Industrial doctoral students will create digital twins for Volvo CE
Manoranjan Kumar and Joel Cramsky are both employed by Volvo CE in Braås just outside of Växjö. To strengthen its competence, Volvo CE has now taken the step of making them industrial doctoral students at the company, in collaboration with Linnaeus University and with support from the Knowledge Foundation.
Data Intensive Applications (DIA) is a graduate school for industrial doctoral students that focuses on applied research, addressing the big data and artificial intelligence challenges of Linnaeus University’s industry partners. Two new doctoral students at DIA are now up and running at Volvo Construction Equipment in Braås, 30 kilometres north-east of Växjö. Their focus area will mainly be to develop digital twin models for Volvo’s articulated haulers and wheel loaders.
A digital twin is a computerised model that reproduces an object – a product, a process or an entire company – in its environment and that may be used for troubleshooting of existing objects as well as development of new objects.
Closer to the customers
“We want to get closer to our customers by exploiting Volvo’s machine data. DIA provided an opportunity to utilize the expertise from the university in filling technical gaps, so we can enhance our product domain knowledge and fulfil the dream of a Volvo CE digital twin model. Hence we realised that industrial doctoral students are very well suited for such extensive activities between Volvo and Linnaeus University”, explains Per-Olof Danielsson, Manager Virtual Product Development at Volvo CE.
The university’s competence within data analytics will be used in several areas in processes related to digital twins of articulated haulers and wheel loaders. Such processes will involve how to be more effective in product development, customer site set up, machine configuration and after market activities.
“By having two employees as doctoral students, we will get access to world class partners in this critical competence area”, says Per-Olof Danielsson.
Many expectations
The two industrial doctoral students look forward to the coming years with excitement.
“My main expectation is to achieve different milestones in developing digital twin models. To carry out those identified tasks together with Linnaeus University and get expert opinions regularly”, says Manoranjan Kumar who is currently employed as a specialist in data analytics at Volvo CE.
“I hope and believe that this will help us to succeed with our projects at Volvo and that our work will have a positive impact on future earnings for the Volvo group”, says research and development engineer Joel Cramsky.
Various backgrounds
Joel Cramsky has a Master in engineering physics from LTH Faculty of Engineering. For the last ten years he has been working within research and development and product development, using finite element analysis and mathematical modeling. The topics have been structural dynamics, electrostatic precipitation and production processes, among others.
Manoranjan Kumar has a Master in engineering in machine design from UVCE-Bangalore in India. He joined the Volvo group in India in 2007 and moved on to Volvo CE in Braås in 2013, and has 13 years of experience in automotive development. Manoranjan has worked in the domains of finite element analysis, complete vehicle simulations and data analytics for machines like wheel loaders and articulated haulers.
Opportunities for more industrial doctoral students
An industrial doctoral student is employed at a company and enrolled as a doctoral student at Linnaeus University. The company receives financial support from the Knowledge Foundation, who is the external funding organization supporting the graduate school. The student combines the regular development work with a research education and gets support from a group of senior researchers at Linnaeus University as supervisors.
There are still opportunities to add more industrial doctoral students to the industry graduate school Data Intensive Applications. Do you want to know more? Contact research and project coordinator Diana Unander.