Erica Baird, Executive Director at Cummins and Conference Speaker – Interview

Tuesday, 5 December 2023

Lubricant Expo North America interviewed conference speaker Erica Baird, Executive Director at Cummins Sales and Service. Find out about the top three trends driving the industrials sector, Erica’s free-to-attend conference session and what she hopes to see at Lubricant Expo North America in March.

Q1) Can you tell us about your role at Cummins? What excites you / keeps you up at night?

What keeps me up at night is the nature of a constantly changing and fast-paced industry. I reflect on all the new and emerging technologies that exist or will exist and how we will be able to train people to effectively use them.

 

Q2) What are the top three trends and challenges driving your sector at present?

One of the most important trends that Cummins is seeing is related to decarbonization. Cummins is leading the decarbonization effort in the industrials sector, and driving business results at the same time.  As the creator of products that power some of the world’s most demanding and economically important industries, we play a critical role in the broader transition to a clean economy. We’ve changed this industry before, and we’ll do it again in this new chapter of innovating for low-carbon technologies. It’s a big, necessary change to save the planet, and there’s no company better positioned to lead in this.

• • Our Destination Zero strategy is a bold commitment to clean energy solutions, and I believe it won’t just result in greater returns for our people and society; it will also foster and deliver results for our shareholders.
  • Destination Zero is a critical opportunity for growth, both for Cummins and our Customers
    • There is not a single solution or path to zero that will work for all the applications.
    • We are taking a dual-path approach – reduce CO2 from engines while focusing on advancing solutions that can get to zero while building and decarbonizing the infrastructure to support them.
    • We are advancing cleaner solutions in our core business and working toward zero emissions, while delivering zero-emissions products now through our Accelera by Cummins business.
    • This will ultimately allow the industry to successfully and seamlessly move to a decarbonized future.

Q3) You are a panellist in the session on reducing emissions across the supply chain. What role can lubricants play in helping to achieve this in heavy duty, off road and marine applications,?

 Lubricants will play a role in reducing emissions and CO2.  Low-viscosity lubricants, available for use today, reduce the friction between sliding and rotating components in the engine, which reduces the parasitic loads.  This leads to less fuel needed to deliver the same payload.

In addition, if we understand how the engine is running (i.e. the duty cycle) and how the lubricant responds (i.e degrades), there are scenarios where the oil change interval can be extended.  For example, in an engine that runs with light low loads or on flat terrain, the oil will not degrade as quickly as it would in an engine that runs over mountains or hauls heavy loads.  This former engine will be able to use the oil longer and will not need to be drained.  If the oil is not drained or discarded as often, there is no need to buy as often.  Over time, less lubricant is used, and the overall CO2 output from the fleet decreases.

Q4) What are you hoping to see at Lubricant Expo North America?

 I enjoy keeping up with what people are saying about the future of our industry and learning about new trends. I also look forward to the networking piece of the conference and hearing what my peers are saying and doing to make a difference in our industry.