Supplier Series : Unmasking the Holy Machinists - Turbocam International's Dirty Little Secrets

I worked in Automotive for years. Most of my adult years, in fact. Spent in unforgiving, unglamorous but necessary roles. The shift work taking such toll on my naïve young body left me feeling old. Worn out. So when I read about Turbocam International, the self-proclaimed beacon of Christian virtue in the manufacturing game, churning out turbine parts like some divine assembly line I was somewhat sceptical. So I read on and one thing did become obvious – these guys have hooks deep into the Cummins ecosystem. Yeah, that’s right – they’ve been supplying machined components to Cummins Inc. for decades, scooping up awards like Diverse Supplier of the Year back in 2008 and Distinguished North America Supplier in 2022 and sprayed the screen that I’m typing this article up on. Cummins? Diversity? At this point I lost control and spat my coffee out. As of what we can find from 2023, that partnership’s still humming along, no signs of a split, which means Turbocam’s still feeding the beast with turbomachinery bits for Cummins’ engines. But here’s the kicker: this is just another cog in the Cummins machine that’s got some seriously alternative takes on ethical behaviour. While Cummins preaches sustainability and diversity from their ivory towers, their suppliers like Turbocam are out here playing God with people’s lives, hiding behind Bibles and boardrooms. So here we have it, below are my findings on Turbocam International, written in front of a coffee stained laptop screen.

Turbocam ain’t some faceless conglomerate; it’s a family-run outfit out of New Hampshire, founded by Marian Noronha, an immigrant from India who built an empire on precision engineering and a hefty dose of evangelical zeal. They slap “Christian-owned” on their branding like it’s a badge of honour, but dig a little deeper, and you’ll find the rot. We’re talking discrimination lawsuits that drag on like a bad hangover, and a quixotic crusade against bribery in India that sounds noble but reeks of self-righteous posturing. These aren’t just blips on the radar – they’re the cracks in the facade of a company that claims to walk the talk of faith while stepping on the necks of the vulnerable. And in a world where corporations like Cummins tout ethical supply chains, hooking up with outfits like this? It’s like pairing fine wine with sewer water. Bloody outrageous.

The Transgender Turmoil: Denying Care in the Name of Christ

Christ almighty, where do I even start with this shitshow? Picture this: Lillian Bernier, a transgender woman grinding away as a machinist at Turbocam’s plant, just trying to live her life without the world kicking her in the teeth. But no, Turbocam’s health plan – that sacred cow of employee benefits – flat-out excludes coverage for gender dysphoria treatments. Hormone therapy? Surgery? Forget it. Why? Because the owners’ religious beliefs say so. It’s 2025, for fuck’s sake, and we’re still fighting this medieval bollocks.

The saga kicked off in December 2022 when Bernier slapped them with a discrimination complaint, alleging violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. She argued that turfing out coverage for gender-affirming care is straight-up discrimination based on sex and disability. And she’s not wrong – it’s like telling someone with cancer, “Sorry, mate, our God doesn’t cover chemo.” Turbocam, of course, doubled down, defending their plan as perfectly aligned with their Christian mission. They even tried to get the case tossed out, but in June 2024, a federal district court in New Hampshire said, “Not so fast,” denying their motion to dismiss and letting the lawsuit rumble on.

Fast forward to 2025, and the plot thickens like overcooked gravy. The US Department of Justice wades in with a Statement of Interest in August, backing Bernier’s claim that excluding gender dysphoria procedures is discrimination “because of” sex. They’re telling the court that small businesses like Turbocam can’t hide behind religious exemptions to screw over their workers. Meanwhile, Turbocam keeps fighting tooth and nail, insisting they have a “right” to axe trans care from their plans. In July 2024, they were in court arguing just that, trying to intervene against claims hitting their health plan administrators. Critics are howling that this is religious bigotry masquerading as freedom, while Turbocam’s supporters frame it as defending faith against the woke mob.

But let’s get real gritty here: Bernier’s out there paying out of pocket for treatments she needs to survive, all because her bosses think their version of Jesus wouldn’t approve. It’s raw, it’s cruel, and it’s happening in a company that brags about treating employees like family. Family? More like the dysfunctional kind that disowns you for being different. And with the case still grinding through the courts as of mid-2025, complete with appeals and federal muscle, it’s a stark reminder that in corporate America, ethics often bend to the Bible – or whatever twisted interpretation suits the bottom line. Outrageous doesn’t even cover it; it’s a gut-punch to anyone who’s ever felt the sting of exclusion.

The Indian Bribery Battle: Noble Stand or Naive Folly?

Now, shift gears to India, where Turbocam’s planted its flag with a subsidiary that’s become a poster child for anti-corruption crusades – or a cautionary tale of how idealism clashes with reality, depending on who you ask. Back in 2011, they made headlines for refusing to pay bribes to local officials for regulatory approvals. Instead of greasing palms, they coughed up penalties, delays be damned. Founder Marian Noronha laid it out plain: “We will operate in India only if we never pay a bribe.” Sounds heroic, right? Like a lone gunslinger in a Bollywood Western, staring down the corrupt sheriff.

Media lapped it up – stories in The Times of India praised them for inspiring other firms to ditch the bribe culture. “If Turbocam can fight bribes, why should we pay?” companies reportedly asked. By 2017, Turbocam was touting itself as a catalyst in the fight against corruption, even featuring in business ethics toolkits. They claimed it built trust, attracted talent, and set a standard in a country where kickbacks are as common as chai.

But peel back the layers, and it’s not all sunshine and righteousness. Refusing bribes led to operational headaches – delays in permits, penalties piling up, and conflicts with officials that disrupted business. Critics whispered that this stance was impractical in high-corruption environments, potentially stunting growth and straining partnerships. Was it truly ethical, or just a privileged outsider imposing Western morals on a system that’s rigged from the ground up? In a place where bribes are sometimes the only way to get shit done, Turbocam’s holier-than-thou approach could be seen as naive at best, arrogant at worst. And let’s not forget: while they’re patting themselves on the back, other multinationals in India – think Cognizant and L&T, slapped with bribery scandals in 2024 – show how easy it is to slide into the muck.

Turbocam’s narrative paints them as martyrs, but in the gritty reality of global business, it’s a double-edged sword. They might have avoided jail time or fines under India’s Prevention of Corruption Act, but at what cost to their workers and bottom line? It’s the kind of ethical grandstanding that looks good in press releases but feels tone-deaf on the factory floor. And tying back to their Cummins ties? If ethical behaviour means cherry-picking battles – fighting bribes abroad while denying care at home – then Turbocam’s got a hell of a lot to answer for.

The Bigger Picture: Hypocrisy in the Supply Chain

Wrapping this up, Turbocam International isn’t some rogue operator; it’s embedded in the Cummins world, a supplier that’s won accolades while harbouring these festering issues. Cummins talks a big game on ethics, but associating with a company that uses faith as a shield for discrimination? That’s alternative ethics alright – the kind that prioritises piety over people. In my travels, I’ve seen enough facades crumble to know that true integrity doesn’t hide behind religion or rhetoric. Turbocam’s scandals might be few, but they’re deep, raw wounds that expose the rot beneath the polish. If this is the Cummins ecosystem, maybe it’s time to rev the engine and drive the hell away.

Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project

Supplier Series : Unmasking the Holy Machinists – Turbocam International’s Dirty Little Secrets

The Transgender Turmoil: Denying Care in the Name of Christ

The Indian Bribery Battle: Noble Stand or Naive Folly?

The Bigger Picture: Hypocrisy in the Supply Chain

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