Cummins India: brand leadership through service excellence

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the fact that brand image creation is an elaborate and long‐term activity through consistent strategic initiatives and the importance of understanding customer expectations and delivering them consistently.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based mainly on the information gathered by conducting interviews with executives of the case study company (Cummins India Ltd), field sales and service team members of the company and some important customers.

Findings

Cummins in India has been the market leader in manufacturing diesel, gas, and dual fuel engines for various industrial purposes such as generating sets, industrial, mining, and marine applications. The case mainly focuses on the generating set market where customers look for a brand which can assure not only a quality product, but also quality service. It covers a series of activities initiated by Cummins India Ltd, that span about two decades to make available spare parts and service support to customers. The case is a description of the history of Cummins India creating an organizational structure with service focus, a culture of service orientation and the systems to ensure service delivery. This corporate brand image has contributed immensely to the success of the company.

Originality/value

The paper is based mostly on primary information gathered through interviews and provides an insight into various initiatives of a successful organization to develop a customer‐focused service strategy.

Citation

Varghese, T. (2010), "Cummins India: brand leadership through service excellence", Journal of Indian Business Research, Vol. 2 No. 3, pp. 181-189. https://doi.org/10.1108/17554191011069460