UP students top int’l industrial engineering contest

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UP students top int’l industrial engineering contest
The UP team beats 77 other teams at the 7th Industrial Engineering Competition in Bandung, Indonesia

MANILA, Philippines – Four students of the University of the Philippines (UP)  copped top honors at the 7th Industrial Engineering Competition (IECOM), besting 77 other teams from  Southeast Asia held in Bandung, Indonesia, from January 9 to 17.

The grand winners – Daniel Roi Agustin, James Renier Domingo, Dominic Aily Ecat, and Arizza Ann Nocum – are graduating students of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (DIEOR) of  UP Diliman.
 
“It was an incredible opportunity to represent the university and the country, and we are so happy to bring honor to our department – especially the professors who have taught us so well,” said Nocum.

The winning team received a trophy and $3,500, which will support UP’s industrial engineering students for future competitions.

The 4 students were handpicked by DIEOR to compete for IECOM. The team was guided by their coach, DIEOR instructor Simon Lorenzo.

Competition process

Out of 78 teams from Southeast Asia, only 15 teams passed the first selection stage, held online, to proceed to the semi-finals in Indonesia.
 
During the semi-finals, teams endured an intensive 3-day challenge composed of a quiz bee, an Amazing Race-type segment, and a simulation case provided by a company.

Semi-finalists each gave a presentation to the board of judges composed of professionals, members of the academe, and company executives.
 
From the group of 15, 5 were left to compete in the finals: teams from UP,  the host country’s Universitas Indonesia, Institut Teknologi Bandung, and Universitas Gadjah Mada; and Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University.
 
The final stage of the competition was designed to challenge students not only based on their theoretical knowledge but also on their analysis and creativity in developing solutions.
 
Domingo, the UP team campaign, said the finalists were given 4 days to study and solve the problems of two of the biggest Indonesian companies, Unilever Indonesia and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia.

“We visited their plants and were oriented on the main problems they face, then we were given two 12-hour work days to come up with a presentation outlining our solution for each company,” he said.

‘Think outside the box’

On the last day of the finals, the 5 finalists presented their solutions to the executives and management of the two companies. The executives asked questions after each presentation to test the proposed solutions.

The UP team was judged 1st place, while two Indonesian teams placed 2nd and 3rd.

“I think that one of the main drivers of our victory was our commitment to the solution,” said Agustin.

“We told ourselves that the main reason we were doing this was not because we wanted to win but because we wanted to help these companies succeed by finding the solution that fit their needs and vision best,” he added.
 
Asked how their UP education set them apart, Ecat answered, “We were taught the right tools, but ultimately what made us win was our diskarte (approach) – our ability to think outside the box.”
 
IECOM was organized by Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), the oldest technology-oriented university in Indonesia. Prominent graduates of ITB include Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia. – Rappler.com

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