A PENANG college swept the top three awards at the Peninsula Industrial Challenge 2026 after presenting innovative solutions to real-world logistics and supply chain challenges.
The Gold Award went to Peninsula College Georgetown’s FutureForge team for its artificial intelligence-powered optical character recognition warehouse automation solution.
ItsCore5 team claimed the Silver Award with its proposal to optimise inland container depot operations while IronMind received the Bronze Award for its augmented reality-guided warehouse picking solution.
An all-female team from Peninsula College Shah Alam, The Powerpuff Girls, received recognition for its proposal to improve workplace productivity.
Held at The Ship Campus in Batu Kawan, the annual competition, jointly organised by Peninsula College Malaysia and PKT Logistics Group, brought together students, industry leaders and academics to showcase practical, industry-driven innovations.
Now in its fourth year, the challenge bridged classroom learning with workplace demands by requiring students to develop solutions for issues in automotive after sales, food and beverage, electrical and electronics, and port operations.
Six teams from Peninsula College Georgetown (The Ship Campus) and Peninsula College Shah Alam (The Lighthouse Campus) competed, with four advancing to the grand finale.
Peninsula Higher Education president and Peninsula College Georgetown chief executive Tung Chee Kuan said producing capable graduates required more than technical knowledge.
He said qualities such as resilience, teamwork, problem-solving and the right attitude were equally important in preparing students for the workforce.
Tung said the competition reflected the college’s commitment to producing industry-ready graduates through close collaboration with businesses.
The finalists were assessed by a panel comprising Lam Research senior director of logistics SD Thirukumaran, Intel Technology director of logistics business operations Ang Lay Pin, Multimodal Freight Sdn Bhd managing director Ahmad Shazli A. Aziz and Renesas Electronics (Penang) Sdn Bhd managing director Liong Chian Min.
The event also brought together industry partners, corporate leaders, school principals, teachers and students to strengthen collaboration between industry and academia while highlighting career opportunities in logistics and supply chain management.
In a statement, Peninsula College Malaysia said the competition is one of the flagship initiatives under its Campus-in-Industry education model, giving students greater exposure to real-world business challenges and preparing them for future careers.
