OREANDA-NEWS. In 2016, Scania set yet another innovation record in patent applications. With a total of 344 applications, Scania surpassed its previous record of 341 from 2014.

“Scania continues to uphold its competitive edge through continuous innovation,” says Stina Sjögren Paulsson, Head of Scania’s Patent Department. “We also see an increasing number of inventions in the coming technological areas of automation and electrification.”

Several of the inventions 2016 concerned improved control systems for heavy vehicles as well as new ideas for reducing fuel consumption. Among many talented engineers, Ola Hall excelled with some 30 patent applications in new solutions for cooling and thermodynamic systems, submitted as sole inventor or as a part of a group. “Many of these new applications are for electric and hybrid vehicles but also for traditional combustion engine-powered vehicles,” he says.

Already the proud holder of some 20 patents, accrued since 2005, he hopes to increase his collection of patent plaques. “Of course I’m pleased when a patent is granted. To design better solutions is why I became an engineer in the first place.”

He says that his approach is to ‘abstractify’ complex engineering challenges. “Solving a problem can take a long time. I usually pursue the issue at hand by separating how it must function and how it absolutely must not function – a single contradictory relation. To get to the real heart of the matter most often requires a collaborative effort with creative and dynamic discussions between engineering colleagues.