On Friday 14^th December – the last day of the semester before the winter break - our Part B Materials students presented the posters and designs that they have spent the last few months working on, to the Worshipful Company of Tinplate, Alias Wire Workers and academic staff.

The Worshipful Company has very kindly made a donation to the Department of Materials each year for the past 16 years and this donation goes in part, towards prizes for the students based upon their work throughout the year. 

The delegation from the Worshipful Company who also attended the event this year, pictured left (from left to right); Mr Chris Burgess, (Chairman of the Education, Enterprise and Charity Committee of the Livery Company); Mr John Swain, (previously an executive in the steel wire industry); Mr Peter Wilkinson, (Master of the Company); Suzie Collins, (Consort to the Master); Nick Mullen, (CEO and director of the Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association (MPMA); and Bev Page, (metal packaging industry consultant.)

Students undertook formal group presentations in the morning and then came together to present their posters in the afternoon, to the wider academic body of the Department and they were able to partake in a few refreshments before the prize presentations at the end of the day.

Designs ranged from designer lamp shade to a disposable hip flask and everything in between, but the winning designs were:

‘The Companion’, a self-heating drinks bottle by Group T3, pictured left with their certificates and the Master of the Worshipful Company, and, ‘Steel Storage Solutions’, a range of storage to suit the workplace and home by Group S4, pictured at the top of this page, again with the Master.

The groups found the project interesting as it gave opportunities to see how designing and getting a new product to market works, which could stand them in good stead for any future enterprise projects!