The Microlise Driver of the Year Awards are run by one of the country’s largest technology providers for the transport sector, Microlise, to recognise the best HGV drivers from across the length and breadth of the UK.
The project aimed to encourage teamwork and collaboration, as students worked together in groups throughout the process; from receiving the brief, to the delivery of a prototype and providing cost estimates and manufacturing methods.
The teams from the University’s Product Design degree course, were formed and pitted against one another in competitive pitch conditions similar to those experienced in the commercial world.
Ilker Karayilan, from the winning team commented: “We entered the competition to challenge our skills and put what we’ve learnt to the test. We wanted the design to be uplifting and resemble Microlise within its design. The trophy was created around the idea of blending together the values of Microlise but whilst still appealing to the drivers receiving the award.
“Winning the competition was overwhelming for us. The feeling of completion, that our design was going to be manufactured and presented was rewarding,” Karayilan added.
The winning design will take centre stage in May when 1,000+ delegates are expected to attend Europe’s largest road transport conference, where the glitzy awards ceremony will take place.
“The best thing is that the students have had an opportunity to be involved in a real world project rather than a theoretical one. It helps them to understand the impact that design has on industry and also gives them an insight into how industry ‘works’,” said Terry Watson BA (Hons) PGCE FHEA – Programme Leader for BA Product Design, University of Derby.
Microlise, a local company which last year earned revenues in excess of £30 million, is based in Eastwood on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border.
The Executive Director of the company, Bob Harbey, wanted to turn Microlise’s need for an iconic trophy into a useful project for the students. Microlise gave the University of Derby a brief for the project and Harbey acted as a Dragon’s Den-style judge during the competitive pitching process, to pick a winner.
“The groups had fully researched the Microlise brand and our products very thoroughly,” said Harbey. “I am glad that through this process we have helped to give the students useful presentation experience and encouraged them to fully prepare and present themselves. They didn’t fail to deliver. The designs were of great quality – but there had to be a winner.”
As well as winning the privilege of going on to develop their trophy, Jack Keeler and Ilker Karayilan also won the top prize of £300, while the runner up team Atlas was awarded £100. The winning team will also be invited to attend the awards ceremony.
For further information about Microlise visit www.microlise.com.
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About Microlise
Microlise telematics and proof of delivery solutions help its customers reduce costs and the environmental impact of their fleet operations. This is achieved by maximising vehicle utilisation, increasing operational efficiency and improving economy and safety; whilst helping to deliver the very best customer experience by providing real-time visibility of the fleet against schedule.
A privately owned business based in Nottingham in the UK, Microlise invests significantly in research and development annually to ensure its solutions continue to be underpinned by market-leading technology. Microlise helps its customers to save more than £175m each year in fuel costs and reduce CO2 emissions by hundreds of thousands of metric tonnes. For more information, please visit https://www.microlise.com/ or follow us on Twitter – @microlise.
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