A Manufacturing Innovation Challenge with students from Penn Trafford High School and FS‑Elliott kicked off this month. This is the beginning of the students working as outside consultants on a forward‑thinking manufacturing challenge. During the kickoff visit, students toured the facility, met a variety of team members across multiple departments, heard a lot of potential project ideas, and asked plenty of questions!
Students will have the opportunity to explore a variety of potential projects focused on improving facility sustainability and manufacturing efficiency. Areas of exploration include a sustainable facility redesign with solar integration, EV charging infrastructure, energy regeneration from testing processes, water reclamation for cooling, noise and environmental impact studies, and identifying AI use cases in manufacturing operations. Through discussions with FS‑Elliott professionals, students gained insight into real‑world constraints, energy usage, environmental considerations, and emerging technologies shaping modern manufacturing.
Following the kickoff visit, students will begin researching and developing potential solutions back at school, applying systems thinking, problem‑solving, and collaborative design skills. This spring, they will return to FS‑Elliott to professionally present their recommendations, completing the experience as industry consultants and demonstrating how student‑driven innovation can support sustainable and future‑focused manufacturing. Stay tuned as their ideas take shape.
Interested in Participating?
The Manufacturing Innovation Challenge connects high school students with local manufacturers to solve authentic industry challenges while building career‑ready skills across engineering, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing pathways.
👉 Learn more: Manufacturing Innovation Challenge – Explore the New Manufacturing