1. AndrewRose,PneuDriveChallengeLearning
ProgrammeManager
When the PneuDrive Challenge was initiated in
2007,nooneenvisagedthat,inlessthanadecade,
itwouldscalegreatheightsandproduceformidable
high-end engineers such as Theuns Greyvenstein,
the 2009 winner of the Challenge. The Challenge
has since established itself as one of the leading
competitions for mechatronic students in South
Africa. Andrew Rose has been the PneuDrive
Challenge Learning Programme Manager since it
started. The competition has evolved since then
and both winner and programme manager share
their perspectives on the Challenge and on the
engineering field in general.
G
reyvenstein, who has since been employed by
SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa as an applications
engineer, says that the competition played an im-
portant part in his personal and professional growth as an
engineer. “In addition to that, my experiences opened my
eyes to the realities of constructing technical solutions for
industry. The more than 300 hours of work I put in during
the Challenge are by far the hardest work I have ever had
to do,” he shares. Greyvenstein holds a BSc Degree in Me-
chatronics from Stellenbosch University.
As part of the PneuDrive Challenge, he visited SEW-EU-
RODRIVE’s head offices in Germany, and a whole new world
was revealed. “I sincerely believe that we [South Africa]
could learn from the Germans. As a developing economy,
we need to produce as many engineers as we can, but we
are currently producing way below the required numbers
Young Engineering
Engaging with
by Andrew Ngozo
SEW-EURODRIVECASE IN POINT
TheunsGreyvenstein,Winnerofthe2009PneuDrive
ChallengeandApplicationsEngineeratSEW-
EURODRIVESouthAfrica
Talent

2. The aim of the competition is to give mechanical,
electronic and mechatronic engineering students
a chance to use their talents to bring together
engineering theory and the latest technology with
regard to drive engineering and pneumatics, as well
as business reality.
The competition provides a platform for students to:
 Bring engineering creativity to life.
 Be exposed to the latest drive and pneumatic
technology.
 Design and assemble innovative engineering
solutions.
 Access business and engineering subject matter
experts.
 Experience a wide range of business problems
and project issues that they would not typically
be exposed to during their studies.
 Enhance their personal portfolios and profiles
within the engineering community.
 Present their designs to an international
management team.
 Secure potential funding for their designs.
 Win drive and pneumatic products for their
university laboratories.
A Platform for Students
– in Germany, for instance, one in every three students is
an engineer.”Rose echoes Greyvenstein’s sentiments, albeit
from a different perspective.“Having seen students such as
Theuns Greyvenstein progress from an eager and capable
student to literally being a systems expert in a few short
years is nothing short of phenomenal. Somewhere along
the line, the competition has opened doors in his own
awareness that he never knew were there. He has the tal-
ent and ability to achieve, and the competition was part of
the process that helped him to progress more rapidly.”
In explaining how they arrive at the winners of the
Challenge, Rose points out that the identification of par-
ticipants starts when university lecturers decide whether
they want to include the design competition as part of
their design curriculum. Once lecturers are on board, Rose
and his team have the opportunity to introduce students
to the potential of the competition.
The groundwork commences with road shows during
which students are encouraged to stay on the learning
path for as long as possible by way of email, social-media
interactions and mentoring workshops. “The opportunity
to use the very latest industry technologies is one of the
spinoffs that is derived from participating in the Challenge,”
says Rose. He adds that the Challenge provides a platform
for students to experience business and to engage with
mentors from industry in a safe and practical environment.
Industry Endorsements
There have been numerous highlights since the intro-
duction of the PneuDrive Challenge. One that Rose men-
tions in particular is that the Challenge has allowed for
the structuring of a learning path that combines multiple
sources of content and a range of experiences that many
university lecturers have bought into and appreciate. Ac-
cording to Rose, Dr Anton Maneschijn, a Senior Lecturer
in Mechanical Engineering Science at the University of Jo-
hannesburg, once summed up the PneuDrive Challenge
during a road show in early 2014 as follows:
“Thank you so much for what you have set up and are
organising. There is no way that I can arrange such a full
learning experience for my students. It has made what I
try to teach them so much easier!” As a result of the Chal-
lenge’s benefits, there have been endorsements from in-
dustry institutions, such as the South African Institute of
Electrical Engineers, the South African Institution of Me-
chanical Engineering and the South African Fluid Power
Association, indicating that “they appreciate the value of
the competition and offer support and advice whenever
students need it”.
Having been part of the programme since its inception,
Rose is best placed to highlight some of the major areas that
both industry and academia can emphasise with respect
to student engineers and engineers. “Industry needs more
practical platforms such as this that allow students to ex-
plore in a safe environment. Currently, there are limited op-
portunities for truly understanding why there needs to be a
focus on engineering theory.
There must also be access to business mentors in the
field, because any economy that has to compete in the
modern world must start moving towards a more experi-
ential approach to learning – and quickly.” Emerging from
the Challenge, students are confident enough to face
the workplace environment and its challenges, indicates
Rose. The Challenge allows students to“be part of a learn-
ing experience that lets them make mistakes and learn
better ways of doing things, thereby generating personal
and business confidence”.
Ever since the competition started, evidence from
lecturers and students who have bought into, and appre-
ciated the value of, the competition has shown that this
experiential platform integrates a range of subjects, and
even business experiences, something that students will
not have encountered at this stage in their lives, concludes
Rose. This is invaluable in preparing them for industry.
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