Tom Linebarger, president and chief operating officer, Cummins Inc., is pictured third from left at the celebration event of the 500,000th engine produced by the Komatsu-Cummins Engine Co. (KCEC) joint venture at the Oyama plant in Japan.

The Komatsu-Cummins Engine Co. (KCEC) in Japan recently achieved a major manufacturing milestone with the production of the 500,000th engine from the Oyama joint venture operation. Engine number 500,000 came off the Oyama production line in December 2009.

The joint venture company also announced that the Oyama engine plant will move forward to produce the next generation of Tier 4 low-emissions engines for parent companies Komatsu Ltd. and Cummins Inc.

“Reaching the half-million engine mark represents another significant achievement in the long-established partnership between Komatsu and Cummins, which is widely regarded as the most successful and enduring in the off-highway industry,” said Eric Neal, general manager of Cummins-Komatsu Business Worldwide.

A highly flexible manufacturing system enables the KCEC facility to build engines to specific Komatsu and Cummins configurations derived from common base engine platforms.

The 3.3-liter, 4.5-liter and 6.7-liter displacement engines currently produced at the Oyama plant will move forward with performance-enhancing technology to meet Tier 4 Interim regulations as they are phased in by power band and effect date in Japan, North America and Europe. The current 8.3-liter engine produced at Oyama will be available for Tier 4 as a 9-liter version, offering a higher power output.

The Komatsu-Cummins Engine Company (KCEC) joint venture between Komatsu Ltd. and Cummins Inc. was established in November 1993 at the Oyama Industrial Park in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The first B Series engine was produced in November 1995. KCEC is an integral part of both Komatsu Ltd. manufacturing operations and Cummins worldwide MidRange engine manufacturing operations. In April 2001, the KCEC plant was the first construction equipment facility in Japan to be recognized for achieving zero emissions.

Komatsu Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, is a global leading manufacturer and sales company of construction and mining equipment, utilities and industrial machinery including components such as diesel engines and hydraulics components.

Columbus, Ind.-based Cummins Inc. is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems.