Power Onward: S1E10 - Pouring power into the future of construction

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Show ID (00:03):
This is Power Onwards, the podcast that unveils how power technology shapes your everyday lives

(00:22):
This is Power Onward, the podcast that unveils how power technology shapes your everyday life.

Kim (00:31):
Your sipping coffee on the way from school pickup, your kid spots a bulldozer and practically jumps out of their seat. Look, what's that one? Do you smile? Because this is more than a passing fascination. It's curiosity and motion. For so many of us, construction is just something we pass by a noisy backdrop to our day, but to others, it's a story worth telling. The world of machines that build, the roads we drive, the homes we live in, and the bridges that connect us behind the scenes, there are experts who don't just pass by, they stop study and solve. They know these machines inside and out, not just for what they do, but for what they make possible. That's where Sarah comes in. She's not only a leader in this space supporting agriculture, marine ports, rail, and so much more. She's also a mom whose kids think she's a real life superhero because when they ask, what's that one do, she actually knows. Hi, I am Kim and I'm Sarah. And today Sarah's going to talk to us about how she became this superhero to her kids. Sarah, tell me more about your time here at Cummins. How did you end up supporting our off highway construction business?

Sarah (01:37):
One of the things I love about Cummins is that you can explore all sorts of different areas that interest you. I started out in hr, spent some time in CES, sorry, for those of us who don't work at Cummins, that's Cummins Mission Solutions. So I spent some time there. Also spent some time in our aftermarket business, new and recon parts. So that kind of touches all of the areas of business. And then most recently I've moved into our off highway business. Off highway is essentially anything that doesn't have a license plate that is powered by a cums engine. Primarily I support the construction business in agriculture, touch a little bit of ports, forestry, there's some marine in there, a little bit of mining, a little bit of rail, all sorts of really cool stuff. All of the wild wonderful things that they maybe don't have another place to put 'em fall into the off highway business.

Kim (02:29):
Thank you. Every time I hear off highway, I think of a myriad of different products, but I think you paint a really great picture for us so that we all have a better understanding of what that is. When you see construction equipment in action, what's going on through your mind that most of us may never think of?

Sarah (02:44):
Well, the first thing, when I see construction equipment in action and take my drive-in to do this podcast, for example, they are doing broad construction. That is a necessary thing for all of us. I know it can be frustrating. Definitely frustrating in my opinion. Yes, absolutely it is. However, I think back to the time when I was sitting in traffic, a lot of us do when there's construction, my son was in the backseat and he, instead of being frustrated is a kid who has nowhere to be. Right. Mom's just driving him. Exactly. So no frustration in his mind. And he's like, Ooh, what's that? What's that? And I actually know what these things are, and a lot of 'em, a lot of the equipment out there is powered by Cummins engine and I know what displacement engine is. So when you talk about superhero, when I had that conversation with him, it was like I had x-ray vision. He is like, he's like, oh, what's inside of that? What it does? And so instead of in that moment being frustrated, we're actually watching what's going on there and what's happening. And I think there's a lot of things that we kind of overlook sometimes if you just take a moment to actually watch what's going on, you can see a lot of really cool things being done. And construction is one of those areas it's really easy to be frustrated by, but we need it.

Kim (04:00):
Absolutely. How does Cummins impact the world we live in from a construction standpoint?

Sarah (04:05):
I was listening to other episodes of this wonderful podcast and the recurring theme is that Cummins touches every aspect of your life, and that's no different in construction in the off highway space. So I mentioned driving in, I saw road construction and a lot of the equipment doing that is Cummins powered. When you think about having your morning coffee, some of the equipment in agriculture that harvest the beans is Cummins powered a lot of the specialty ag equipment, I dunno if you like a glass of wine, but there's specialty ag equipment to harvest the grapes that some of that is Cummins powered too. Your different mean. It's just like all of these really cool aspects of your life. So much of it is impacted by Cummins powered machines.

Kim (04:47):
Talk about maybe the buildings, and you would even mentioned to me residential areas.

Sarah (04:51):
So I mean when you drive into your office, I mean that had to be built by something. We've got this beautiful headquarters in downtown Indianapolis and there's always construction being built. One of my favorite things to do is to travel and it's inescapable all of the different areas that Cummins touches. You can see cranes putting things up, equipment leveling, ground excavators, clearing the pathway, all sorts of things. And that is all used to build these future and better areas, either residential or commercial buildings. And that's construction.

Kim (05:27):
I'm going to keep my eyes peeled.

(05:29):
Yeah, I'm a

(05:29):
Big HDTV fan and I love seeing a hundred day dream home. And now a lot of that equipment I now know could be powered by Cummins actually. Exactly. Take a screenshot, send it to me. I can tell you, oh

Sarah (05:40):
Wait, now you're like my superheroes too. Be like Sarah, I can tell you.

Kim (05:43):
Yeah. That is amazing. I love that you bring in just different hobbies and activities to really showcase how Cummins impacts the world. That is always one of the most magical things about being on this podcast. I actually learn a lot from everyone who's on here. Yeah, I love it. Cummins has this reputation for being a strong partner in

Sarah (05:59):
Construction. So why do you think that is? That is a well earned reputation. One of the things that people know Cummins for a lot is the engines that they put in the semi

(06:08):
Trucks,

(06:09):
And they do an incredible job at that. So for construction, we really benefit from a lot of the learnings that they do gain from that side of the business. For our side of the business, even though we don't support that market, we get to learn from there exactly from their technology and their scale. Even though the equipment isn't the same. It's still a lot of, especially when we talk about this new technology, alternative fuels and all that wide range of things in construction, there are a really broad range of applications.

(06:41):
And Cummins is a really good partner because we have a whole team of people that work with our equipment manufacturers to make sure that our engines are optimized for their equipment. So I mean, that means you're going to get not just any engine put in there, you're going to get somebody who's going to help you make sure that that engine is going to run specifically how it needs to run for your equipment. And if you think of construction, you probably think of excavators, but there are so many different types of, I'm sure different sizes, different displacement, and different places that they operate. So I mean, it's just a really wide range of specifications and needs, and Cummins is a great partner for that. So that's why they have such a good reputation. It's really well earned.

Kim (07:28):
That makes all the sense in the world. You're not just doing a one size fits all solution, you're really curating that for the purpose that it serves.

Sarah (07:34):
Exactly.

Kim (07:35):
So Sarah, what gets you excited about where this industry is heading?

Sarah (07:39):
Well, I'm really excited because construction has such a wide range of equipment and Cummins is able to help support that wide range of equipment. And with that wide range of equipment comes a wide need and interest in different power solutions.

(07:53):
So it's a really great time to be at a company like Cummins and partner with a company like Cummins who has strategically invested their expertise and their skills in this really wide range of solutions. And I was just at a show a couple of weeks ago, the largest construction show in the world, and there is such an appetite from the industry to have these new solutions and it's a really truly global industry. It just is so exciting and energizing to be around other professionals that have a passion for this, that know that construction is not just an inconvenience, it's really a necessity and it's building the future roadways and infrastructure. It's building the future buildings that we commute to and live in. It's doing things better. Cleaner, smarter power is the future of construction.

Kim (08:44):
Absolutely. I think in the interim, it can be so frustrating to be stuck in traffic or have to deal with construction, but it is for a smarter, cleaner future. It is to optimize our roadways and make sure these new buildings have stronger infrastructure.

Sarah (08:57):
Absolutely.

Kim (08:58):
If your kids said to you one day that they wanted to do what you are doing,

Sarah (09:02):
What would you tell them? If my kids wanted to do what I do, I would tell them to keep asking questions and keep paying attention to some of those small things that a lot of us overlook, but that are really important. You mentioned the roadwork. My son used to be obsessed with the vehicle that goes and changes the lights.

Kim (09:19):
Oh yes.

Sarah (09:20):
So it was something that I had never even noticed before in my life. I'd never paid attention to that thing. And once I noticed it, I saw it everywhere. I just would tell them to keep paying attention, keep noticing little things, keep asking questions, obviously pay attention in school, read lots of books, the normal parenting tips, the normal parent stuff. But I think a lot of those tips are kind of important for all of us is to pay attention, look around, maybe don't be so frustrated with the construction because it's something that we need to have. And if you're stuck anyway, you might as well look around and try to guess or ask me,

Kim (10:02):
Hey, does this have a common That's facts. That's facts. And what I like is that you, you're telling me about the conversations that you've had with your son, with your kids. But even when I talk to you, I'm like, okay, Sarah, explain to me like I'm five. What are we looking at here? It's so energizing to see these different products. For me, it started with my background and power systems. I recognize generator sets. There's so many around the area that we're actually recording in now, but I spoke with Sydney about trucks and drew about on highway applications. And now talking to you about construction. I forget that there are so many other vehicles that are powered by a Cummins engine that's just not a semi.

Sarah (10:37):
Yeah, I know. It's amazing. So I primarily support construction, but we also have marine applications that we support rail, all sorts of agriculture equipment, just a myriad of things. Cummins really touches our lives in a lot of

Kim (10:52):
Different ways. Well, thank you so much for taking time out of your day and kind of dropping some knowledge on all of us and being able to speak to how Cummins makes more of an impact in all these different applications. Thank you, Sarah. Thank you so much for having me, Kim. It's been a pleasure.

(11:07):
Alright, so what's the big idea for this episode? The next time your kids or you get curious about the construction equipment on the side of the road, think beyond the noise and the dirt. Those machines are part of a much bigger system that powers the roads we drive, the homes we live in and the food we eat. And behind them are people like Sarah who understand not just how they work, but how they make them better. Curiosity might start in the backseat, but with the right people behind the scenes, it leads to something a whole lot bigger

Show ID (11:40):
Power. Onward.

(11:48):
Thank you for listening to Power Onward. Your support means the world to us. If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, rate and review on your favorite podcast platform. If you want to dig deeper on what we covered today, check out the show notes for additional links or go to cummins.com/podcast. Until next time, power onward. We are from Cummins, the company that's been innovating toward the future for more than a hundred years. We're no strangers to rapid change, global shifts and economic uncertainty. We want to be your constant during the energy transition whenever, wherever, forever Power onward.