1. MUHAMMAD U CHAUDHRY 1
Highlights of the year
My name is Muhammad Chaudhry. I am an international student of Engineering and Applied Sciences
at Aston University Birmingham. I am from Pakistan where I spend most of my life. I am enrolled in
Fast track master programme in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. I started placement in July 2014
as Technical Sales Support at Cummins Power Generation Kent. The purpose of this short paper is to
reveal to the reader my experiences which has helped to develop my skills both personally and
professionally during the placement year with Cummins Power Generation, Kent.
Cummins is an exceptional company for personal development. Right from the start we were sent
out, as a group, on multiple training days. These included communication skills, presentation skills,
learning to adapt to a business environment, team work, customer care and much more. As a Power
Systems Placement Student within this very busy technical department here at CPGK, I gained valuable
hands on experience and now an integral member of the Power System Team supporting the team
with their key projects throughout the year.
My role is focused on working close with Cummins Distributers, suppliers and engineering teams,
assisting them with the RFQ (Request for Quotation) process which helped me to develop my
communication and problem solving skills. I was held responsible for preparing product and process
reports, identifying gaps between current and future process capability needs and proposing
initiatives to close gaps along with technology investments to shift capability.
Due to current business requirements, previous processes & methods were no longer an effective
option to meet the new demands. It was necessary to transform the approach to help make Cummins
a successful business, when markets in Europe & Russia are struggling in this power sector.
A significant contribution I made was in reducing the time it took to generate OBIEE and Order intake
reports down from 2 days to 2 hours, which has helped PS engineer and management to alter their
policies and make Cummins more prosperous in Power generation business. These opportunities also
helped me to develop my problem solving and project implementation skills, gain confidence and the
opportunity to sharpen both my programming and presentation skills.
I have also been an active member of Community Involvement & Local Diversity team at Cummins
Power Generation, taking part both as a member & as a project leader to lead projects with the aim
of supporting local communities & establish right working environment. These experiences have
helped me develop good work ethnicity, interpersonal skills, valuing the diverse knowledge &
perspective of my peers along with a passion for the environment & community.
Finally, after completing my final year in university, I would like to think there will be an opportunity
for me to return back to Cummins as it is really involved with cutting edge technology, has a highly
qualified team and is known for its excellent global service. Cummins is also nominated & recognized
as the best employer in the energy industry where diversity is considered as a means of success.
Cummins currently has a strong stock market value with the important aim for zero harm to both
people here and to the environment, whilst ensuring operational excellence – All of which is my main
motivation for joining the company.