Ricoh apprentices ‘highly commended’ award
A team of Ricoh UK Products Ltd Engineering Apprentices, known as “Ricoh Pride” and comprised of Josh Wynne, Lupin Brown, Lewis Heeley, Adam Briggs, and George Chadwick, has received a “Highly Commended” Award at the Apprentice Automation Challenge Finals. The event was held at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry on Friday, September 27th, 2024.
Over the past six months, mentored by Mark Smith, Senior Engineer, the apprentices have worked on designing, building, and programming a device to automate an everyday process in a home, garden, or workplace while addressing societal concerns. After considering various ideas, they developed a “Personal Mobility Assistant.” This versatile device can be attached to a standard NHS manual push wheelchair, transforming it into an electric wheelchair. It can also function as a stand-on mobility aid and walking assistant, offering increased independence and support in daily life for individuals with mobility limitations.
The team’s efforts extended beyond the device itself. They also produced CAD drawings, a design specification document, manufacturing process details, a user-friendly manual, and a business plan for production, marketing, and sales.
Eleven UK-based teams participated in the finals, showcasing a diverse range of products for the 2024 competition. These products included a toothbrush cleaner, an automatic tea maker, a smart bin, Bluetooth water pumps, and a fire suppression system for CNC/3D printing machines.
A panel of volunteer judges, all Senior Engineers from across the Manufacturing industry, evaluated each team’s work during the Finals. They considered factors such as the team’s product knowledge, functionality, design, build quality, and project presentation. The team also demonstrated their prototype device and delivered a presentation based on their project. To foster networking among all participants, a “peer review” session allowed competing teams to score and evaluate each other’s work.
Following a day of presentations and demonstrations, the results were announced. RPL’s team was pleased to receive a “Highly Commended” Award. They narrowly missed the top prize, which went to NiftyLift for their Self-Measuring Ingredient Device.
This project fostered professional skills like teamwork, communication, project management, and working to deadlines, as well as honed the apprentices’ technical expertise in areas such as electrical/electronic skills, programming, CAD design, and sheet metal fabrication – abilities that will prove valuable as they complete their Engineering apprenticeships.
Pic: The team, consisting of Josh Wynne, Lupin Brown, Lewis Heeley, Adam Briggs, and George Chadwick
