Noah Lopez, an Electrification Engineer at the Center for Excellence in Electrification, is a prime example of how a growth mindset can drive innovation and creativity.
“The unofficial statement is that I make things work together that shouldn't,” Noah says with a smile, describing his role. Noah works at one of the flagship brands for Trane Technologies, Thermo King®, a leader in sustainable transport climate control solutions. His day-to-day involves combining batteries and other elements into functional systems to create new solutions. He replicates challenges customers face in the field to resolve them and manages the implementation of aftermarket data loggers into field trials with customers.
Noah, a third-generation engineer with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been with the company for four years. Before graduation, he heard about the company culture through a friend and was intrigued by the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology. “The opportunity to work on ‘bleeding edge’ technology to help drive new processes and ideas was really interesting to me,” he recalls.
Award-winning innovation
After joining the company, Noah and his teammates developed two generations of battery electric power systems for demonstrating electrified trailer refrigeration – a significant step in the company’s electrification strategy. Their innovative work earned them a patent and the company’s prestigious President’s Award. “We figured out how to minimize the amount of power flowing through our battery to maximize the lifetime of the battery,” Noah says.
Now, he is working on the integration of external power systems to trailer transport refrigeration units and appreciates the opportunity to work in a job that makes an impact. “If we aren’t sustainable, eventually, we won’t be here,” he notes. Nature is especially important to Noah, who spends time outdoors almost daily, even coaching speed skating in the winter months.
A collaborative and growth-oriented environment
The positive work culture his friend described proved true once Noah joined. “Our electrification team is a very tight group of competent engineers who all work together without ego,” he says. Noah appreciates the company’s growth-mindset approach, which allows learning from mistakes. “We get to work in the lab with high-end equipment, and if something goes wrong, we get to learn what went wrong and how to fix it, so it won’t happen again,” he explains.
Mentoring the next generation
Noah received mentorship early in his career from Principal Electrification Engineer, Matt Srnec, to help propel his career forward. And now, Noah has his own opportunity to pay it forward by mentoring the company’s interns. He helps interns find projects they enjoy, helping to enhance their work experience. “Having a greater level of enjoyment for the work that they're doing every day, means they’re happy to show up and work on it.”
For instance, his intern from last year designed and built a test cart repackaging the evolve™ battery system for ease of mobility and storage. “We worked with the intern to complete the design process from the ground up through completion of the build,” Noah says. “I want future engineers to have that opportunity for fulfilling project experience.”
The evolve™ portfolio is the company’s all-electric portfolio, which includes electric refrigeration solutions for truck, trailer, rail, air and marine transport. These zero-emissions product offerings contribute to our company’s 2030 Sustainability Commitments to reduce customer greenhouse gas emission by 1 billion metric tons.
A perfect fit
Noah has found the right fit at the company. “I get to go play in the lab and do the innovation work that I enjoy,” he says. “I think that the work that I do every day boldly challenges what’s possible,” Noah adds. “That goes hand in hand with the opportunity to innovate, to make new things, and prove that those random ideas are possible.”
Noah’s story is a compelling example of how a supportive and innovative work culture can lead to personal and professional growth. For those considering a career in engineering, Noah’s journey highlights the exciting opportunities to innovate and grow in a company that values sustainability and creativity.
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