Cummins Inc. last week announced that it will add 600 new professional employees in a new office building in downtown Columbus, Ind.

The announcement is the third expansion project in southern Indiana announced by Cummins in the past year. Once the new building is filled, in 2013, Cummins will employ nearly 3,000 professionals in a two-block area of downtown Columbus, three times its local presence in 2008.

“Our success in global markets over the past few years allowed us to remain strong during the recent economic downturn and has positioned the company for a period of accelerated growth,” said Tom Linebarger, Cummins president and chief operating officer.

The company expects to break ground almost immediately on the new facility, a block south of the company’s corporate headquarters. The 130,000-square-foot building will connect to a similarly sized office building that Cummins began occupying in 2009.

The company expects further strong growth in 2011 as its key U.S. markets recover from the economic downturn, as part of a period of accelerated profitable growth over the next several years.

Headquartered in Columbus, Ind., 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.