Ajith "AJ" Kumar is quite the innovator.
As the vice president of technology-innovation at Pittsburgh-based train and equipment manufacturer Wabtec Corp. (NYSE: WAB), Kumar has earned hundreds of personal patents throughout his career in the rail industry, which Wabtec officially recognized him for during a company event held earlier this month after he earned his 362nd patent.
That's a lofty figure in its own regard, but it's also a figure that has now surpassed the number of patents awarded to George Westinghouse, an innovation icon who earned 361 patents after founding the origins of Wabtec in 1869 when it went by Westinghouse Air Brake Co.
Westinghouse died in 1914 but his inventions, namely the railway air brake, would go on to transform the rail industry, a legacy Kumar continues at Westinghouse's successor company that shares his name (Wabtec is derived from Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp., which materialized after the merger of Westinghouse Air Brake Co. and MotivePower Industries Corp. in 1999).
Wabtec credits Kumar as being the "Father of the AC Locomotive" following his pioneering efforts in the 1990s when he introduced alternating current technology to the standard direct current traction motor systems at the time. According to Wabtec, those efforts led to making AC propulsion systems the standard of the rail industry. Wabtec also touted Kumar's efforts in creating software that led to the company's “cruise control for trains” feature as well as the invention of battery systems for a new era of battery-powered locomotives that Wabtec calls FLXdrive.
In a prepared statement, Kumar shared some of his insights on how he's been able to successfully secure so many patents over the span of his career, which started in 1977 after he graduated from the College of Engineering in Trivandrum, India, and began work at GE Transportation. Wabtec merged with GE Transportation in 2019.
"I’ll be honest, there’s no grand 'process' per se, but I can share some insights common to successful patents," Kumar said. "First, look at all the new technology around you and imagine a fresh way you can apply it to improve the lives of your customers, or start with any problem that resonates with customers. If you don’t have direct access to customers and what they are saying, listen attentively at meetings and closely monitor industry publications and news. Once you identify a worthy problem and solution for it – whether individually or in collaboration with others – that will make a reasonable impact, the patent process is relatively simple and pain free."
Kumar attributed a lot of his ideas-turned-patents as being the result of good luck but he said there's also another element at play: perseverance.
"Once you identify a potentially significant solution, don’t give up on it – keep trying," Kumar said. "Persistence matters. Also, work the different avenues available to you: get your solution into the STRAP process, work through the chief engineer’s office, or bring it to your product manager’s attention. You’ve heard the phrase 'knocking on a lot of doors?' I’ve done it, and it works."
