Student collaboration delivers valuable solutions for Intellimech in Teaching Factories Competition

To enhance the collaboration between industry and academia, EIT Manufacturing launched the new edition of the Teaching Factories Competition (TFC) focusing on the advanced, green and digital transformation of the manufacturing industry. At the core of the competition is an idea to offer real challenges companies face in the manufacturing industry and empower students to form so-called Solver Teams and find creative solutions that can be scaled.

The Teaching Factories Competition 2023 focused on deep tech solutions, one of the winning Solver Teams explored a challenge by Consorzio Intellimech, an Italian consortium of high-tech enterprises dedicated to research in the mechatronics field. The company proposed students solve the challenge of Automation of complex positioning and assembly processes in the manufacturing of refrigeration systems. We spoke to Alissa Zaccaria, EU Project Manager at Consorzio Intellimech, about her experience working closely with ambitious and talented students on this challenge.

Reflecting on the TFC 2023 edition, Alissa Zaccaria shared: “The Teaching Factories Competition offered us a great opportunity to collaborate directly with universities, giving us access to the creativity and enthusiasm of motivated students. We participated in this initiative in collaboration with our industrial partner, Vinservice Micro Matic S.r.l., which proposed the specific challenge and provided all the necessary information and samples. TFC allowed us to explore innovative approaches to the Vinservice industrial challenge, leveraging the unique perspective of emerging talent in academia.”

Exploring complex industry challenges from a new angle

Alissa Zaccaria emphasised the dedication students brought to the competition. “The students delivered a highly insightful study, presenting valid automation solutions aimed at tackling the illustrated bottlenecks within the Vinservice assembly process. The practicality of their concept demonstrates potential significant contributions to our processes,” she commented.

To address the challenge presented by Intellimech, the Solver Team from the University of Patras, Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems & Automation in Greece​, proposed a semi-automated solution for the coil assembly process and developed a prototype. This approach significantly reduces the cycle time by 70% and relieves operators from manually inserting spacers.​ The improvements double worker value to about EUR 11 200 annually, enhancing overall efficiency. The team won first place in the Teaching Factories Competition 2023.

“We are now exploring this promising idea further in collaboration with the Solver Team, refining it to meet Vinservice’s specific operational needs. Thanks to the financial support won through the competition, we can advance to the next phase of research and potential implementation,” highlighted Alissa Zaccaria. “This initiative has already shown potential benefits by addressing critical challenges within our operations while contributing to operators’ wellbeing. It sets a strong precedent for future collaborations between academia and industry, where mutual growth and innovation can thrive,” added Alissa.

Applying theory to practice

Alissa highlighted the distinguished dedication of the Solver Team working on the Intellimech challenge: “The student team showcased remarkable motivation and openness throughout the project, proactively engaging with the challenges we presented. Their approach demonstrated creativeness but also flexibility, exploring multiple pathways and progressively refining their designs to align with real-world operational constraints.”

Beyond conceptual work, the team conducted thorough laboratory tests on actual samples. These experiments provided critical insights into the system’s functionality under real conditions, identifying areas for further optimisation.

“Laboratory tests not only enriched project outcomes but also set the groundwork for informed adjustments to improve the system’s performance in the following iterations. The team’s efforts highlight the potential of academia-industry partnerships in addressing real-world challenges effectively,” commented Alissa.

Scaling up the idea through collaboration

The Teaching Factories Competition didn’t end with the award ceremony. The winning team from the University of Patras continues the collaboration with Intellimech.

“We recently signed an agreement with the mentors of our Solver Team to advance the implementation plan for an automation system designed to assemble spacers onto metallic coils, as specified by our challenge. This phase focuses on defining the detailed system concept to ensure alignment with the operational needs and technical requirements of Vinservice while evaluating the return on investment (ROI) of a potential implementation,” stated Alissa.

If the ROI will be positively evaluated, the automation system will be integrated into one of Vinservice’s assembly lines, with installation scheduled for the first half of 2025. This integration is expected to enhance production speed, precision and operator working conditions. The project is part of Vinservice’s broader strategy to modernise manufacturing processes, reduce manual labor in repetitive tasks and optimise resource allocation.

“Looking ahead, the successful implementation of this system could serve as a blueprint for further automation initiatives within Vinservice and other Intellimech industrial partners, paving the way for future innovations driving long-term competitiveness,’’ concluded Alissa in her experience with the Teaching Factories Competition.

Exploring new opportunities for industry-academia collaboration

The Teaching Factories Competition 2025 has now opened the call for companies, startups, SMEs and social enterprises to submit their industry challenges across advanced, green and digital transformation of the manufacturing industry. EIT Manufacturing invites companies to explore the opportunity of working with students to turn complex challenges into a new solution ready to scale.