General Engineering Dragon’s Den – 2024

Canterbury Christ Church University partnered with local bespoke shopfitting firm, the Sublime Group, to set students the challenge of drastically reducing the installation time of Sublime’s custom designs, traditionally spanning two weeks.

The students’ objective was to develop a modular design concept that could easily adapt to various retail spaces while minimising manual labour during installation. The competition gave the students a real-world engineering project, aimed at delivering an innovative solution that could transform the landscape of retail shopfitting. They worked in teams, fostering an environment of shared knowledge and creativity; conducted market research, studied existing technologies, and explored new design methodologies.

First place: Smart flat-pack shelving system

Participating teams considered various factors, including health and safety concerns, budget constraints, and the adaptability of designs for different retail needs. The winning design was a smart-flat-pack shelving system, which was selected due to its innovative design, flexibility, sustainability, and environmental considerations. It was both modern and customisable, and met the client’s needs.

Students:

James Jordan Magrino – Mechanical Engineering
Daniel Lewis – Mechanical Engineering
Ryan Philips – Biomedical Engineering
Arthur Deacon – Mechanical Engineering

Prize awarded: £3,000

Positive feedback

We’re delighted to once again partner with EIBF and offer our students this fantastic opportunity to develop their skills in a real-world environment. Our students embraced this competition and the challenges set by the local south-east business the Sublime Group. All their designs were exceptional and well thought through. It has been wonderful to see their skills and professional practice develop whilst working with and supporting our local industry.

Dr Nikki Ghadiminia
Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Digital Built Environment
Canterbury Christ Church University