JAMESTOWN – By the time 2017 comes around, Cummins’ Jamestown Engine Plant will be ready for a full-scale rollout of a new and improved X-series engine.

The Ashville engine-producing plant is in the preliminary stages of testing and constructing its brand new X15 engine, which just began rolling down the assembly line in small quantities this week.

The new engines are designed to exceed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency greenhouse gas and fuel-efficiency standards for 2017, as well as provide lower fuel consumption, extended intervals, enhanced performance and the highest quality standards across a 400- to 605-horsepower ratings range. According to Mike Abbate, plant manager, this latest generation heavy-duty engine will be a “game-changer” in terms of reliability and fuel economy, even as the Cummins corporation continues to find new ways to meet its consumers’ demands.

“(On Thursday), we started a limited production run of the 2017 version of our X15 engine. We’ve done a very good job of looking at and understanding our customers’ needs and incorporating them with these products, which will allow our truck customers to really leverage the efficiency and performance of these products,” Abbate said. “Fuel is the major perishable that our major customers have to deal with, and these packages offer a 7 percent improvement over their 2010 counterparts; making them a lot more cost-effective.”

Abbate said the 2017 X15 engine is projected to be a market leader in the aforementioned aspects in which improvement over its predecessors is constantly being sought by an ever-evolving market. The new engine marks the culmination of a four-year program designed to enhance and improve upon the features of its current mainline X15 engine design, which began production in 2013.

“This is a great day for our company and our plant,” Abbate said. “Over 1,400 people are employed here in this venture, and when we evolve products like this it’s very crucial to working towards our future and making sure we have secure employment. And we’ve got a product that we’re very proud of, and we know will delight our customers.”

The new X series builds on the current ISX15 product with the implementation of an optimized compression ratio, air-handling system and cam profile to increase fuel efficiency and performance capability. Abbate said the engine plant will be ready for a full production run of both series in January.