Local industry leader Cummins Inc. keeps refining its business, and this week a couple of developments had big potential ramifications.
As The Republic’s Andy East reported, Cummins is in talks to acquire part of Faurecia’s commercial exhaust aftertreatment business, including a plant in Columbus and one in the Netherlands. Neither company commented, but an analyst said such a deal could benefit both Columbus-based Cummins and Faurecia, based in France.
Additionally, Cummins made it official this week that it plans to spin off its filtration business with an initial public offering for Atmus Filtration Technologies.
If the Securities and Exchange Commission approves, an IPO will list Atmus on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ATMU. Potential share prices and volumes for the offering had not been determined, Cummins said.
This unit dates to 1958 and has been a leader in filtration products for on-highway commercial vehicles and off-highway agriculture, construction, mining and power generation vehicles and equipment. Cummins said Steph Disher will continue to lead as CEO alongside an experienced and capable leadership team.
Cummins has demonstrated thoughtful, forward-looking leadership that combines a vision for a zero-carbon future with stewardship of its legacy businesses, and these moves fit that mold.
Injecting good economic news
Speaking of molds, a Columbus employer this week announced a double-shot of good news: It is pumping up its injection molding capacity as well as its workers’ paychecks.
As The Republic’s Mark Webber reported, thermoplastics maker Flambeau Inc., which operates a 177,000-square-foot plant at 4325 Middle Road, is adding a new press that will increase its injection molding rage limit by 27%.
Additionally, the company with 76 local employees announced it has raised starting wages by 6.7%, top-of-scale wages by 10.8%, and its technical position pay by more than 20%. That’s on top of Flambeau’s average starting hourly wage reported last spring at $15.65 an hour.
These are all great signs for Flambeau — which also marks its 75th anniversary this year — and for its local workforce.
East honoree makes the grade
The Republic’s Jana Wiersema wrote a nice profile this week of Columbus East Class of 1992 grad Dennis Livesay, who will be honored in the spring as the 2023 inductee into East’s Alumni Wall of Fame.
Livesay, dean of computing at Michigan Technological University, holds several degrees in chemistry but his university-level career and research have spanned the sciences. It all started with graduating from East and enrolling at IUPUC (at the time known as IUPUI-Columbus).
We really liked this advice Livesay had for students: “Lean into discomfort. Do things that challenge you. Do things that you don’t think you’re going to be very good at, because one, you may surprise yourself; two, you may enjoy it; and three, it’s how you improve.”
Congratulations to Dean Livesay, whose addition to the East Wall of Fame seems, well … academic.
