A Conversation With Cummins' Chief Technical Officer
Jennifer Rumsey says she achieved her dream job when she became Cummins’ Vice President – Chief Technical Officer in 2015.
Today, she leads the company’s global technical organization, responsible for research and engineering across Cummins’ four business units.
After obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rumsey initially worked at a fuel processing and fuel cell start-up company. Her early career focused on control systems and system engineering.
In 2000, she moved to Cummins and has worked in a variety of engineering roles across the company’s Engine and Components business units, including advanced technology development, new product development and current product engineering.
Here’s what she has to say about her job, her predecessor and why she chose to build a career at Cummins:
Q: What is it like to fill the role of your mentor and friend, John Wall?
A: “John Wall had a major role in transforming Cummins products and emission technology in our industry. I intend to build on his legacy and develop that next generation of breakthrough innovations. We are focused on creating an environment where our global technical organization can work together to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.”
Q: Why have you chosen to build your career at Cummins?
A: “This is my dream job. I found a passion for research and development as an intern at Cummins. My work matters for the environment and for our customers. I like solving problems, but I really like developing solutions that will have an immediate positive and large-scale impact.”
Q: Why has Cummins’ technical organization been successful?
A: “Our ability to identify the right technology to meet the emissions challenges and to integrate those technologies into products that meet our customers’ needs has set us apart from the competition. Meeting emissions regulations will only grow in importance globally in the future, but we anticipate it will no longer drive innovation and business growth in the same way it has historically.”
Q: What’s next for Cummins?
A: “Our next phase of success will be characterized by our ability to deliver differentiated products, information and technologies that wow and delight our customers. I believe two key ingredients drive success in innovation. The first ingredient is an understanding of and openness to technology changes and how new technologies and technical ideas may develop into innovative products.
“The second ingredient is a problem or opportunity which demands a new technology or new application of an existing technology. To define these problems and opportunities requires a deep understanding of our customers, of their needs and what’s important to them, and of how we can use technology and advances in our products to enable our customers’ success.”
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