The Navigator Merit Award in Management Production challenges students to apply problem solving skills and techniques to solve practical problems faced by the industry. Five teams reached the final picth, but only one won a 1750 cash prize. The “SixthS” team, composed of Técnico students Ana Rita Nunes, André Luís, José Lopes, Leonor Campos, Margarida Verdade and Micael Coelho, won the Navigator Merit Award in Management Production. The award ceremony took place this Monday, April 19, in virtual format.

The “excellent team presentations” made it hard to the jury decision. The students presented their projects from the identification of a Tool or Method through application of lean and Industry 4.0. During the 7 minute pitch, the students made their solutions known, explained the limitations or difficulties of the current methods, how the proposed technologies enhance their mitigation, and highlighted the their possible impact on the different processes.

The jury was composed of five elements: professors Paulo Peças and Diogo Jorge, professors of Management Production curricular unit (CU), professor Luís Caldas de Oliveira, Deputy Director of iStartLab, and engineers Carlos Brás and Bruno Inácio, The Navigator Company representatives.

An award that recognises merit and enhances student learning

“We were not expecting to win. We were saying to each other that the other projects in the competion were really good and that also motivated us to do our best. We want to congratulate the other team members and say that we also learnt from your presentations”, said the student José Lopes, member of the “SixthS” team. “It was a very good experience, I really liked it and I want to thank my team colleagues, because although we ‘didn’t get down to work’, we ended up trying to understand things differently and it was excellent,” said Leonor Campos.

The Navigator Company also awarded a €1,167 donation to the Department of Mechanical Engineering (DEM) to improve teaching quality. “This monetary support is extremely important to students motivation, not only to students enrolled in this CU, but also to all Técnico students who are associated with the other works supported by The Navigator Company”, said professor Pedro Coelho, Head of DEM.

Professor Pedro Amaral, Vice-president of Técnico for Operations and Enterprise Relationships, praised the participating teams and highlighted the importance of “maintaining the link” between a leading company like The Navigator Company and Instituto Superior Técnico. “I am sure that this new teaching model will contribute decisively to support companies for the future technological progress”, he said. “I have no doubts whatsoever that these students are willing to learn from experimental and real-life examples at companies like Navigator, a leader in the implementation of new technologies”, added professor Pedro Amaral.

“5 months ago, I believed that you were able to do this work because I knew where you came from, I knew who had taught you, I knew your qualities. And you believed in me, you believed that it was possible to present something with value at the end of the semester”, said professor Paulo Peças.

“I want to thank Técnico for this partnership, for this opportunity to get to know each other a little bit more and professor Paulo Peças, who has been playing the role of preferred interlocutor”, said engineer Carlos Brás.