Meet the 'Engine Surgeon': How Praveena's mastery in Electrical Hardware Integration is powering innovation at Cummins
Praveena feels like a doctor, even though she doesn't have a medical degree. Her "operations" happen in Electrical Hardware Integration at Cummins Inc. where she is a master at wiring harnesses.
"Wiring harnesses are like the nervous system of the human body," she says. "Every portion of the wiring harness sensors connect to every part of the engine."
Harness wires act as the communication channel for the "brain" or Electrical Control Module (ECM) of the engine. Since the wiring is one of the most important components of engine functionality, Praveena and her team are essentially the first responders to engine troubleshooting at Cummins test fields. They determine the source of the problem and then solve different engine issues, just like doctors diagnose patients.
Becoming a medically trained doctor wouldn’t have been that far-fetched for Praveena, who grew up in India.
"It was more of a cultural thing. You're either an engineer or a doctor," she says. A science degree would have meant Praveena had to study animals, and that just didn't appeal to her. Electronic Communication, however, did.
While in high school, she became fascinated with wireless technology as cell phones rose in popularity. How did it transfer data? What electrical components were needed? Finding answers to these questions led her to pursue an undergraduate degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering in India. From there she gained a master's degree in Electrical Engineering at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.
After graduation, Praveena started to work for a company in the heavy equipment and machinery industry leading wire harness projects. In 2017, she took her passion to Cummins.
"At the time we were moving from Illinois to Indiana with our first child, who was only 17 months old. We worried if we were making the right decision," she says. Luckily, they did, and they haven't looked back since. "I see good career opportunities at Cummins," she says.
Praveena believes the ability to grow her career while balancing the needs of her family is what makes Cummins such a wonderful workplace. While caring for her young family in 2017, she started as a Technical Specialist with high-horsepower projects related to wiring harnesses and Electrical Control Modules (ECMs). Within just two years, she earned a promotion to group leader. Today, Praveena works with a global team with members based in the U.S., China, India and the UK.
Designing and validating wiring harnesses for production engines is a large part of Praveena and her team’s work.
"We're always talking about design improvements, harmonization of designs and enhancing the existing designs," she says. Prior to her arrival at Cummins, the design drafting process left most of the control with their suppliers, making the company supplier dependent. Praveena took action.
Through a Six Sigma project, she established a new parametric design process that enables Cummins to draw their own designs and choose a supplier of their choice - instead of the other way around. The project saves the company $449,920 annually and earned Praveena a Business Impact award.
"If there's a problem, I want to drive a solution for it," she says. Praveena knows that being open to different perspectives is imperative when solving complicated challenges, such as a clunky design process. An appreciation for diverse points of view is something she learned from Cummins management.
"I'm confident to share my ideas with leadership," she says. "Being able to engage in constructive discussions, even when there are differing opinions, can lead to better decision-making and problem-solving. It also indicates a level of trust between you and your managers, which is essential for building strong professional relationships." She takes the same approach with her team - staying open to new ideas and having a positive mindset in challenging moments. And that's important because wiring harness engineering isn't easy.
"It's the most complex part of the engine," Praveena explains. That may be so, but with Praveena as "head surgeon" you can be sure the engines that power your world are reliable.
Cummins Inc.
Cummins, a global power technology leader, is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions. The company's products range from internal combustion, electric and hybrid integrated power solutions and components including filtration, aftertreatment, turbochargers, fuel systems, controls systems, air handling systems, automated transmissions, electric power generation systems, microgrid controls, batteries, electrolyzers and fuel cell products.
