India - Reflections on Sandvik AI Hackathon 2025

On October 8, Sandvik brought together 183 participants across 42 teams and six host locations. A coordinated effort spanning five time zones and disciplines. We challenged our teams to re-imagine user experience in manufacturing software and they delivered beyond expectations. Read more about the hackathon outcome here

Sushilendra Deshpande - Director Software Engineering at Mastercam, who took part of the hackathon from India shares his reflections on the hackathon here:

The Sandvik AI Hackathon 2025 profoundly showcased our commitment to fostering innovation, promoting collaboration, and strengthening global teamwork. I truly witnessed our commitment to fostering a culture of collaboration and global teamwork, bringing together diverse talents to solve some truly complex challenges. As a participant, organizer, facilitator and mentor for various teams, I gained invaluable perspectives on how innovation truly happens when diverse ideas meet collaborative effort. My key takeaways from event are summarized below.

Innovation in action and real-world impact

The hackathon served as a powerful platform for fostering innovation, with participants eagerly leveraging artificial intelligence to solve real-world challenges directly related to Sandvik's manufacturing and operational needs. This focus ensured that the solutions developed had tangible potential for integration into our processes, promising real value and efficiency improvements in key areas.

The power of global teamwork and learning

What truly struck me was the pervasive spirit of collaboration. Teams, often formed across different disciplines and geographies, worked together intensively, sharing knowledge and expertise. This cross-functional teamwork not only accelerated problem-solving but also provided an invaluable learning experience, clearly enhancing participants' skills in AI development and project management. Global participation deeply underscored the international nature of our enterprise, ensuring solutions relevant to a diverse customer base and benefiting from a wide array of cultural and technical insights.

Leadership's strategic vision for talent

I believe leadership views the hackathon as a critical investment in talent development and forward-thinking. It struck me as a testament to our belief that continuous learning and hands-on innovation are key to staying competitive in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. The event was clearly designed to cultivate a culture of experimentation and bold thinking, empowering our employees to be pioneers in the future of intelligent manufacturing.

From my perspective, it was clear that our leadership embraces a dual approach to innovation, recognizing that both rigorous, disciplined research and spontaneous, inspired breakthroughs are crucial for sustained growth and market leadership. This philosophy, I believe, underpins our strategy for developing cutting-edge solutions.

These principles will continue to drive our sustained growth and success, cultivating an environment where innovation thrives, collaboration is seamless, and global teamwork is a fundamental strength.