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Cummins Inc. announced earlier this week that Jamestown Plant Manager Mike Abbate has received one of the company's highest awards, the J. Irwin Miller Award of Excellence. Abbate received the award in recognition for his "commitment to Cummins employees and his leadership in the community," the company said in a statement.
"When the Jamestown Engine Plant he manages experienced a 30 percent reduction in engine volume in 2015, he recruited a cross-functional team that partnered with New York's state government to develop a plan to ensure no employees lost their full-time employment," the statement said. "Through the unique use of the state's unemployment systems and by insourcing work that was previously outsourced, Abbate and his team beat their expense plan and did not miss a customer delivery while keeping each team member employed.
In 2016, Corry, Pa., a community near the plant suffered three major water main breaks in its municipal water supply. The entire community water reserve drained, resulting in the loss of water to nearly 7,500 residents. Abbate and his team secured an adequate supply of bottled water to support the community and enlisted the help of the Salvation Army to distribute the water to households.
"Maybe the most incredible thing is that these are just two of the many, many examples over Mike's 35 plus years with Cummins where he has truly embodied the spirit of Mr. Miller," said Cummins President and Chief Operating Officer Rich Freeland. "Our honoree has consistently demonstrated excellence in his work that has made a long-term impact on this company and its stakeholders."
J. Irwin Miller was a "visionary businessman and a model of integrity who built Cummins from a small diesel engine maker in a rural Indiana town into a global powerhouse. He was among the first business leaders to advocate building a diverse workforce, he was committed to the communities where Cummins flourished and he pushed himself and the company he led to be the very best."
To honor the legacy of Miller, who died Aug. 16, 2004 at age 95, Cummins created the J. Irwin Miller Award of Excellence. The award recognizes employees who "embody the spirit of Miller and who have demonstrated excellence in work that has made a long-term impact on the company or its stakeholders while also showing commitment to Cummins mission, vision and values," the company said.
The Miller Award is one of the highest honors Cummins can bestow on its employees. New recipients were announced at the 2017 management conference last month in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, Cummins currently employs approximately 55,400 people worldwide and serves customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of approximately 600 company-owned and independent distributor locations and approximately 7,400 dealer locations.