Cummins is at it again, trotting out a feel-good story about a young black engineer named Collins N. to try and scrub their filthy reputation clean. This paid-for puff piece, pushed through Access Newswire – which we already ripped apart in A Den of Deception and Corporate Sleaze – is the kind of cynical PR bollocks that makes you want to vomit. Collins N. seems like a genuine guy, inspired by Nikola Tesla (the inventor, not the car guy), hustling through internships to a full-time gig, but Cummins using him as a prop to distract from their countless scandals, not least their $1.675 billion emissions cheating fine? That’s low, even for a company that rigged 960,000 engines to spew poison and got slapped with the largest Clean Air Act penalty ever. Are they using “Collins N.” as a pseudonym to shield the real person from scrutiny? We did question if he’s even a real person or made up, but no, Collins Nwafor is real – a mechanical engineer from Howard University, Customer Application Engineer at Cummins Turbo Technologies (CTT). Let’s unspin this shit and see the real picture – a corporation desperate to hide behind “inspiration” while their ethical shit-can festers.
The Story They Want You to Swallow: A Shiny PR Band-Aid
The article kicks off with Collins N.’s backstory: kid reads about Nikola Tesla, gets hooked on engineering, enters math competitions, tinkers with machines, lands at Howard University. Sounds like a solid American dream, right? He joins Cummins via the NSBE Integrated Pipeline Program (IPP), gets a scholarship, internships in 2021 and 2022, full-time in 2023 through the Engineering Development Program. Now he’s a Customer Application Engineer at CTT, reviewing docs, analyzing data, supporting builds, and seeing his work “come to life.” He praises the hybrid setup – office for labs, remote for focus – and the “trust and flexibility.” It’s all “impact,” “innovation,” and “making a difference.”
But hold up – this is the same Cummins that’s knee-deep in forced labour allegations in their Accelera supply chain through EVE Energy in China’s Xinjiang region? We exposed that in Supplier Series : EVE Energy – Batteries Built on Blood, Bullshit, and Broken Promises – Uyghurs and Tibetans trapped in state-run programs to power their “green” batteries. How’s that for “impact”? And let’s not forget the mental health patterns we uncovered in A Mental Health Pattern, where employees battle burnout and bullying, swept under the rug. Collins talks “belonging” from day one, but what about the veteran we called out in The Veteran They Fired, tossed like scrap? Cummins’ “open-door culture” is a joke when it comes to real accountability – it’s all lip service to distract from the dirt.
The DEI Smoke Screen: Using Collins Nwafor as a Shield
Cummins loves patting themselves on the back for “inclusion,” and this piece leans into it hard. Collins is active in the Cummins Black Network (CBN) and praises their work with Historically Black Colleges and Universities. “From day one, I felt like I belonged,” he says. Respect to Collins if that’s his experience, but Cummins using a young black engineer as a shield while facing allegations of exploitation? It’s cynical as hell. This is a company that rigged engines to bypass emissions controls, polluting communities and lying to regulators. The $1.675 billion fine for defeat devices on hundreds of thousands of trucks? That’s not “forward-thinking” – it’s criminal corner-cutting that hits marginalised communities hardest with higher asthma rates and health issues.
And their partners? We’ve slammed Claas and Komatsu for profiting in Russia’s bloodbath while Ukraine burns, tied to Cummins engines. No Claas – Greedy Bastards Thriving in Russia’s Bloodbath and From the Ashes of a Fuck-Up – The Real Deal on Komatsu exposed how they dodge full withdrawal despite Russia’s war laws. Collins talks “technical excellence,” but Cummins’ “Destination Zero” greenwashing is bullshit atop a scandal pile. The Siemens partnership we called out in Shady Siemens and Sleazy Cummins for mob-style bribery, paying $1.6 billion in fines for $1.4 billion in bribes? That’s the real “strategic thinking” – dodging regs for profit.
Corebridge’s 798,000-victim data breach in Exposing the Greed, Glitches, and Gutless Behaviour? Baird’s ERISA violations in our four-part series, where we called it a “full-blown turd in underpants”? Cummins’ ecosystem is a parade of pricks, and this article is just lipstick on the pig.
Access Newswire: The Sleazy Messenger, Again
We’ve already torn into Access Newswire in A Den of Deception and Corporate Sleaze for being a paid-for propaganda mill. They’re the perfect vehicle for Cummins to launder this PR crap – a “3 min read” feel-good story to distract from the $2.04 billion emissions burden and ongoing lawsuits. “View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Cummins Inc on 3blmedia.com.” ESG? Give me a break. This is corporate spin at its sleaziest, using Collins Nwafor to whitewash a company that rigged engines and ignored forced labour concerns.
The Bottom Line: Don’t Buy the BS
Collins Nwafor seems like a talented guy making his way – good on him. But Cummins using him as a prop to “humanise” their image? It’s cynical as fuck. They’re hoping this shiny story – and others – buries the rot, but TCAP won’t let that happen. Keep the pressure on, Collins – the real impact comes from calling out the bullshit, not covering it up. Cummins, your “forward-thinking” façade is cracking. Time to face the music.
Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project