12 Hours of Intense Ideation and Collaboration

A Hackathon is a competition where participants seek creative solutions to a specific challenge within a limited time. Students worked in teams, received guidance from Koja Group experts, and presented their solutions to a jury at the end of the day.

“The Koja Group Hackathon offered us a unique opportunity to see how future professionals view industrial digitalization through fresh eyes. The students’ ideas were refreshing and solution-oriented – and they challenge us to think in new ways as well,” said Turo Välikangas, Head of Digitalization at Koja Oy.

Organized in celebration of the company’s 90th anniversary, the Koja Group Hackathon is part of its investment in digital development, where collaboration and new perspectives play a key role. Innovation is not just about planning for the future – it is a concrete part of today’s operations.

With browser-based tools and cloud solutions becoming increasingly significant for Koja Group’s future, the hackathon challenge focused on creating 3D models of sheet metal products in a web browser.

“A hackathon isn’t necessarily just a competition – what matters more is participation, learning, and the atmosphere. Huge thanks to our entire digital team for their incredible effort! Special thanks to our Software Development Trainee, Jarkko Kuukkanen, whose skills have been invaluable to our development work,” Välikangas adds.

Winning Project Combined Key Challenge Elements

At the end of the competition, the teams presented their work to the group. The jury, composed of Koja Group experts, evaluated the projects based on predefined criteria. Some of the entries surprised the panel with their ingenuity. The best ideas were awarded €1,500, €1,000, and €500 in prize money.

The winning team’s project combined effective utilization of an air handling unit frame, sheet metal design, and a very clear and visually appealing browser-based user interface.

“The winners’ data center design automation featured exactly the elements we were hoping to see in the hackathon challenge. We aimed to simulate a future scenario where our air handling unit sizing tool would be used as part of a larger process – and this was a perfect example of that,” said Välikangas.

Congratulations to the winners: Otso Rouhiainen, Jaakko Kitinoja, Matias Selin, Niilo Jaakkola, and Teemu Rautavalta!

Strong Foundation for Academic Collaboration

Most of the participants are students at Tampere University. Mechanical design teacher Teemu Launis visited the event to observe the progress of his students.

“This event is an excellent initiative! There are far too few hackathons organized, especially from the perspective of CAD software and design. Today’s event could be students' first real encounter with using CAD tools and also spark the realization that code can be used to control CAD geometry very effectively,” Launis noted.

Koja’s R&D Center offered fitting facilities for the day’s theme.

“This hackathon demonstrated how important it is to build bridges between the corporate world and student communities. The R&D Center serves as a meeting place where ideas can be born, mature, and take off – even in just one day,” said Taru Lähteenmäki, Head of R&D Center, Koja Oy.

Feedback was collected from participants about the event’s organization and content. Overall, the feedback was very positive, and all participants felt they had learned new skills during the day. The event was considered fun, and aspects like food and the positive atmosphere received frequent praise.

“We received great insights and constructive feedback, which will help us improve the event to better meet our target audience’s expectations in the future. The challenge was demanding, but our goal was to keep participation accessible for everyone. The event’s success and the feedback we received provide a strong foundation for future events,” Välikangas concluded.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the event for your active participation and relaxed, positive spirit!