- FA Competition Bringing Together Representatives from Seven Regions

MECA Cup Global Finals 2026 participants
A Global Exchange Forum Exploring the Future of Monozukuri
On September 1, 2026, Mitsubishi Electric’s Factory Automation Systems Group hosted “MECA Frontier Forum 2026” as part of MECA, Mitsubishi Electric’s Factory Automation (FA) educational support initiative, which aims to nurture the passion of aspiring engineers and develop outstanding talent. The event offered participants opportunities to network and tour a Mitsubishi Electric factory, and featured “MECA Cup Global Finals 2026,” a competition in which participants demonstrated practical problem-solving skills using FA technology.


MECA Cup Global Finals 2026 venue

Opening remarks delivered on behalf of the host by Hajime Sugiyama, Deputy General Manager of Business Planning Dept., Marketing Strategy & Operations Dept., Mitsubishi Electric's Nagoya Works, highlighting MECA as an international framework linking academic innovation to industrial applications.

The forum brought together representative teams from seven regions that had advanced through regional qualifiers: India, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.


Hajime Sugiyama delivered the opening remarks

FA Competition Featuring Representatives from Seven Regions— Taking on the Challenge of Advanced Technologies and Smart Manufacturing
During the competition, each team delivered a 15-minute presentation followed by a 10-minute Q&A session and was judged based on criteria such as creativity and feasibility.


Presentation by Sona College of Technology (India)

Each team presented a unique solution to a region-specific challenge. These included automated indoor large-tomato cultivation (Japan), COG-based truck load optimization (South Korea), a coffee cherry sorter (the Philippines), an autonomous decision system for metalworking (Taiwan), AI utilization in surfactant production processes (Thailand), and an autonomous indoor medical drug delivery robot (Vietnam).

Sona College of Technology, representing Mitsubishi Electric India PVT. LTD., was named the winner for its groundbreaking proposal, “Intelligent PLC Programming Assistant for Mitsubishi Electric Automation.” Their system leverages a dual-layer AI architecture incorporating natural language processing to streamline PLC programming, while seamlessly integrating standard code generation with validation in both virtual and physical environments. The solution was highly praised for its outstanding scalability and versatility.


Sona College of Technology, the winning team

Cultivating Next-Generation Manufacturing Talent through MECA
The advanced systems integration experience gained through this competition is expected to provide students with a valuable opportunity to develop problem-solving skills and system integration capabilities. It is also expected to broaden their international perspective and practical abilities, contributing to their growth as future manufacturing professionals.

Mitsubishi Electric will continue to support the development of next-generation technical talent worldwide through MECA.
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Originally (initially) released in English

For more information about MECA, Mitsubishi Electric’s Factory Automation (FA) educational support initiative, please visit the following website: https://www.mitsubishielectric.com/fa/about-us/meca/index.html