Powerful reasons why STEM careers can be a woman’s world

Alexandra - Cummins Service Technician

As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, the European distribution arm of Cummins has been reflecting on its efforts to attract more women into the fast-moving world of power solutions.

While there has been steady progress made across the global corporation in recent times in terms of gender equality, economic empowerment and return-to-work opportunities, Cummins Distribution in Europe acknowledges there is room for improvement in attracting women into the ‘nuts and bolts’ part of its business – the network of skilled service technicians whose job is to provide the essential back-up for customers across a swathe of industrial sectors.

It’s a challenge that is being readily accepted by Ann-Kristin de Verdier, Executive Managing Director - Distribution Business Europe, who says she has been thinking about the imbalance of men and women in technology for a long time, in fact for the 35 years since she left Chalmers University of Technology.

Ann-Kristen de Verdier
Ann-Kristin de Verdier, Executive Managing Director - Distribution Business Europe

“Looking back, women made up only 10 to 15 per cent of the students on my course, and the needle has barely moved in fields such as Computer Science which I studied. It’s disappointing and frustrating that women, who have so much to offer, are not more involved in helping shape the future careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).”

Ann-Kristin joined Cummins in 1998 and has steered important strategic programmes across the organisation, in Europe and North America. Prior to taking up her current role, she was Executive Director – Energy Management within the Cummins Power Systems business, looking at the potential for the shift to natural gas and hydrogen.

Ann-Kristin believes career opportunities for women in Cummins’ service business have never looked so appealing. “These jobs are well paid, they’re secure and they are exciting because they are at the leading edge of energy technology.

“There is also the potential to transition with roles, from being field-based to office-based, technician to analyst to customer-facing role, so the flexibility is there to match the work-life balance that’s required.”

One young woman who has seized the chance to shine with Cummins is 26-year-old Field Service Technician Alexandra Andersson. Alexandra has been surrounded by machinery and engines all her young life. As a child, there were the tractors and various different types of mechanical equipment dotted around her parents’ farm in Varberg on Sweden’s west coast. Then, as a teenager, it was cars.

At college, Alexandra studied to be a car mechanic and landed a job in the workshop of a car dealership in the port town of Halmstad. In her spare time, she helped a colleague prepare his car for racing in the Thunder Car series at weekends.

Alexandra Andersson
Cummins Service Technician Alexandra Andersson

Today, Alexandra is based in Gallivare, up in the northernmost part of her homeland and the site of Europe’s largest open-pit copper mines. Alexandra is responsible for keeping some of the most powerful machines on the planet in working order: Gigantic mining trucks and wheel loaders, some as tall as houses.

“I just love being around these giant machines – they’re so cool,” says Alexandra, who has been carving a reputation for herself as one of the finest young service technicians in the vast Cummins’ service network which extends across Europe.

Alexandra has always been fascinated with engine technology and having got to grips with those V8 ‘Thundercars’, she yearned to work on bigger, more complex power units. “I had an idea that it might be fun to work in the industrial world. I found a job being advertised by Cummins and I submitted my CV.

“The only thing I knew about Cummins at that time was that it provided the 6.7-litre turbodiesel engine for the Dodge RAM pick-up. I went for an interview with Janne Valmari and I was excited about the potential for working with them as I knew I would learn a lot.”

Janne Valmari is Project Manager Service Mining at Cummins, and he was certainly impressed by Alexandra’s abilities and attitude. “The HR manager and I went through her CV and loved the fact she had good experience on hydraulics. She was by far the outstanding candidate and we were delighted to take her on.”

Janne says Alexandra is too modest to talk about her achievements in the 18 months she has been working in the mines “but she spent eight weeks in the summer holidays of 2021 effectively running the site service for Cummins on her own”.

Alexandra spends a great deal of her time working on the mighty Cummins QSK60 engine “my pet engine, I love it!”. This is one of the most technically demanding engines in the world to service but one which is beloved of mining operators thanks to its incredible robustness.

There is no reason why there should not be more women like Alexandra entering the world of engine servicing. The industry is consistently changing and evolving thanks to significant investment in digital tools, health and safety and advances in cleaner engine technology.

“With all the digital diagnostics, there’s less reliance on physical strength working with engines, so there really is nothing to stop more women coming into my line of work,” says Alexandra. “Like I said, it’s cool.”

Ann-Kristin de Verdier says she is proud of Alexandra’s stellar progress and agrees there should be more women considering the world of engine servicing as a career.

“We have to look more closely at what’s working in other industries and other parts of the world. We also need to work out how early we as a business start sowing the seeds.

“When my 11-year-old daughter attended a graduation event, pupils were asked what they wanted to be when they left school. Not one of the girls said anything about wanting to be an engineer.

“We need to be lighting up their thoughts in the early years, and perhaps we can leverage off some of the great work Cummins does in communities and through our long-established volunteer and community grants programmes where education is a key priority. They say you can’t be what you can’t see, so we need to be presenting more female role models, people like Alexandra.”

Ann-Kristin believes there are tremendous opportunities to be grasped by women in the transition to Destination Zero.

We can break the bias by showing that working at the forefront of the energy transition is good for the world and women from all backgrounds can benefit from these opportunities. I’d love it if Alexandra’s story can inspire others to join her and Cummins in this quest!”

Supporting Indigenous communities

Cummins announces commitment to Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) Partnership Accreditation in Indigenous Relations (PAIR) Program

Cummins announces commitment to Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) Partnership Accreditation in Indigenous Relations (PAIR) Program

Cummins Inc. delivers superior solutions for its customers to power their communities and the world. It does that with the company’s steadfast commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion – winning with the power of difference. 

In honor of International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples and as part of Cummins’ objective to create positive and meaningful relations with Indigenous businesses and communities in the region, Cummins is proud to announce it is now at the “Committed” level of the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) Partnership Accreditation in Indigenous Relations (PAIR) Program.

Shashiraj Shanbhag, Vice President, Product & Service Management – Canada, and leader of the Canada Indigenous Relations initiative at Cummins: “We have been doing a great deal of work specific to Indigenous communities in Canada for several years. Since recently joining the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business Partnership Accreditation in Indigenous Relations Program at the Committed Level, the program will provide Cummins with external validation to all the work our employees have been doing and additional opportunities to do even more. The PAIR certification is an excellent opportunity for us to measure and strengthen our work in deepening relations with Indigenous communities throughout Canada.”


The work of PAIR


Established by the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, the PAIR Program is a rigorous, independent third-party certification program for corporate performance in Indigenous relations. The process evaluates measurable outcomes and initiatives in four performance areas: Leadership Actions, Employment, Business Development and Community Relations.

Since its inception in 2001, PAIR has maintained its position as the foremost corporate social responsibility program, with a distinct focus on Indigenous relations. PAIR's certification program instills a strong sense of confidence in communities due to its foundation on independent third-party validation of company reports, and the ultimate company rating is decided by a panel of Indigenous business professionals. As a PAIR committed company, Cummins will undergo the process of external verification and work collectively with the CCIB and Indigenous stakeholders toward the long-term goal of achieving Gold Certification.


The work of Cummins Canada


Cummins’ commitment to PAIR is another step on the company’s journey to building a diverse global culture, which includes expanding its relations with Indigenous Peoples in Canada and around the world. As part of this journey, Cummins and its employees located in Canada have taken the following steps:

  • Established an Indigenous Relations team with about 15 active volunteers across Canada
  • 1400+ employees in Canada have completed Indigenous Awareness Training
  • Supported initiatives for Indigenous communities in areas of Education and Equity with more than USD 100,000 of funding from Cummins Grant

As a global organization amongst a diverse and growing group of companies from across Canada that share a commitment to the Indigenous community, Cummins Canada continues to develop relationships with Indigenous peoples across the country and seeks ongoing ways to support the communities in which it lives and works. In its commitment to fostering positive change, Cummins also looks inward, engaging its own employees in initiatives that promote understanding, respect and collaboration with Indigenous peoples. 

To learn more about Cummins’ ongoing commitment to not only Indigenous communities but to the many communities employees live and serve throughout the world, please visit cummins.com
 

Cummins Office Building

Cummins Inc.

Cummins, a global power technology leader, is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions. The company’s products range from internal combustion, electric and hybrid integrated power solutions and components including filtration, aftertreatment, turbochargers, fuel systems, controls systems, air handling systems, automated transmissions, electric power generation systems, microgrid controls, batteries, electrolyzers and fuel cell products.

Happy 20th anniversary to Cummins Czech Republic

Cummins Czech Republic - 20th Anniversary

Cummins Czech Republic is celebrating the 20th anniversary of being a wholly-owned distributor of Cummins Inc.

Before April 2004, Cummins customers in the Czech Republic relied on an independent distributor primarily concerned with the power generation market plus a number of independent repair shops.

Creating a Cummins-owned distributor was seen as key to establishing a strong and reassuring presence in a developing market, which over the past two decades has become a major manufacturing base for several globally recognised original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

The bulk of the customers served by Cummins Czech Republic, whose remit incorporates neighbouring Slovakia, operate in the agriculture, power generation, mining and construction market segments.

There are also key automotive accounts as well as direct support for national institutions and infrastructure projects.

Cummins Czech Republic was launched one month ahead of the country being welcomed into the European Union as an official member in April 2004.

Accession to the EU was seen as a turning point for the Czech Republic as it opened up the country to new opportunities for investment and growth.

Highly competitive labour costs and a skilled workforce made it an attractive proposition as a manufacturing hub.

“We started here at our headquarters in Prague with just three employees and one technician,” said Lukas Skoda, Cummins Czech Republic Country Leader.

“Today, we have 19 employees, six technicians and four independent authorised dealers covering our territory. We also support the dealer networks of some of our OEM customers.”

Lukas said everyone within the business was proud to reach the 20-year milestone.

“Over the past two decades, we have seen engine technology develop considerably, and we have responded to our customers’ demands for ever greater levels of technical and strategic support,” he said.

Back in April 2004, Europe was at Euro III/IV emissions certification for automotive engines and Stage II for mining and industrial engines to be certified. Now, the standard is Euro VI for diesel, natural gas and hybrid, working toward Euro VII, and mining and industrial engines are at Stage V.

Meanwhile, Cummins is making technical advancements in new power solutions, including powertrains, batteries and fuel cells, which will help enrich future partnerships with customers in the Czech Republic and across Europe.

In its 20 years of operation, Cummins Czech Republic has established itself as a force for good in the community. More than 90% of Cummins Czech Republic employees participate in Cummins Every Employee Every Community (EEEC) volunteer programme annually.

Since 2016, employees have volunteered more than 900 EEEC hours to help local community partners that are supporting environmental education, restoration and waste reduction as well as projects focused on reducing isolation for the elderly.

The success of Cummins in the Czech Republic and Slovakia over the past 20 years owes much to the commitment of a loyal and hardworking team that has pulled together to create successful partnerships with customers in a variety of business segments.

“Becoming an integrated part of Cummins was a huge step for us in the Czech Republic and showed a level of confidence in the country that I believe we have justified over 20 years,” said Lukas Skoda.

“Now, with so many new technologies available to us, so many strong relationships and such a strong vision of where we want to be as a business, we are ready and excited about the next chapter.”

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