People-powered legacy

Cummins is celebrating 100 years in mining by highlighting some of the people that have shaped the company's success.

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In 2026, Cummins celebrates 100 years of powering the global mining industry, a century defined by engines, innovation and a deep understanding of the world's toughest operating environments.

In Australia, that legacy is evident across some of the most remote mining regions on the planet, from the iron ore pits of Western Australia's Pilbara region to the coalfields of Queensland. Over the decades, Cummins has supported miners through technological shifts, economic cycles and evolving operational demands.

Yet behind every engine overhaul, reliability improvement and productivity gain lies something even more important who deliver world class service and support: people.

Around Australia, long-serving Cummins employees have built relationships with mining customers that span decades. Their knowledge, commitment and experience tell the story of what a century in mining looks like.

A career shaped by change

Few people have witnessed the evolution of mining as closely as John Juett, who joined Cummins in 1984 as a heavy vehicle diesel apprentice in Adelaide. More than four decades later, he remains part of the industry and the Cummins team as site manager at the Clermont mine in Queensland.

Over the course of his career, Juett has worked across Australia, New Zealand, China and Papua New Guinea, supporting mining operations through every stage of development.

"The biggest shift I've seen is the move to full electronic control," he said. "Fuel efficiency, reliability and builtin protection systems have completely changed how engines operate."

The scale of equipment has changed just as dramatically. Early in Juett's career, the largest engines he worked on produced around 625 horsepower. Today's mining engines can exceed 4000 horsepower.