170 kVA Cummins Standby Generator for a Doncaster Food Factory

Global Generators supplied a Cummins C170D5Q 170 kVA silent diesel generator for emergency standby power at an oriental food factory in Doncaster, UK.

A Cummins 170kVA silent diesel generator loaded on transport for delivery to a major UK food manufacturer in Doncaster, UK

30th Jun 2026|Written by Sam Dexter

Emergency standby power for a Doncaster food factory

Food manufacturing runs on uninterrupted power. Cookers, chillers, freezers, mixers and packing lines all depend on it, and so do the systems that keep a site safe, secure and compliant.

A UK specialist oriental food manufacturer came to us for that reason. The company is the business behind one of the UK's best known supermarket oriental food brands, producing at scale for national retail. Its factory sits in Doncaster, just a few miles from our own premises.

We supplied a single Cummins C170D5Q 170 kVA generator to provide emergency standby power for the site's operations and safety-critical systems in the event of a mains power outage.

The equipment supplied

We supplied a single Cummins C170D5Q diesel generator, a 3 phase set housed in a weatherproof acoustic canopy.

Specification:

  • Model: Cummins C170D5Q
  • Standby rating: 170 kVA / 136 kW
  • Prime rating: 155 kVA / 124 kW
  • Output: 400V 3 phase, 50Hz at 1500rpm, 246 amps per phase
  • Engine: Cummins 6BTAA5.9-G7
  • Alternator: Stamford UCI274F
  • Controller: Cummins PowerStart 0600
  • Fuel tank: 400 litres, giving up to 10.8 hours at 100% prime-rated load
  • Build: silent (canopied) - 79 dB(A) at 1m / 68 dB(A) at 7m
  • Application: emergency standby power for a food production facility

Why a power cut is a food safety issue

In food production, losing the mains supply is rarely just an inconvenience. Chilled and frozen stock starts warming the moment refrigeration stops. Temperature monitoring and traceability records stop logging. Work in progress on the line may have to be scrapped, and a batch that cannot be evidenced as held at the right temperature cannot safely be sold.

Alongside that sit the safety-critical loads: fire detection, emergency lighting, extraction and ventilation, plus access control and security across the site.

A standby generator holds all of it. Rated at 170 kVA, the set gives useful headroom for the high inrush currents drawn when refrigeration compressors, motors and drives restart together, so production comes back up cleanly rather than tripping on the way.

Built for continuous, unattended standby duty

The PowerStart 0600 controller supports automatic mains failure (AMF) operation, remote start and Modbus communications, with digital metering, fault logging and maintenance reminders built in. It also integrates with building management systems, so the factory's engineering team keeps full visibility of the set.

The 400 litre base tank gives close to 11 hours of running at full prime-rated load, covering a long outage without refuelling. The acoustic canopy keeps the set protected from the weather and holds noise to 68 dB(A) at 7m. As a standby set, it is backed by Cummins' 2 year / 500 hour standby warranty.

Why customers choose Global Generators

  • Authorised Cummins CPG reseller - the UK's best pricing on Cummins diesel generators, backed by our Best UK Cummins Diesel Generator Prices guarantee
  • A leading stockist - a wide range of generators held in our own physical inventory, so a set can be on site quickly rather than waiting on a factory build slot
  • Over 50 years of combined experience - we help food manufacturers match the right set to the loads that genuinely have to stay live
  • Fast delivery from the UK and efficient global export - in this case, a few miles down the road in Doncaster

Protecting a food production site from power cuts?

Bakery, ready meals, chilled and frozen, drinks or ingredient processing: if an outage would put product, compliance or safety systems at risk, our team will help you size the right diesel generator for your critical loads. We supply from our headquarters in Doncaster, UK, with fast nationwide delivery from stock and worldwide export available.

Talk to our power generation experts today. Call us, message us on WhatsApp, or send us an email, and we will be happy to assist.

Headshot image of Sam Dexter - Digital Growth Engineer at Global Generators Ltd

About the author

Sam Dexter

Digital Growth Engineer

Sam is the Digital Growth Engineer at Global Generators, responsible for the company's digital presence and marketing strategy. He left college in 2017 for a digital marketing apprenticeship, learning the profession and the power generation industry side-by-side, and has spent the years since working across website development, SEO, paid advertising, content, analytics, automation and AI implementation. The years spent so close to the products has helped Sam build a genuine working knowledge of generator sets - ratings, applications, specifications and the questions customers actually need answering - which shapes everything he publishes. Since joining Global Generators in 2026 Sam now works at the intersection of technology, marketing and operations - improving online visibility and finding smarter ways to reach and support customers.