The force is strong: Cummins’ Centum™ Force redefines containerized power
Introducing Centum™ Force, an ingenious containerised generator set with all the right answers for power critical commercial operations.
Good things come in small packages, they say. And in the world of power generation, an all-in-one, containerised, stackable, premium quality generator set that comes in at just 40 ft (12.192 metres) is more than simply ‘good’, it’s astounding.
Thanks to its innovative design and packaging, Centum™ Force, which is now available to serve markets across Europe, promises to rewrite the rules of turn-key critical emergency and prime power demand.
Its arrival has sparked a huge wave of interest in critical power segments across the 50Hz range, including data centres, hospitals, manufacturing plants, temporary power, rental applications and more.
The fully integrated containerised generator sets are powered by the Cummins QSK60 engine, renowned for its reliable power, low emissions and fast response to load charges.
The QSK60 is capable of running on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), just one of a number of environmentally aware features to delight customers who are increasingly concerned about sustainability.
The Centum™ Force gensets have been engineered for easy transportation, simple installation and are stackable, offering up to 34% space utilisation savings over traditional build designs.
Each generator is equipped with an advanced paralleling control module, allowing it to support a fast start of multiple units paralleled for power demands in emergency situations.
“As data centres and mission-critical industries expand rapidly, we're committed to offering solutions that combine exceptional engineering with effortless deployment,” said Ignacio Gonzalez, Executive Director of Cummins Power Generation Europe Middle East India and Africa.
“Cummins has over a century of experience delivering innovative power solutions. We focus on what matters most: responding to customers’ needs, meeting regulations, achieving engineering excellence, and leveraging our global reach to provide a consistent experience worldwide.
“We believe Centum™ Force is the containerised solution our customers are seeking. It delivers faster commissioning times, lower upfront costs, a compact footprint, simpler transportation and reduced lead times.”
Centum™ Force is equipped with a multi-function intelligent control system, which monitors and manages the entire system’s performance.
For convenient maintenance and operation, Centum™ Force is available with a full colour touch control screen, container wall installed panels and friendly interfaces.
Multiple service doors, removable container roof and radiator core, make service operations much easier for technicians. Aftersales service for all parts is available, offering reduced downtime and maintenance waiting time.
Introducing the Centum™ Force to Cummins customers at the European launch event in Spain, Daniel Glenn, Managing Director, Powergen Europe for Cummins, said every component within Centum™ Force had been completely designed and built by Cummins and tested to ensure the highest reliability in the industry.
“What continues to set us apart in the world of power systems is our focus on sustainability and fuel efficiency and our application expertise,” he said.
“Our power generators are more reliable and robust, with a lower total cost of ownership, and we support customers in the most demanding of applications and locations.”
Daniel said Centum™ Force was a direct response to customers’ concerns surrounding investment costs, enclosure sizes and spacing distance between units, overlong deployment times and high transport costs.
“Our mission-critical partners can expect fast lead times of between 16 and 20 weeks ex-factory, faster installation thanks to quick connection sockets and plug-and-play, weatherproof design, and shorter field commissioning time, with built-in fuel tanks, built-in silencer, and built in neutral grounding resistor (NGR) for high voltage or circuit breaker for low voltage.
“All this plus unmatched flexibility, with multiple layout choices and the options of two-level stacked deployment. Simply put, Centum™ Force is the ultimate solution.”
Centum™ Force is engineered with a vertical exhaust design, allowing for a variety of site layout combinations of multiple Centum™ Force units, including head-to-head, back-to-back, head to back and two-layer stacking, to name a few.
Centum™ Force is backed by a comprehensive two-year Cummins Power Generation warranty and is supported by Cummins’ extensive global network of service and dealer locations.
Four models based on the legendary QSK60
The expanded Centum™ Force offering, will encompass four models at different power nodes based on the Cummins QSK60 engine: C2000D5-PB (2000kVA), C2250D5-PB (2250kVA), C2500D5A-PB (2500kVA) and C2750D5B-PB (2750kVA).
All models are compliant with both CE and ISO 8528 standards and produced in ISO 9001 certified facilities.
Design features include:
- Advanced paralleling control module
- Integrated cooling system
- Connection sockets for easy installation and servicing
- Fire detection and suppression system
- Cummins PowerCommand® Control 3.3
- Cummins PowerCommand Cloud™ remote monitoring system
For more information on our containerised generator set, click here.
Standout solution for data centers
Europe's data centre industry is going through a period of lightning growth and transformation, driven by increasing data consumption, cloud computing adoption, and the rise of artificial intelligence.
This surge in demand is prompting significant investments in new data centre facilities across the continent.
As the industry expands, it faces challenges related to energy consumption and sustainability, prompting a focus on energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy sources.
Cummins Power Generation has witnessed this growth up close, having installed more than 1,400 generator sets to the European data centre sector over the past decade, providing more than 3.5 gigawatts of standby power.
Ignacio Gonzalez said to keep pace, data centre operators wanted solutions that were fast and easy to deploy.
“They want solutions that have the right engineering, but which can be plug-and-play, and that’s where Centum™ Force can work for them.
“We can lower the footprint, lower the capital expenditure and bring the solution directly to the site with a short commissioning period and a lead time that will get even shorter as the product becomes standard.”
UK modular data centre specialist Durata quick to place first order
Cummins has completed the first Centum™ Force sale in Europe with an initial delivery by September of 24 of its new containerised sets to Durata, a UK provider of modular data centres and critical power infrastructure.
The Centum™ Force solution will provide back-up power to data centre modules Durata is supplying across two locations where there is the potential for a further 150 or so modules.
As part of the deal, Cummins will put a three-year service plan in place, allowing for a 75-point service check and an oil and filtration check each year, and a complete service with oil change in the third year.
The standard Centum™ Force generators are designed for rapid deployment and can be shipped globally with ease and cost effectively as they fit inside an ISO steel shipping container.
The data centre modules custom-made for Durata come pre-packed with servers, cooling systems, switchgear and uninterruptible power systems (UPS) and fit neatly inside Durata’s 14m x 3m enclosures. Once in situ, the modules can be stacked, which yields useful gains in power density. Durata, which is based in Teesside, northern England, is currently looking at export opportunities across the globe.
“It’s all about speed,” said Gary Meadows, Head of Cummins Power Projects UK, who has known Durata’s managing director John McGee for 20 years and counts him as a loyal and committed customer.
“In some cases, Durata will send out modular units while the data centre is under construction. Once it’s built, the data is transferred across and the module can be moved elsewhere, although on this occasion with our Centum™ Forces the modules are static.
“Basically, in this highly responsive and mobile way, Durata is capable of getting a Tier 3 data centre up and running anywhere in the world.” Gary said he had John McGee in mind from the moment he learned of Centum™ Force availability. “I delivered a presentation, and they were impressed and wanted to move quickly. Our concept is a perfect match for their business model.”
John McGee said: “Durata prides itself on supplying quality solutions to our clients, which is why we have supplied Cummins products on our installations for many years.
“Our rapid deployment modular data centres are designed to a standard format which is replicable and expandable, and the modular design of the Centum™ Force units fits perfectly with our brief.”
Gary said the irresistible rise of artificial intelligence would place increasing demands on data centres, and Cummins, with its reputation for high-calibre power generation products, was well placed to capitalise on growth in the sector.
This article is part of the 2025 Edition Cummins Europe Magazine, to read more European articles click here: