Always bigger the second time around, right? Our Reinvent the Wheel Hackathon 2.0 took that statement to a whole new level by converging some of the brightest data science minds from across the United States together in Huntersville, NC, to tackle an automotive aftermarket sustainability problem in only 24 hours. Energy drinks, coffee, and pure grind pushed these 100 data scientists, divided into 21 teams, to hack away at a scrap tire forecasting and tire recycling optimization challenge.
100 Participants Not Only Competed to Solve a Challenge, but to Have Fun!
And fun was had (can anyone say ‘tire bowling’ out in the parking lot?). The next generation of data science was indeed alive and well, reminded of the fact that we have an industry of the next data scientists to come up with the most creative ideas that will solve the most challenging of issues.
There were several winners, and to be fair – all participants won in this event, because it was all for the common goal: sustainability and togetherness!
Here Are the Results of Our Latest Reinvent the Wheel Hackathon
- 1st Place – Michelin, winning $3,000 (donating award to university teams) and a set of Continental tires
- 2nd Place – The Huskies from Northeastern University, winning $1,500 and a set of Hercules tires
- 3rd Place – The Database Avengers from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, winning $500 and a SnoPro certification from kipi.bi
- 4th Place – 808s and Snowflake, including team members from RedStone Credit Union, Bank of America, and UNCC (newly created due to Michelin donating their prize!)
- Best Presentation – Green Dream, composed of literal strangers (!) from Worchester Polytechnic Institute, the University of Buffalo, Davidson College and 7-Eleven, winning Google Nest hubs sponsored by Google
So What Was the Winning Solution for the Auto Aftermarket?
Michelin utilized a dedicated machine learning model to forecast the scrap tires required, plus a “mixed integer” optimization algorithm often employed to solve large, complex problems, such as industrial symbiosis or large-scale process integration. More importantly, the solution sought to plot out the logistics of transporting tires from warehouse to recycler while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.
But the best part of all that was the awards ceremony- a celebration of this solution for 200 attendees and problem solvers advocating for a greener and more sustainable future for our auto aftermarket.
What’s Next for the Industry?
Great things. Of course, thanks go to all sponsors for the event –
- American Tire Distributors for the financial support and hosted facility
- Continental for helping generate the challenge to make change
- Google for donating some really awesome hubs
- Snowflake for the sponsored SnoPro certification awards
And, of course, BCG, Miracle Software Systems, IPG, Kipi.bi, Hercules Tires, 3Ci, Optomi, Vaco, and Vesel for entertainment, catering, drinks and swag.
At the moment, we’re taking stock of the effort and collaboration along with brainstorming for the next Hackathon. A hackathon that may be bigger, better and even more competitive!
So, we’ll see when the next competition comes our way. Until then, let’s get to work so we can continue creating solutions for the auto aftermarket!