OSTRAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC (April 17, 2019) – Maxion Wheels, the world’s largest wheel manufacturer, hosted it’s first-ever Hackathon in Ostrava, Czech Republic, from April 11-12, 2019. More than 20 engineering students from local universities: Technical University of Ostrava (VŠB Ostrava), Brno University of Technology (VUT), and Tomas Bata University in Zlín (VŠTB), participated in the two-day technical ideation competition held at the Moravian Silesian Innovation Centre.

Grouped into teams, the students were challenged to transform Maxion’s Flow Forming process. With fresh and critical eyes, they dissected the process and developed ideas on how to improve output efficiencies.

In a final 10-minute presentation, each team pitched their ideas to a jury of several Maxion Wheels’ executives. The two most innovative ideas and two best presentations won the Hackathon.

“Events such as our Hackathon in Ostrava provide excellent opportunities for Maxion Wheels to expand its innovation ecosystem with local academia and up-and-coming engineering talent in the Moravian-Silesian region,” offered Dr. Saul Reichman, Global Director Innovation & Corporate Venturing, Maxion Wheels. “The judges and I were very impressed with the students’ creativity, determination and strong team spirit – a great testament to the budding talent and innovation community in Ostrava.”