Digital Transformation Community Thought Leader Interview: Robert Heideman, Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, A.O. Smith

Bob was named Senior Vice President – Chief Technology Officer at A. O. Smith in December 2010. He had served as Vice President of the Milwaukee-based research and engineering facility since February 2008. The Corporate Technology Center consists of technology platforms that concentrate on advanced concepts and emerging technologies supporting the long-term product development strategies of the company’s electric motor and water heating operating units. Bob joined A. O. Smith Corporation in 1994 as a Project Engineer at Corporate Technology. In that role, he worked on a wide range of projects for a number of the company’s operating units. He returned to A. O. Smith in 2002 as a Section Manager, responsible for the Metallurgy and Prototyping Group. In 2005, he was promoted to Director-Materials and Processes at Corporate Technology. Bob holds a Ph.D. in Materials Engineering and a bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.