MINNEAPOLIS — Cummins Power Generation and its distributors and dealers in the Northeast are uniting to contribute coordinated relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. In addition to permanently installed standby power systems at many hospitals, office buildings and homes, some 415 rental generators have been deployed to provide temporary emergency power.
"Our products are contributing in two ways, both in supporting the immediate, primary needs of people affected by the storm and in longer-term rebuilding efforts," said Saravanan Selvan, strategy and marketing manager of the Global Rental Segment for Cummins Power Generation. "For immediate needs we are providing power to pump water out of flooded areas, as well as temporary power for lighting, heating and charging cell phones, which have now become the primary method for people to stay in touch. Beyond those immediate needs, our units will continue to provide power for rebuilding efforts until the necessary infrastructure is back in place."
Eleven of the 16 Cummins Power Generation distributors in North America have mobilized rental fleets to help with the relief effort. At this time, the rental units delivered account for 215 megawatts (MW) of power. (A large commercial building may consume several megawatts of electrical power.) In addition to numerous retailers, banks and healthcare facilities, end users of these generators include FEMA, the New York Port Authority, Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Sunny Delight Beverages Company.
The above totals do not include the additional generators made by other manufacturers using Cummins G-Drive engines, or the generators from other rental company fleets that use complete Cummins generator sets. Both of these categories represent hundreds more generators with a Cummins connection that are being used to provide temporary power in the Northeast.
In addition to rental generators, Cummins Power Generation manufactures permanently installed standby power systems for homes and businesses. These generators have allowed many people to stay safe and comfortable in their homes and to keep their businesses open, despite the widespread damage and destruction. “As communities have begun the post-Sandy rebuilding process, demand for these types of units has already increased,” explained Vivek Malapati, residential and commercial property segment leader. “It’s crucial that we do all we can to help rebuild people’s lives and livelihoods, so we are adding manufacturing capacity this year and next to help meet their needs.”
One example of a business that stayed open during and after the storm is Industrial Color Brands, a large digital photography and video company with offices in lower Manhattan. It was able to keep its GLOBALedit image-management service operating without a hitch when Sandy knocked out power.
Steve Kalalian, CEO of Industrial Color Brands, stated, "You hope to never need the backup generator, but when you do, it is a life-saver. Hurricane Sandy made it abundantly clear how important installing our Cummins generator was to our business. You don't want to take chances and skimp on quality when it comes to your vital infrastructure. I was able to sleep at night confident that our Cummins generator would be there for us, and it was. The generator just paid for itself many times over."
Scott Strudwick, business director, Global Rental Segment for Cummins Power Generation, said, "As members of the power generation industry, our employees feel a particular responsibility to do whatever they can to aid in Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery, so this has been a great team effort. Our Fridley plant and logistics teams have done an outstanding job in expediting inventory shipments to the east coast. In addition, our rental teams have been working around the clock over the past two weeks in support of our distributors, customers and all those affected by this disaster."
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