AGU Industrial Engineering Department "Fourth Graduation Projects Fair and Competition" Held
The Fourth Graduation Projects Fair and Competition, organized by the Industrial Engineering Department of Abdullah Gül University (AGU), featured five graduation projects conducted by AGU Industrial Engineering final-year undergraduate students in collaboration with ASELSAN, Dönsa Tekstil, Gümüşsuyu Halı, and HES Kablo companies.
The event, which was held online due to COVID-19 precautions, was supervised by Prof. Dr. İbrahim Akgün and Dr. Selçuk Gören, with students working on industrial engineering problems aimed at improving the efficiency, reducing costs, and increasing the competitiveness of the companies. During the 2020-2021 academic year, students analyzed data collected from the companies, developed mathematical models, artificial intelligence algorithms, and decision support systems, and proposed solutions that demonstrated their contributions to the companies.
Faculty members and students from different universities, along with managers and engineers from 17 companies operating in various sectors, participated in the event.
To assess the projects from both academic and industrial perspectives, a jury consisting of Prof. Dr. Emel Kızılkaya Aydoğan from Erciyes University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özgür Demirtaş from Kayseri University, Dr. Oğuzhan Arık from Nuh Naci Yazgan University, Funda Kızıklı, Deputy General Manager of Akprofil, Ercan Bezan, Operations Director and Factory Manager at Stryker, and Oktay Karaca, Deputy General Manager at BRN Yatak, evaluated the projects.
As a result of the competition, the project titled “Energy and Fiber Optic Cable Production Waste Analysis and Optimization,” conducted at HES Kablo with consultancy from Battal Tokat and Osman Demirtaş, and led by Ahmet Yavuz, İhsan Kilci, Mehmet Akcan, and Mehmet Eren Nalici, won first place. The project “Simulation, Data Mining, and Mathematical Modeling for RFID Application Analysis and Warehouse Process Optimization in the Carpet Industry,” conducted at Gümüşsuyu Halı with consultancy from Ferhat Demirci and led by İzzet Özcan, Omar Samak, and Veli Can Demir, took second place. The project titled “A Project Team Creation Model Focused on Competency and Team Dynamics,” conducted at ASELSAN with consultancy from Fatih Habacı and led by Tümay Topçu, Fatih Yasin Güner, and Nükhet Arı, was awarded third place.
At the end of the competition, cash prizes were awarded to the students involved in the top three projects, sponsored by Erciyes Anadolu Holding.
Prof. Dr. İbrahim Akgün, the Department Head, emphasized that, in line with AGU’s vision, the department has prioritized university-industry collaboration since its establishment. He stressed the importance of students applying what they have learned and "getting their hands dirty" through various mechanisms, with graduation projects being one of them. Prof. Akgün mentioned that graduation projects play an essential role in students' education, requiring them to use all the academic and social skills they have gained during their studies. He acknowledged the challenges posed by the pandemic but noted that all students successfully completed their projects. Furthermore, Prof. Akgün highlighted that in addition to graduation projects, some courses are taught entirely in factories and companies, and real-life projects are prioritized in the courses. He expressed his gratitude to the managers and engineers of the companies, as well as the faculty members and students of the department.