The final presentation of Team B at DeSpray in Almelo (NL) marked a successful conclusion to a collaborative journey in the fourth round of the Smart Solution Labs. In nine weeks the students developed a business model aiming to make DeSpray’s aersol can recycling machines affordable and accessible for small and mid-sized companies.
Team B proposed a Machine as a Service (MaaS) model, covering three distinct options, that were each thoroughly investigated by detailed calculations of payment rates and projected profits. The analysis was further extended by simulating a five-year scenario using artificial intelligence to predict potential customer behaviors. An integral part of the presentation was the clarification of the advantages and risks for each model. However, the students did not miss out on presenting ways to mitigate the risks and presented options on how to finance the implementation of the model in the early stages.
Their model presented a sophisticated solution, combining earlier ideas DeSpray considered on a feasible level, e.g. data based decision-making and easy upgrades of contracts. The team’s ability to come up with an innovative solution within short amount of time, despite the open task they were facing initially, demonstrated the value of collaboration between industry and academia.