We take a closer look at Project Nexus, Cummins’ plans for a world-class logistics hub based out of its Darlington Campus, the aims and ambitions of the scheme, and how Project Nexus aims to support Cummins’ wider growth aspirations.
Employing over 1,750 people across manufacturing, common services, and European technical operations, Cummins Darlington (also referred to as the Darlington Campus) is the home of Cummins Darlington Engine Plant, the Cummins Powertrain Test Facility (covered in issue 526 of Manufacturing & Engineering Magazine), and has been one of Darlington’s most prominent employers since the opening of the Darlington Campus back in 1965.
Through the Cummins Darlington Engine Plant, Cummins manufactures and assembles a wide range of mid-range engines, emission solutions, and future technologies (including H2 ICE prototypes and Euro 7-ready engines) which ultimately power: commercial vehicles, buses, coaches, agricultural machinery, construction equipment, marine applications, and power generation units exported to over 50 countries around the world.
Following on from our prior coverage of the Darlington Campus, it was made clear by Steve Morley, Plant Manager for the Cummins Darlington Engine Plant that Cummins had high hopes for the Darlington Campus, with planned investments in the region of £27m over the following two years to further the site’s capabilities and support Cummins next generation products. Roll forward two years, and Cummins comes off the back of a significant investment cycle into the likes of robotics, automation, and technology, and is now embarking on the next stage in its evolution of the Darlington Campus; but this time, it’s not directly about manufacturing capability.
Announced towards the start of 2026, Project Nexus is the next stage in Cummins’ strategy for the expansion of operations on the Darlington Campus. Encompassing a major 282,000 sqft expansion of the Darlington Campus, Project Nexus entails the establishment of a brand new, world-class logistics hub which can offer far greater control over the site’s logistics functions, and importantly serves as the first phase of the Darlington Borough Council’s Ingenium Parc development – set to become Darlington’s premier location for industrial development in the borough.
To learn more about Project Nexus, Cummins’ ambitions for the Darlington Campus, and indeed the way in which the organisation has been working to support Darlington Borough Council’s broader ambitions for industrial activity in the region, we spoke with Angus Welch, Supply Chain Director for Cummins, who shared:
“Cummins has been part of Darlington for almost sixty years, so our success and the success of the wider region are closely linked. We’ve worked constructively with Darlington Borough Council throughout the development of Project Nexus, and there is a shared ambition to see advanced manufacturing continue to thrive in the area. Ingenium Parc was created to attract investment, high-value employment and innovation-led businesses, and Project Nexus is exactly the type of development that supports that vision.”
He continued: “The requirement for Project Nexus became increasingly clear as the Darlington Campus continued to grow and evolve. Today, a large proportion of our warehousing activity sits away from the main site, which means materials are continually moving between locations before they reach the production line. That approach has served us well for many years, but it introduces complexity, additional handling and unnecessary transport movements.
“At the same time, Darlington is undergoing one of the most significant periods of investment and change in its history. As we looked ahead at future manufacturing requirements, new technologies and increased production demands, it became clear that our logistics infrastructure needed to evolve alongside the business. Project Nexus is about bringing logistics much closer to where value is created, giving us greater control, improving safety and creating a more efficient flow of materials across the campus.”
Notably, through the integration of logistics capabilities into the Darlington Campus itself, Cummins’ also predicts significant environmental improvements through the elimination of continuous shuttle movements between off-site warehousing and the Cummins Darlington Engine Plant. Further environmental gains are also expected to be reaped as a result of the new hub itself, which is set to feature a significant solar panel installation, rainwater harvesting, and the use of energy efficient technology throughout the build.
Ground officially broke on the new logistics hub mid-2026, with development activity scheduled to complete during 2027, but Project Nexus does remain expected to continue for some time onwards with a series of smaller works to fully bring the site online. In particular, continued works will include the gradual transfer of logistics operations over to the new facility, a series of planned on-site optimisations, and efforts to integrate the hub into wider operations across Darlington Campus.
Yet, Project Nexus is ultimately only the first step in a much grander plan for growth over at Cummins Darlington. While the development of the new logistics hub will absolutely bring significant operational efficiencies, controls, and expanded capabilities throughout the logistics function, the new hub will simultaneously free up an inordinate volume of space on the Darlington Campus. Importantly, this will allow for Cummins Darlington to further ramp up operations and support the growth aspirations of the wider Cummins brand – and this isn’t just a happy byproduct of Project Nexus, but one of the core ambitions underpinning the scheme itself.
Offering further commentary and insight into future plans for Cummins Darlington following the completion of Project Nexus, Angus Welch clarified:
“The biggest opportunity created by Project Nexus is not simply a better warehouse. It’s what that warehouse allows us to do next. By creating a purpose-built logistics hub, we free up valuable space on the existing campus and create much greater flexibility for future manufacturing growth. As a business, we continue to invest heavily in Darlington, and that investment spans new products, new technologies, automation and operational capability.
“The new hub gives us the platform to support those ambitions. Over the next few years people will see significant change across the campus. Alongside Project Nexus, we are investing in major manufacturing and infrastructure programmes which will further strengthen Darlington’s position within Cummins’ global network. The objective is simple: create a site that is safer, more efficient, more competitive and ready to support long-term growth.”
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