Innovation at PSS TCI, Bangalore

When I began working here in 2017, I found it amazing how Innovation is cultured here at PSS TCI(Business Unit: Passive Safety & Sensorics, Technical Centre India), not only motivated, but also driven well by a community which is a platform of people volunteering to contribute out of mere self-motivation and interest. The community members guide and assist everyone to ideate, innovate and create solutions that are aligned both with the interest of the individual and the business requirements for Automotive Safety.

The members from Innovation community have always ventured their way to new opportunities. One such opportunity was Printed Electronics Campaign from Surface Solutions BU, ContiTech Division.

I have found myself a material science enthusiast since my university times and that motivated me to log 9 ideas in that campaign, among which one have been selected directly for project and another idea is selected for their Incubation process by their jury members.  My colleagues, Sreelakshmi Narasimhan & Jofin George, also logged 2 ideas in the campaign. Among the ideas selected for incubation, one was theirs too. Both together run the printed electronics search field community in PSS TCI Bangalore.

We work from our location with our respective Innovation Boxes to develop our ideas further, evaluate the business potential & build a proof of concept.

An idea is just not about its uniqueness and novelty, it is also about adaptability to the existing solutions and feasibility to turn into a profit earning product. As we all had learned to work with an entrepreneurial mind, we also stepped up in identifying ourselves as potential intrapreneurs for co-pace, Continental’s signature startup organization. Two of us (Myself & Vishal Muralidharan) represented PSS TCI at Frankfurt in CW33 for the co-pace Rally 2019.

The journey of learning & exploring new concepts while experiencing intercultural working atmosphere turned to be one of the best opportunities for both of us. While it lasted for me for just the two days, Vishal has another 9 weeks of its journey waiting for him. The concept his team represented at the rally has been selected for 2 months long incubation at Berlin where he will work with his team members to bring the concept to maturity and identify potential customers.

While this year turned out to be a happening one for all of us with lots of success stories to share, we also received lot of opportunities to learn, explore & make a difference in our own little ways possible. I believe Innovation is not a spark that occurs in our mind spontaneously or a skill one possesses. It is constant effort to find solutions that are better than existing solutions for various problems and to believe that each of us have the potential to change the present, to develop solutions and to create a safer automotive world. With opportunities and initiatives of the Innovation community growing, I see this drive and passion to innovate increasing not only for me, but for all us, here at BU PSS.

This article was written by our employee.