Cummins Inc. has announced another first for its off-highway engines slated for the January 2006 emission standards.

The QSM has been approved by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) as compliant to the Stage IIIA standards for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM).
Cummins follows up a first to the Environmental Protection Agency Tier 3 certification with a Stage IIIA European Union Index Approval from the VCA.
"With the VCA certification of the QSM off-highway engine, Cummins continues its commitment to clean air with another first," said Bharat Vedak, Cummins vice president of Industrial Customer Engineering. "Cummins significant investment in the right technologies has enabled our success in meeting regulations in the European Union as well as the United States ahead of schedule."
Cummins met the challenge of the Stage IIIA reductions by utilizing its extensive expertise in combustion research. "With the certification of the QSM completed early, our development will focus on further improvements in fuel economy and reliability to exceed our commitments to customers," Vedak said.
The certified and compliant Cummins QSM Stage IIIA will go into production this month with its advanced in-cylinder combustion recipe and an identical footprint from its EPA Tier 2 predecessor, which minimizes any installation impacts for OEMs. The 11 liter, six cylinder engine is rated from 290 - 400 hp and utilizes the CELECT(TM) fuel system with advanced electronic controls.