TATA Cummins, Jamshedpur

TATA Cummins Limited, an engine manufacturing facility in Jamshedpur, is a collaboration between the TATA Group and Cummins Engine Co. of USA. The sprawling production facility is located in the industrial city of Jamshedpur across 22 acres and was one of the first set-ups in the region. The facility manufactures high-performance, reliable and durable mid-range (B&L) engines.Keeping with the vision of the company to create a world-class industrial hub, the Architects designed and executed a state of- the-art facility replete with engineering and architectural prowess in line with world class specifications in a record time of eighteen months. The facility expands horizontally over the landscape, harmoniously blending with the natural contours of the site. The plant is divided into two major segments, bisected by a 7-metre-wide central covered aisle. The northern part consists of an assembly line, a paint shop and a test cell including storage, main offices and kitchen, besides the receiving and shipping docks. The southern part consists of block line, cylinder link, and crank and rod links with respective plant offices. The height of the building varies from 11 metres over the aisle to 8 metres at the northern and southern edges of the building. Three main divisions in the built-up area consist of a main plant building, warehouse, and the office and administration block. The building is designed on a 15 x 15 metre structural grid with 1 x 1 x 0.6 metre deep precast RCC coffers. Adequate natural light is filtered into the facility, through skylights based on the module of the coffers. The fully air-conditioned building incorporates sophisticated planning of the utilities. Distribution of services is through an underground tunnel which is bifurcated into two components – one to carry electrical cables, and the other for services such as fuel oil and chilled water pipes. The external finish comprises a curtain wall on the north façade and 300 x 300 mm ceramic tile cladding on the
remaining sides. The facility is one of the first industrial buildings in the country to have its entire northern façade in curtain glazing, along with skylights being incorporated in its roof’s structure. To ensure that natural light is utilized for optimum performance and provides comfortable working interiors for the occupants, the Architects proposed a completely white internal colour scheme. This meant that starting from the roof to the walls, the floor and even the equipment and pipes were painted in white. Samples of the required shade of white were created in a large quantity and shared with different vendors, ensuring uniformity across the interiors. Another important design aspect pledged by the Architects was to guarantee
proper collection and drainage of rainwater. Jamshedpur has a tropical climate, resulting
in frequent rainfall. By designing an RCC pitch roof, the water could be redirected to the
longitudinal northern and southern edges of the facility. The roof slopes at both ends, having
a clear height of 8 metres, while the highest point provides a clear height of 11 metres. At the northern and southern ends of the industrial facility are perimeter gutters, aligned
longitudinally along the façade’s length, which collect the rainwater and transport the same to the ground via steel pipes. Since the pipes front the façade and are positioned outside the building, these were encased in concrete for aesthetic purposes. The facility continues to be placed amongst the top industrial designs in the country, appreciated for its flexibility in augmentation whilst setting standards for the upcoming units. Over two decades later, the Client once again engaged the Architects in 2019, to carry out a major expansion to this facility, which includes new test cells, a cafeteria, a warehouse, augmenting of electro-mechanical systems, etc.