Six New Engineers from Genetec Make Their Field Debut at ET Robocon 2025 Test Event

Genetec Inc. has announced an exciting development in its journey to nurture young engineering talent. The company, headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo, is preparing a team of six new graduate engineers to compete in the much-anticipated ET Robocon 2025. This event is not only a pivotal moment for the fresh graduates but also serves as a platform for them to showcase their skills and gain invaluable experience.

Understanding ET Robocon

ET Robocon is Japan's largest educational robot competition, which has been running since 2002 with a focus on training software engineers. The competition is set to see participation from 199 teams nationwide, with 129 teams competing in the primary class alone this year. Teams will be evaluated on two main criteria: the speed and stability of their robots, as well as their design and programming skills. This competition provides a unique opportunity to enhance not just programming abilities but also team-building and project management skills, helping competitors develop a comprehensive skill set. In fact, the competition received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award in 2019, underscoring its importance in the technological community.

Genetec has been consistently participating in this event since 2018, positioning it as a critical foundation for the development of its young engineers and acting as a 'Bronze Supporter' of the competition.

Insights from the Test Event

Recently, Genetec's development team attended the official test event for ET Robocon, which serves as a pre-competition gathering where participating teams can practice using the actual competition course and robots. This event is crucial as it enables participants to iterate through mistakes and challenges in real conditions, ultimately leading to optimization of their programming, team collaboration, and problem-solving skills. The hands-on experience gained from this event far surpasses what can be learned through classroom education or simulations, emphasizing the importance of practical learning.

The development team, consisting solely of new graduate engineers, not only handled the programming and design aspects but also engaged in team-building and extensive project management. Although they usually receive guidance and mentorship from more experienced colleagues during work hours, they approached this test event with complete autonomy to cultivate their field skills. This approach allowed them to confront unanticipated challenges, such as system freezes and route adjustments, without assistance. They tackled each hurdle head-on, utilizing their critical thinking and teamwork skills to collectively analyze performance logs and iterate on their solutions until they found resolutions.

The real-world challenges faced during the test event helped drastically improve their on-site skills, allowing them to grow in ways that cannot be achieved through typical training.

Strong Internal Support Structure

To create an environment conducive to learning and development, Genetec established an execution committee supported by representatives from various internal departments. This support system has been structured to facilitate a nurturing atmosphere for young engineers, encouraging them to take risks and learn progressively. In light of the acute shortage of IT talent, investing in younger engineers has been positioned as a critical strategy to enhance corporate competitiveness.

Genetec's team leader stated, "During the test event, we faced real challenges that we could not have anticipated in a classroom setting, such as issues with program behavior and differing opinions among team members. We had to engage deeply in discussions, sometimes facing conflicting views, but ultimately we converged on a single solution. This experience not only enhanced our technical abilities but also improved our flexible problem-solving skills and helped us grow as a team."

Participating in the official test event marks a significant milestone in the development of Genetec's all-new engineering team as they gear up for the ET Robocon main event. The company remains committed to supporting the growth of each young engineer and aims to foster talent that will lead the manufacturing industry and society as a whole in the future.

About Genetec Inc.

- Established: July 1, 1985
- CEO: Kenji Ueno
- Headquarters: 25F, Shinjuku Island Tower, 6-5-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 163-1325, Japan
- Business Focus: Combining software and hardware for system solutions, enhancing productivity and optimization on manufacturing sites, and providing safety through location-based applications like the disaster response app 'Coco Dayo'. More information can be found at Genetec's website.