Design Innovation in Plastics 2023 Winner Announced

Student from Dublin creates new flossing device for teeth cleaning

Congratulations go to Christopher Kenny, a student from Technological University Dublin, who has won this year’s Design innovation in Plastics (DIP) competition, which is headline sponsored by Covestro.

DIP, also supported by The Worshipful Company of Horners, and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3), is the longest running plastics design competition of its kind for university undergraduates in the UK and Ireland. This year’s contestants were asked to design a product for the kitchen or bathroom.

A third year product design undergraduate, Chris takes away the first prize of £1,000, plus a placement or course with a DIP sponsor, a year’s membership of IOM3 and an invitation to the Lord Mayor’s Banquet as a guest of the Worshipful Company of Horners.

Chris’ winning product is ‘Flossie’, a teeth cleaning device which allows people with hand deterity conditions to floss their teeth more easily. It utilises flossing sticks and a specially designed gripping handle. He used a combination of ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), polyurethane and polypropylene for the different components of his product.

Chairman of the judging panel, Richard Brown, said: “This is a great product which is inspired by a real life challenge. We were impressed not just by the clever design, but by the user testing carried out by Chris, to show how it can help people with lifelong conditions that affect movement and co-ordination. He also gave us a detailed analysis of manufacturing ideas and costs, as well as considering its marketing.”

Chris said the inspiration for his product came from wanting to help his brother, who has cerebral palsy in his right hand and said he was very proud that other people also liked his idea. “It is a real honour to be recognised in this competition,” he said. “I definitely want to work with materials and mechanisms in the future, as designing for usability really excites me.”

The judges awarded second place to Kyle Farquhar, Edinburgh Napier University, with his product ‘PlateMate’, a foldable plate which shows children how to create a variety of Mexican and other international dishes in a more fun way. In third place came Scott Rutherford, also from Edinburgh Napier, with his ‘Rotary Bottle Opener’, which helps people with hand weaknesses to open twist top bottles more easily.

Highly Commended Awards go to:

• Freddy Blake, Bournemouth University, with ‘Bubble Buddy‘, a bathroom soap dispenser and hand wash device in one package, which makes hand washing more fun for children.
• Teresa Zheng, Loughborough University, with ‘Sianel‘, a portable shelf which enables people to change their colostomy bags more easily.

A sixth student, James Forrest-Smith, has received the inaugural Robin Jones Award. Robin was a key member of the DIP committee who sadly died last year. A tutor at London South Bank University, he always passionately shared his presentation expertise to the finalists to help them showcase their products in the best possible way. This award therefore recognises both the skill in achieving this as well as the quality of the design.

James, from Northumbria University, created ‘STEPA‘ a fully adjustable stool for children to use in the kitchen, encouraging them to get involved in kitchen activities.

All this year’s award candidates receive cash prizes along with placements or industrial courses and a year’s membership of IOM3.

DIP is also supported by work placement sponnsors, Brightworks, Innovate Product Design, PDD and Sumitomo Demag, along with media partners, British Plastics & Rubber, Mould Technology and Materials World.

www.covestro.com

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AI Boom Sparks German Start-Up Recovery

Despite recent dips in financing, more and more young technology companies are being founded in Europe’s largest economy. The recovery is being driven in part by the intense interest in artificial intelligence applications.

The numbers of new start-ups in Germany is back on the rise. That’s the conclusion of a survey done by the internet platform Startupdetector in association with Germany’s Start-Up Association.

According to the study 1,293 start-ups were founded in the first half of this year – a 16 percent increase over 2022. New start-ups in the German capital, Berlin, recorded a 40 percent increase, as did fledgling companies in Germany’s second-largest city Hamburg.

One conspicuous growth sector is artificial intelligence. According to the industry initiative Applied-AI, the number of AI start-ups is up 67 percent year-on-year.

“The positive figures on start-ups in the area of artificial intelligence show that Germany as a business location and German entrepreneurs are well-positioned in the competition for the AI market,” says Germany Trade & Invest artificial intelligence expert Asha-Maria Sharma. “Trustworthy artificial intelligence from Germany is a driver of innovation in the established economy as well and is part of a sovereign European ecosystem.”

Another hot sector according to the Start-Up Association is tourism, where the number of newly founded companies in Germany is up 111 percent.

www.gtai.de

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Germany Joins Europe Startup Nations Alliance (ESNA)

Europe’s largest economy is backing the initiative to optimize conditions for fledgling companies throughout the European Union and Iceland.

Germany’s startups commissioner, Anna Christmann, has announced that Germany is becoming a member of the Europe Startup Nations Alliance (ESNA). She made her statement today at the Viva Technology Conference in Paris, France.

The German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action has charged the international economic promotion agency Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) with representing the country in the new body.

“We’re enormous happy to be taking on this new responsibility,” says GTAI CEO Robert Hermann. “Germany perennially ranks among the best startup environments in the world and is at the top of the Eurozone. Berlin and Munich, in particular, are known around the globe as premium locations for innovative young firms. But one of our national strengths remains our central position within the EU. We look forward to working with all our friends and partners for the mutual benefit of startups throughout the bloc.”

ESNA, which was two years in the making, establishes common standards for startups on everything from market entry to access to stock options and financing to establishing digital-first interactions with authorities.

www.gtai.de

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Volvo Group and Westport Sign Letter of Intent to Establish Joint Venture to Reduce CO2 Emissions from Long-Haul Transport

Utilizing HPDI Technology to Accelerate the Decarbonization Efforts of Global OEM Customers

Volvo Group (VOLVb.ST) and Westport (TSX: WPRT / Nasdaq: WPRT), a leading supplier of advanced alternative fuel delivery systems and components for the global transportation industry, have signed a non-binding letter of intent to establish a joint venture to accelerate the commercialization and global adoption of Westport’s HPDI fuel system technology for long-haul and off-road applications. Volvo and Westport share the vision of creating sustainable transport solutions to accelerate the decarbonization efforts of global trucking, engine, and equipment manufacturers for their customers and society.

Westport’s HPDI fuel system is a high-performance solution supporting significant carbon reductions in hard-to-abate sectors like heavy-duty and off-road mobility. HPDI enables the world’s trucking and off-road equipment manufacturers to address the challenges of meeting the regulatory requirements of Euro 7 and the US EPA while offering end users affordable options that are powered by carbon-neutral fuels like biogas, zero-carbon fuels like green hydrogen and other renewable fuels. While Volvo will be a key customer of the joint venture, the joint venture’s mandate will be to enhance commercialization of HPDI through the addition of new trucking and equipment manufacturers as customers.

Westport will contribute current HPDI assets and activities including related fixed assets, intellectual property, and business into the joint venture. Volvo will acquire a 45% interest in the joint venture for the sum of approximately US$28 million (approximately SEK 300 million), plus up to an additional US$45 million (approximately SEK 500 million) depending on the performance of the joint venture.

Volvo’s ambition is to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emission-enabled products, solutions, and services by 2040. Volvo believes that the future will demand diverse propulsion solutions for diverse applications to meet customers’ needs and environmental demands. Volvo advocates for a three-pronged approach: battery-electric, fuel-cell electric and internal combustion engines.

“Decarbonization with internal combustion engines running on renewable fuels, especially with HPDI, plays an important part in sustainable solutions. HPDI has been on the road in Volvo trucks for over five years and is a proven technology that allows customers to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in LBG (liquefied biogas) applications here and now and is a potential avenue for hydrogen,” says Lars Stenqvist, chief technology officer of Volvo.

“Westport is advancing fuel system solutions to help our customers affordably address the most pressing challenge of carbon reduction, while continuing to utilize existing manufacturing infrastructure,” said David Johnson, chief executive officer, Westport. “The joint venture with Volvo is a natural extension of both companies’ commitment to accelerating global carbon reduction and we are proud to partner with such a bold supporter of the future of the internal combustion engine. Combining our expertise strengthens HPDI’s position in the market and underscores Westport’s commitment to developing affordable fuel system technology that supports significant CO2 reductions in hard-to-abate sectors like heavy-duty transport and off-road applications, including a pathway to power equipment with zero carbon fuels like hydrogen.”

Completion of the joint venture is conditional on the successful negotiations and execution of a definitive investment agreement, joint venture agreement, supply agreement, and development agreement. The joint venture is expected to launch in the first half of 2024.

For more information, visit www.wfsinc.com

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