A. O. Smith Corp. has named Ming Cheng as its next chief technology officer, effective July 7.
He will succeed longtime executive Bob Heideman, who plans to retire on Sept. 1 after more than 30 years with the company. Cheng joins the Milwaukee-based water technology firm from 3M Co., where he most recently served as senior vice president of research and development for its transportation and electronics business group. Over a 25-year career at 3M, Cheng held a series of technical leadership roles across the U.S. and China, spanning automotive, electronics, and advanced materials.
About A. O. Smith’s new chief technology officer
At A. O. Smith, Cheng will oversee global research, product engineering, and long-term technology strategy. Heideman, who was appointed CTO in 2013, will stay on through the summer to support the leadership transition.
“Bob has been a guiding force in the development of our most energy-efficient products and helped strengthen our global technology capabilities,” said A. O. Smith president and CEO Kevin Wheeler in a statement. “With Ming’s background in leading complex R&D organizations, we’re well positioned to build on that foundation.”
Cheng holds a Ph.D. in polymer chemistry from Cornell University, an MBA from the University of Minnesota, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Peking University.
Heideman joined A. O. Smith in 1994 as a project engineer and went on to lead the company’s Corporate Technology Center in Milwaukee. During his tenure, the company launched several key innovations, including heat pump water heaters and advanced water filtration systems. A.O. Smith manufactures residential and commercial water heaters, boilers, and water treatment products.
Sign up
Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact Mark Brohan, senior vice president of B2B and Market Research, at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @markbrohan. Follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and YouTube.
