Institution news
Teams are formed from apprentices working companies in industry, colleges and engineering consultancies, with representatives from Manufacturing Technology Centre, Amazon and previous winners Leonardo UK entering once again in 2023. They will be joined by several new entrants this year and we warmly welcome apprentices from Springboard Pro, Meggitt, Niftylift, and Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land to this year.
For the next stage of the Apprentice Automation Challenge will see teams develop their ideas into a working prototype, together with a detailed report including design specification, manufacturing instructions, user manual and a business case for the mass production.
Products being produced for this year’s challenge include an automated washing line, a sock dispenser for the elderly and a kitchen device for those with limited dexterity.
Both their prototype products and associated documentation will be judged at a live finals event in early September 2023, which will give teams an opportunity to showcase their hard work and present their expertise to a panel of senior engineers in industry.
“We are delighted to welcome so many new and returning teams for this year’s Challenge,” said Toby Heagerty, Head Judge for the Challenge. "This positively reflects the continued importance of the challenge as an opportunity to develop the skills of the next generation of engineering talent and we hope that apprentices enjoy the experience over the coming months."
On behalf of the Institution, we wish all the teams taking part this year the very best with their products and look forward to previewing their developments in the coming months as details are shared.
The Apprentice Automation Challenge is grateful for the support of its sponsors The Manufacturing Technology Centre and The Manufacturer.
For more information about the Apprentice Automation Challenge, please email the Challenge team or visit the Challenge website.