Current topics VITRONIC Makeathon
Students and technology experts work hand in hand on efficient parcel tracking solutions.
A Makeathon (from "to make" and "marathon") is an interactive event for movers with new ideas. At the VITRONIC Makeathon, teams worked under high pressure, in two phases of two days each, on a given challenge and in competition.
The first of the two phases kicked off in April at the VITRONIC headquarters - with 7 teams and a total of 31 participants. The teams composition of mixed experiences and personality types offered everyone the opportunity to exchange ideas with the best minds in their field. In concrete terms, this meant thinking together, developing new ideas, designing smart solutions and building the first demonstrators. Which team will find the most innovative solution? An exciting mix that got things moving.
The Makeathon opens up new opportunities for us and offers a platform where both VITRONIC employees and students can develop ideas together, try them out and have fun. We want to bring together a wide range of skills and knowledge to create the parcel tracking of the future."
The development of a solution to capture relevant parcel characteristics for subsequent automatic interpretation. The parcels are in motion. The future solution should be cost-effective and easy to install.
The Problem Statement
The challenges for parcel service providers have changed in recent years, primarily due to increased competition and higher customer expectations. Senders and recipients of parcels expect fast and cost-effective transportation as well as maximum transparency in parcel tracking with regard to the status and delivery process. The challenge for parcel service providers is therefore to transport parcels in a highly automated manner and as cost-effectively as possible. A parcel must be able to pass through the distribution center/hub (from entry to exit) without any loss of time or manual rework. To achieve this, the parcel should be recorded when it arrives at the sorting center and monitored continuously or repeatedly until it leaves. Currently, shipping labels with a unique barcode, 2D code or text are used.
The Event - Innovating in Real Time
The first of the two phases started in the new workspaces at the VITRONIC headquarters in Wiesbaden. The aim of this phase was to develop innovative ideas, form teams and develop the ideas further. For the Makeathon pitch in phase 1, the teams had to present their idea with sketches or mockups and a list of materials (max. €2,000) for a demonstrator in phase 2.
Phase 2 was particularly impressive and exciting. Here, the seven teams transformed their previously developed solution ideas into functional demonstrators under enormous time pressure, bringing their ideas to life. In an exciting finish - the presentations in front of the jury - the teams impressively demonstrated the technical feasibility of their concepts and thus formed the highlight of the Makeathon.
The high quality of all the results far exceeded our expectations. We were presented with various solutions / approaches that we can offer our customers in the future. Be it a more cost-effective camera technology or AI-supported software solutions that optimize the process flow for our customers.“
The original prize money for the teams was three places. However, due to equal overall scores, there was a surprise for the participants when the prizes were awarded: Two 2nd places and therefore two prize money prizes of €1,250 each.
First place was rewarded with €5,000 in prize money.
