box and pulled out wire baskets that say ‘Made in U.S.A.’”