Mitsubishi Electric Automation Korea
MECA competition: "Beyond automation, empowering people"

Part 3: Achievements and Outlook — The Awards Ceremony and the Future of MECA

Applause for skills and passion: What happened at the awards ceremony?

"The Minister of Employment and Labor Award goes to the "Supreme" team!"

Applause and cheers filled the room. After fierce competition, the MECA KOREA CUP wrapped up with an awards ceremony. Five out of ten teams were honored, receiving loud applause from representatives across industry, education, and government institutions who attended the event.

The Minister of Employment and Labor Award, top honor of this year's competition, was awarded to the "Supreme" team from the Seongnam Campus of Korea Polytechnic University. Their project focusing on an automated port container crane system was recognized as "a case that demonstrated both control technology and industrial interpretation."

Next, the President of the Korea Committee for the WorldSkills Competition Award was awarded to the "MCA" team from Dongyang Mirae University. Their project, which implemented an automated hazardous materials handling system, was praised for its integration of user-specific access control via barcode readers and its systematization of safety protocols via interlock controls. The judges recognized it as "a design that achieved both functional completeness and user experience."

The "Supreme" team was honored with the Minister of Employment and Labor Award.

The "No Errors" team from Gyeongbuk Machinery Technical High School received the Mitsubishi Electric Grand Prize. Their project, which involved implementing a pneumatic PET bottle label separator, was recognized for its exceptional control and wiring work, demonstrating skills that go beyond the expected level for high school students. The simulation using Gemini's physics engine was particularly recognized by the judges as "a case that effectively implemented the most advanced technical challenge," showcasing innovative solutions and technical expertise.

The "Winner" team, also from Gyeongbuk Machinery Technical High School, received the Excellence Prize. The automated tray cleaning system they developed was recognized for its creativity, especially the design of a pneumatic stacker, but the team faced criticism for insufficient consideration of takt time and a system failure that occurred during the demonstration. Nevertheless, the judges praised the team, saying, "It was impressive for its student-like idea and practical approach to solving practical challenges."

The Idea Prize went to the "Elecsys" team from Yeungjin University. The team implemented a creative idea for an automated ball return system for golf putting, earning recognition for demonstrating "the potential for manufacturing automation to expand into fields such as sports and daily life."

MCA Team, recipient of the President of the Korea Committee for the WorldSkills Competition Award

Beyond announcing the winners, the awards ceremony served to officially recognize the students’ journey, where ideas were transformed into technologies understood by the industry. The award presenters shared a common sentiment, saying, "Technology doesn’t develop alone. MECA represents a growth journey driven by collaboration and practice." Their projects may not be complete, but the award ceremony proved that growth is more important than completion.

Passion, learning, teamwork, and a strong will to solve problems through technology were all clearly showcased on the MECA stage with the expectation that the curtain will rise again next year for greater challenges from future engineers.

Jinhwan Kim, Leader of the MCA Team, received the President of the Korea Committee for the WorldSkills Competition Award

Special interview ③ Technology, ideas, and a commitment to challenge

Jinhwan Kim, leader of the MCA team, calmly expressed his mixed feelings right after the award ceremony, saying, "Winning second place is certainly an honor, but as the team leader, I feel deeply sorry to my teammates." His tone made it clear he was not disappointed but rather had a strong determination for future growth. It was the first time the MCA team had worked with tools like GENESIS64 and Gemini.

Kim said, "Both GENESIS64 and Gemini were completely new to us at first, but learning the program was a task we embraced, and I was amazed by how efficiently it integrated with the PLC." Beyond simply learning how to use the tools, it was an experience that revealed the real value digital twin technology can bring to industrial settings.

In particular, he gained an important insight after seeing the winning team's work, saying, "Technology is important, but I realized that the key difference lies in the engineering depth connected to the industry and a clear recognition of the problem. The lesson I learned is that what's needed isn't just well-designed systems, but solutions that offer real value in practical settings."

This experience has changed the course of his career. Kim stated, "I want to compete again next year. I will return better prepared, building on what I've learned this time." Determined to enhance his technical skills and approach problems with a practical perspective, he is already set to start work.

Wooseok Baek, Team Leader of the "Supreme" Team, received the Minister of Employment and Labor Award

The "Supreme" team received the top honor of the competition, the Minister of Employment and Labor Award. Wooseok Baek, Team Leader of the "Supreme" Team, said, "We never imagined winning the top prize," and added, "What we gained throughout the competition was far more valuable than the trophy itself."

Baek has two years of experience working as a marine engineer. Seeing ship equipment become increasingly intelligent, he decided it was time to "properly study and learn automation technology," and the MECA competition became the first step toward that goal. Baek said, "I wanted to build automation skills on top of my past experience. Through the process, I even came up with ideas I’d like to apply to real marine systems."

Baek acknowledged that preparing for the MECA competition was not easy. However, he said, "The event's management style and the atmosphere at the venue helped reduce tension and actually enhanced our performance," adding that it felt more like a practical training experience than a competition. He found it especially impressive that participants could come together and share different perspectives. He said, "I want to apply the skills I learned during the competition in the field and help raise awareness of MECA among more people." The participants' skills and their practical connections to the field have demonstrated that the future of automation is no longer restricted to specific industries.

The first-ever MECA CUP held in Korea proved that this evolution is driven by collaborative efforts between the industry and education sectors.

Passion in action: The future of industry

Naotake Inoue, General Manager of Mitsubishi Electric’s FA Division, took the stage at the MECA KOREA CUP closing ceremony and looked at the students for a moment before addressing the audience, saying, "What mattered more than the outcome was your genuine passion," and referring to the competition as "a place where technology and passion meet."

Beyond simple hardware implementation, this MECA competition featured tasks that integrated digital twin technology and software. The general manager expressed his appreciation, saying, "Achieving such a high level in software implementation, a challenging area, was only possible thanks to the commitment of both the professors and the students." Despite the unexpected issues that arose during the event, he said, "Even if things didn’t go exactly as planned, every team’s effort deserves respect."

Group Photo of 2025 MECA KOREA CUP Participants

MECA goes beyond a simple skills competition, it is an educational platform that helps to narrow the gap between learning and practice. Inoue shared, "As I watched real systems operated by the students, I could see the future of manufacturing in Korea." In fact, several teams went beyond hardware, carefully integrating software and control logic to demonstrate their projects, and some even incorporated practical industrial challenges into their themes. He emphasized, "This may be the first MECA in Korea, but it's definitely not the last."

The winning team of 2026’s competition will qualify for the global MECA finals in Japan, where they will have the chance to compete against students from around the world. He emphasized once again that this competition is more than just a simple event, saying, "MECA is a gateway for global manufacturing talent, and its evolution is driven by collaborative efforts between the industry and education sectors."

In an era defined by fast-changing technology, it’s clear that human passion remains the most powerful solution. That solution was being actively brought to life, not on the stage but at the workbench.