Students from KMITL Win First Place at MECA Thailand 2025

Themed around "solving decarbonization challenges in the Thai industrial system with engineering expertise", the 2025 version aims to set a platform where students can transform creativity and innovative ideas into solutions that help the industry reduce CO2 emissions. The competition also provides opportunities for all participants to level up skills, exposure to industrial professionals and relevant equipment, including GENESIS64 (SCADA Dashboard), MELSOFT 3D Gemini (Digital twin), MELSOFT MaiLab (AI-powered data analysis tool), SoftGOT2000 (HMI control software), GT Designer3 (HMI screen design software), and GX Works3 (PLC programming software). The winning projects were judged on criteria such as creativity, innovation, pitch/presentation, and technical and business feasibility.

Along with the MECA Thailand 2025 competition, the event also showcased “Technology Hackathon 2025”, offering a mini workshop for high school students, and “Greenbot Application Concept” competition for higher vocational students. The event also included seminars on interesting topics by speakers from various industry associations.
The Competition Results

Groups of three studying in 2nd and 3rd years from engineering colleges and universities across Thailand have been invited to compete in the MECA Thailand 2025 to win the honorary prizes and a royal trophy. Four out of 15 teams advanced to the final pitching days, which were held on the 9th and 10th of October, 2025, at Burapha University in Chonburi. The champion of this year has been awarded to the Chalongkrung team from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology, Ladkrabang – KMITL, where the winner takes home the royal trophy graciously bestowed by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, 100,000 bath prize money, and securing a place in the MECA Global Japan 2026.

The other finalists are Autogen from Rajamangala University of Technology, Greenovator from Mahasarakham University, Greendynamic Trio from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology, Ladkrabang, and FAlogic from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology North Bangkok, which were awarded for 1st runner up, 2nd runner up, 3rd runner up, and popular vote, respectively. Besides the trophies and monetary prizes, these students are eligible for an internship opportunity at Mitsubishi before completing their degrees.

The Winners Talks

Chalongkrung, the winning team, was made up of 3 KMITL students: Aphisit Lakhonket, Weerasit Surindarporn, and Phonthakorn Wongwattana. They delivered the project: Development of an AI model for yield improvement and environment impact reduction in surfactant manufacturing. The goal is to improve the quality acceptance rate while helping the manufacturers to reduce raw material waste and energy costs. The team designed the solution using Mitsubishi's SCADA, HMI GOT2000, and Melsoft MAILAB to monitor and analyze the data from the process.




The result shows significant improvements in various areas. Firstly, the operator does not need to submit the material samples to test at the lab, which improves productivity up to 60 percent. Secondly, the manufacturer can reduce the parameter setup time. Previously, activities like parameter control, data collection were carried out manually. But with Mitsubishi’s Meisoft MAILAB, key controls can be processed automatically. This helps manufacturers take corrective action immediately to address the issues. The third benefit from this project is the lower rate of scraps and rejected products that require reworking, which helps reduce the electricity consumption by 2.61 percent. By using the Life Cycle Assessment, the team concluded that their project helps reduce CO2 emissions as much as 17.70 percent.

Winners’ Appreciation for Mitsubishi's Support

The team is grateful to Mitsubishi for arranging the event that allows students to demonstrate their potential. "This competition has made us aware of the long-term impacts of global warming and carbon emissions in manufacturing processes," said Weerasit Surindarporn. Phonthakorn Wongwattana revealed that having the opportunity to attend seminars and practical events held by MELT has opened up a new world for him. Besides the technical part, such as learning how to create a dashboard or utilise the SCADA software, other soft skills, personality improvement, for example, were also provided.

Mitsubishi Commits to Automating the Thai Industry

"At Mitsubishi Electric, we believe that industry is a foundation for job creation and economic growth. Therefore, our goal is to create a "national forum" to provide students with opportunities to showcase their industrial and technological capabilities. We aim to connect three key sectors: the public sector, the education sector, and the private sector, which are drivers of the country's economic and industrial growth." Chalermchai Chompoopeun, Department Manager of FA Specific Industrial, Mitsubishi Electric Factory Automation, explained the objective of the event.

As an expert in automation, Chalermchai also revealed that his company is pushing automation technology to help factories reduce costs, improve production efficiency, and, at the same time, reduce CO2 emissions. For Thai entrepreneurs, this means that when they can run their business more efficiently, they can compete globally, directly benefiting the Thai economy.

"What I've seen is that the competitions have become a shared learning platform for students, teachers, and the private sector. Many entrepreneurs are beginning to be aware that projects like this, even with minimal investment, can have a positive impact on both their organizations and society. In addition to experiencing new ideas and solutions, they also find young people with talent and potential to become a prominent workforce for business and industry in the future —a true win-win situation,” said Chalermchai.

Bright Future Lies Ahead for Young People

Asking the winners about their goals and future, and what they hope to achieve in the next 10 years.
"After graduation, I plan to start my own company engaging in education, or become a lecturer/professor. Before that, I might land a job in a factory as an engineer to learn and gain experience. In the next 10 years, I expect to be able to fulfill my passions, though it would take a lot of effort and time," said Weerasit Surin-aporn.

Phanthakorn Wongwat talked about his future, "I would like to see myself working in the instrumentation field because I enjoy installing and inspecting equipment very much. In the next 10 years, I see that success is not just about completing the job at hand, but also enjoying it while creating value for my organization and family as well."

Conclusion




The MECA Thailand 2025 was a great success, with all stakeholders showing a serious awareness and positive attitudes toward ecological challenges affecting our lives and futures. Mitsubishi places great importance on collaboration between the private sector and educational institutions by creating an engaging platform for students to learn, practice, and visualize how their knowledge and skills can be translated into real-world work.