Established by D.W. (David) Onan in 1920, Onan has been a leader and pioneer in power generation equipment for more than 80 years and engines for 50 years. A lot of years have passed and a lot has changed since the first Onan generator sets entered the market - the products, technology, marketplace and of course, the company.

In 1952 Paul Croset and Brian Holmes formed a new company. Brian Holmes thought that the company's name should derive from the family names of HOLmes and CroSET. So, on March 29, 1952 'HOLSET' was incorporated as a limited company and a wholly owned subsidiary of B.H.D. Engineers Ltd. of England.

You will find that Cummins generators may have a purchase cost a little more than the cheaper competition. But, when the total life-cycle cost of the product is considered,

In 1986 Cummins began the acquisition of Onan and completed it in 1992. Since then, Onan has evolved into Cummins Power Generation (now Cummins Power Systems), a wholly-invested division of Cummins. The Onan name continues to be used for modern versions of their traditional engine-driven generators for RV, marine, commercial mobility, home standby, and portable use.