MIT-COE team’s hybrid bike wins Schaeffler India ‘Open Inspiration’ challenge

MIT-COE, Pune has won the maiden edition of Schaeffler India ‘Open Inspiration’ Platform finals held in Pune for showcasing its idea on a model hybrid motorcycle.

‘Open Inspiration’ is a platform for design thinkers, inventors and researchers to showcase their innovative ideas and products focused on developing sustainable solutions for a better tomorrow. In a closely held competition, Maharashtra Institute of Technology Pune's (Team MIT) project ‘Hybrid Bike’ edged out the runners-up team of AIT Pune; third position was jointly shared by team from PVPIT – MIT (team) Pune and BITS Pilani. The award was presented by Dr Alfred Rivinius, CTO Europe – Schaeffler. Schaeffler India will provide mentorship, guidance and support to the four winning teams.

The second prize winners were the Army Institute of Technology, seen here with Dr Micheal Schlotter, Innovation Head - Schaeffler Group.

Schaeffler India, a leading industrial and automotive supplier, announced the ‘Open Inspiration India’ program last year, visiting 26 colleges across India over the past few months, involving 300 students and gathering a total of 114 entries for the event. Fifteen finalists were shortlisted from multiple colleges across India who were judged by an eminent jury consisting of Dr Alfred Rivinius, CTO Europe-Schaeffler Group; Michael Schlotter, Innovation Head - Schaeffler Group; Biswa Mandal – Head of Technology, Schaeffler India; Devkumar Davesar – VP, Industrial OEM; Prof. Prakash Ramchandra Apte of IIT Mumbai; Dr Jayant Khandare, co-founder and chief scientific officer, Actorius Innovations and Research and Dr Amit Dixit, CTO, Sedemac Mechatronics.

Third prize was jointly shared by PVPIT Pune and BITS Pilani, seen here with Biswa Mandal, Head of Technology, Schaeffler India.

Announcing the winning teams, Dr Alfred Rivinius, CTO Europe - Schaeffler, said, “We are delighted with the overwhelming participation we have received for Open Inspiration’s first edition in India. Each and every entry we received was unique but as we progressed, the winning projects showcased sustainable and innovative ideas that can help to make tomorrow’s world safer, smarter and efficient. Our aim is to support and inspire the next generation of innovators around clean technology with focus on megatrends such as urbanisation, digitalisation, globalisation, and climate change. By partnering with scientists and industry experts, the Schaeffler India Open Inspiration Program will bring innovative ideas and we will mentor and support the project for a certain period.”

Students from leading institutes like BITS Pilani, Maharashtra Institute of Technology Pune, SRM Institute of Science & Tech Chennai, Army Institute of Technology Pune, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology Delhi, Birla Institute of Technology Patna, PVPIT Pune, MIT COE Pune, VIT Pune, and Vellore Institute of Technology were shortlisted to showcase their ideas at this platform. With focus on ‘Inter-Urban mobility', 'Eco-friendly drives', 'Energy Chain', ' Production Technologies', 'Digitalisation and IoT', the projects submitted included an automated two-wheeler, a vertical axis water turbine, a modified  wheel hub for tractor and off-road vehicles, and a simple-to-manufacture hot air engine amongst others.

Significant presence in India 
Schaeffler, with four plants and 19 sales offices, has a significant presence in India. Schaeffler’s three major product brands – FAG, INA and LUK – are well represented in India. The manufacturing plant in Vadodara, Gujarat was set up in 1964 and produces a vast range of ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, and spherical roller bearing and wheel bearings and sold under the brand name of FAG.

The second plant in Vadodara at Savli produces next-generation deep groove ball bearings and large size roller bearings also sold under the name of FAG. Schaeffler’s third state-of-the-art plant is located at Talegaon near Pune, and manufactures engine and transmission components for front accessory drive systems, chain drive systems, valve train, shift systems and a range of needle roller bearings and elements, under the brand INA.

The fourth manufacturing location is based out of Hosur, that manufactures clutch systems and dual mass flywheels for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, heavy commercial vehicles and tractors and the products are sold under the brand of LuK. In addition to this, Schaeffler also has dedicated engineering and R&D support based in India to augment the product teams and among the largest aftermarket networks serving the industrial and automotive markets. Schaeffler India employs about 3,000 employees across the three legal entities, with consolidated revenues of Rs 4,020 crore in 2017.