CONESTOGA COLLEGE
Three Conestoga teams of Packaging Engineering students join international design competition

A Conestoga team placed in the Top 10 of an international 48-hour design competition.

This was the first time Conestoga students joined the competition hosted by the Institute of Packaging Professionals, which this year drew 65 team submissions from prestigious universities, including California Polytechnic University, Virginia Tech and London College of Contemporary Art, England.

The annual student package design competition was created as a forum to highlight the skills and talents of tomorrow's design professionals.

Students choose one challenge from an industry partner and have 48 hours to complete and submit their design, which is then judged by a panel of industry professionals.

The competition encourages students to consider responsible use of materials while improving the packaging functionality and practicality. While designing, they need to keep the business objectives in mind while creating an original experience for the user.

Conestoga's Condor Girls team placed seven in the Top 10 projects. Team members Ya-su Hseih, Hannah Song, Kyunga Kim and Mayerli Albarracin Mosquer picked the WestRock challenge to create accessible packaging.

The objective: "Accessible packaging is a design approach that considers the diverse needs and abilities of all users. It focuses on creating packaging that is easy to identify, open, hold, and use, regardless of the user's physical or cognitive abilities. Redesign a more inclusive solution using corrugated fiberboard or paperboard."

Their solution:

Easy open Packaging - We want to make packaging that can be easily used and recycled. When customers purchase products, they usually come with corrugated containers. Corrugated containers are rigid, cheap, and can be recycled. However, people find corrugated boxes and pulling the product out difficult. In addition, sometimes people give up on recycling because making a heavy box flat is challenging.

The two other Conestoga teams came up with creative solutions:

ClickTab Box - Many industries have been contemplating and continuously developing products for people with disabilities. So has the packaging industry. Sometimes even people without disabilities struggle to open packaging boxes. The team will solve such problems with a new design. It is designed so that not only people without disabilities, but also those with disabilities can open and close a packaging box comfortably.

Resaleable Twist Box - This design implements the function of a reusable can in the shape of a box. The two hoops of the box can be twisted to open and close. Consumers will develop curiosity as they open the box and, as they open the can, they will highlight a new image of the can. The 12 cans are divided into separate packs of four, making it good to give a pack as a gift.

Conestoga's two-year Packaging Engineering Technician program prepares students with training in the structural design of corrugated, plastic, paper, metal and glass packaging materials.

The Structural Packaging Design & Management program is a one-year graduate certificate designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge to design and manage the production of packaging.

Both are in the college's School of Engineering & Technology, which offers a comprehensive suite of engineering and technology programs.