About Joshua Zulu
Joshua Zulu retired from Caterpillar Inc. as Engineering Manager. After getting a scholarship from the African Scholarship Program for American Universities (ASPAU) to study engineering in the USA, he graduated from Purdue University in Indiana with a Mechanical Engineering degree. He also received a master’s degree in business management, became a certified 6 Sigma Master Black Belt and Professional Engineer in the state of Illinois. His first job was designing diesel electric locomotives at General Electric. He went on to become the first native engineer to hold the post of Chief Mechanical Engineer with Zambia Railways in his native country of Zambia.
His subsequent work career included designing forklift trucks with Hyster Company before settling down with Caterpillar Inc, where he spent the bulk of his engineering career. He led multiple engineering design teams in the U.S.A., Brazil, France, Japan and Belgium. In 1996, he was one of three recipients of the Excellence-in-Design award by Design News magazine for his innovative transmission design out of more than 2000 engineering entries. In 1997, he was recognized as one of four Caterpillar “Inventors of the Year” for his innovative Gearless Hydro-Mechanical Transmission. Joshua Zulu resides in Germantown Hills, Illinois.