University engineering competition uses Siemens’ Plantville simulation

Engineering students from Ryerson, Waterloo and the University of Toronto recently competed against one another to be the ultimate plant manager by utilizing Siemens’ online gaming platform, Plantville, at the George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre at Ryerson University.

The competition pitted 56 engineering teams of two against one another in a three-hour online simulation. Winners were determined by the best overall score, and given a cash prize along with the opportunity to interview for a position at Siemens Canada.

All competitors involved worked anxiously to improve the key performance indicators for each of their plants, thus increasing their overall scores. In the end, the first place winners of the competition were Andre Stenneveld and Ramtin Heidari from Ryerson University. The respective second and third place winners were William Truong and Sally Lee, and Helen Jiang and Sean Dy, both from the University of Waterloo.

“This is a great opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with the world of industry,” said Omar Taha, president of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) Ryerson Chapter. “The Plantville game brings together theories we have learned in class and demonstrates how they are applied.”

The competition was integrated into an evening reception that saw the representatives of IIE sponsors, Siemens and Canadian Tire, brought together with university faculty members and alumni to support these engineering students. Attendees were also able to view the competition as it took place, test out Plantville for themselves, and be on hand to congratulate the winners at the awards ceremony.

The Institute of Industrial Engineers Ryerson Chapter is a student-based organization that develops and supports its members through workshops, seminars and competitions that focus on industrial engineering topics. This past September, they invited engineering students of all fields and corresponding universities to take part in their Plantville competition.

Plantville is the new, interactive online game developed by Siemens that puts you in the shoes of a plant manager. In the game, players are challenged to increase productivity, sustainability and the overall health of their virtual plants from an online platform that simulates a real plant environment.