CNH Industrial India, an agriculture and construction equipment firm, announced the winners of its Industrial Design Program in partnership with
UPES, a multidisciplinary university in Dehradun.
The winning team of Abhijith MS, Arvind M and Vrushadwaj Gunjari, along with their mentor Lavendra Shukla, won with their ’Coco Harvest’ concept.
The Industrial Design Program was a joint effort and based on an Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) between CNH and UPES. The programme aims to foster
innovation and creativity amongst young talented students to develop solutions
for farm machinery. The partnership encompassed a wide spectrum of
cooperative efforts including research, joint projects, academic exchanges,
workshops, seminars, and intern co-supervision.
Ashish Sharma, Leader India Technology Center, CNH, said, “We are pleased to
celebrate the outstanding achievements of the winners in our Industrial Design
Program, a result of our successful partnership with UPES. We
remain committed to such initiatives that empower and nurture the next
generation of designers.”
The 10-week programme saw 20 students in five groups grapple with real-world
projects and gain hands-on experience. It required them to develop a new
vehicle and provided them with a deeper understanding of farm machinery
design and development. The students learned research, conceptualization,
design, sourcing, prototyping, and production skills.
The individual projects were further evaluated by both UPES and CNH
in terms of creativity, innovation, and overall best design solution.
David Wilkie, Head of Industrial Design for CNH said, “It has been a fantastic
experience for me and my team to see the research and design creativity of the
students. They have been thorough in looking for opportunities to improve fruit
harvesting. It’s the work of an industrial designer to focus on a problem and
design a solution that makes the job easier, faster and safer. Working with the
students from UPES has been inspiring for us, while also helping the students
develop their creative processes. The design teams have come up with ideas for
harvesting coconuts, pineapples, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and even
mangoes.”
Phani Tetali, Dean, School of Design (SOD), UPES, said, “This partnership
will not only provide an opportunity for the students to showcase their talent, but
also to receive expert guidance from the experienced professionals at CNH. With
this initiative, we hope to equip the next generation of designers with the
necessary skills and knowledge to enter the industry and create an impact."
CNH Industrial India serves the country through its Case IH, New Holland
Agriculture and CASE Construction Equipment brands, delivering on the promise
to provide world-class products of engineering excellence, with ‘Made in India’
manufacturing operations for over 25 years.