November/December 2019

NEWS Bosch Rexroth takes Corporate Social Responsibility very seriously and allows its associates time off work to support good causes either by giving their time in the community supporting local projects and schools or in fund raising activities. A team of keen cyclists from Bosch Rexroth have raised more than £1750 already in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), by cycling 234km from Cirencester to St Neots via Denham. During the two-day ride – which took place in October – a team of 12 pumped up their tyres, adjusted theirs seats and set off on the ride. Making their way from Rexroth’s facilities in Cirencester to Bosch’s UK HQ at Denham, then onto Bosch Rexroth’s St Neots facility, the team took in the rolling hills of the Cotswolds and tackled the challenging climbs of the Chilterns. As the ‘fourth Emergency Service’, the RNLI is reliant on donations and volunteers to continue to operate its 24- hour life-saving service in the UK and Ireland. Sean Kilgallen, marketing manager at Bosch Rexroth, said: “The RNLI is a fantastic charity that we take every pride in supporting. Their work in saving lives around Britain’s coastline is critical, and without it, many more lives would undoubtedly be lost every year. When we heard that donations towards this charity have been declining recently, we knew we had to do something to support them. Challenging weather conditions “The ride itself was two days of gruelling climbs combined with challenging weather conditions, but as a team we supported each other through it and knew that our efforts were helping to raise awareness and funds for this vital charity. While our fundraising might be a drop in the ocean given the current demand on this service, hopefully our ride will have raised awareness and inspired others to do whatever they can to support the RNLI.” Having played a significant part in the design and supply of the drive system for the launch and recovery vehicle of the new Shannon class boat, Rexroth – experts in Drives & Controls technology – wanted to further support this essential service. Funds raised from Rexroth’s charity cycle will contribute towards training, equipment maintenance, lifeboats and shore facilities, each helping to prepare the lifesavers for their next call for help. Centre of digital engineering technology integration, the Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC), has appointed its first graduate intern as part of its drive to expand its team of digital engineers. Alan Everett, who has a particular interest in condensed matter physics, completed two consecutive summer placements at the VEC and now, having graduated from the University of Liverpool with a 1st in BSc Physics, he has been appointed as the VEC’s first ever graduate intern and will work alongside the visualisation team to develop his coding, modelling and commercial software skills. Offering support and placement opportunities to a variety of students ranging from GCSE to postgraduate level, the VEC inspires young scientists from the Liverpool City Region and beyond by encouraging their ideas, research and opinions on the application of digital toolsets. Every summer the VEC offers students the opportunity to join its team and work with digital experts on different cross- sector projects, allowing them to develop their knowledge in a number of areas, including programming robotics assets, using artificial intelligence (AI) in predictive modelling and discovering how immersive visualisation can support product design. Confidence Everett said: “Having completed two summers at the VEC I’m thrilled to be joining the team full time. The advantage of working at the VEC is that every new project brings a new challenge. I have quickly gained knowledge in many areas ranging from nuclear reactors to robotics. My computer coding and general digital skills have improved immeasurably but what I value the most is the confidence I have gained in being able to work with the team to solve industry problems.” Lynn Dwyer, head of commercial for the VEC, said: “It’s important to us to offer placement opportunities to young engineers with emerging talent, as the experience is integral to developing digital skills required by today’s businesses. Our summer placement initiative has been so successful that we’re now looking to develop additional programmes.’’ The Virtual Engineering Centre expands digital talent pool Alan Everett: “Every new project brings a new challenge.” Bosch Rexroth staff hope to raise more than £2000 during a charity bike ride 16 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS November/December 2019 www.hpmag.co.uk