Formula Student is the most important international university competition in the automotive field. It will take place from August 7 to 12, 2023, at the Circuit de Barcelona de Catalunya, and in its thirteenth edition will be composed of teams from around the world formed by university engineering students who will compete with their prototypes of electric and autonomous vehicles.
Formula Student is an international educational project that allows engineering students to participate in a real professional experience. We interviewed Juan Fernández Laporta one of its managers to learn about the importance of digitalization in Formula Student Spain.
Journalist: We interviewed one of the managers of Formula Student Spain to talk about the collaboration with Kapture.io in the data collection of the judges in the different FSS events. Thanks for joining us.
Juan F. Laporta: It is a pleasure to be here and talk about our experience with Kapture.io in Formula Student Spain.
Journalist: This will be the third year in which Kapture.io collaborates with the work of the FSS judges. How do you value this collaboration so far?
Juan F. Laporta: We greatly value this collaboration. It has been extremely positive within our process of integrating Kapture.io as a standard tool for all areas involved in the competition. It has allowed us to streamline and significantly improve the collection of judges’ data, which has been fundamental for the efficient development of FSS.
Journalist: What is the aspect most valued by the teams that participate in the FSS competition?
Juan F. Laporta: Teams mainly value transparency and speed of response in results. With Kapture.io, we have been able to provide faster and more accurate results, which is highly appreciated by the teams. They also benefit from the traceability and order that the platform provides. By pre-digitizing internal controls, checklists and leaving evidence of these controls, teams can better prepare themselves before the competition. They can even use the incident or nonconformity management to track solutions and use the problem-solving module. This tool gives them a significant advantage and prepares them for future challenges in the labor market, contributing to their training as professionals.
Journalist: What could we do to give more prestige to FSS?
Juan F. Laporta: One way to increase the prestige of FSS would be to give it greater media coverage so that more people know about the existence of the competition. It would also be beneficial to seek greater participation and involvement of companies in the sector, both sponsors and those that do not participate directly. For example, we could involve logistics operators, suppliers, R&D centers, distributors, dealers, among others. In addition, by digitizing Formula Student and making it paperless, we can show that we are optimizing resources and being more sustainable, which also brings prestige to the competition.
Journalist: Formula Student Spain, like industrial environments, needs to adapt to the digital era. How are you living this digitalization process?
Juan F. Laporta: We are in the midst of a digitalization process. Although there is a plan in place, it is a path that will take time to complete. We are aware of the importance of adapting to digital trends and we are working diligently to achieve this in the near future.
Journalist: Compared to other Formula Student competitions, what level of digitalization is FSS at?
Juan F. Laporta: The digitalization in the rest of the Formula Student competitions progresses slowly hand in hand with the competition initiatives, but they have the challenge that most of the time they start from scratch creating their own applications or Web solutions with great difficulties to advance year after year.
On the other hand, in Formula Student Spain we have the great advantage that we have Kapture.io, a tool already validated in the market, developed by professional experts in digitization and from whom we have the support to adapt it to the needs of FSS.
Journalist: What are the usual challenges you face?
Juan F. Laporta: Our usual challenges focus on the overall management and organization of the process. We must be able to resolve incidents in a very limited time and have the ability to react immediately. The rotation of judges, the attraction of teams to the competition and last minute withdrawals are common challenges we face.
Journalist: Kapture.io was not designed specifically for Formula Student, but thanks to its flexibility, you have been able to adapt it to your needs. How do you see the future of this relationship?
Juan F. Laporta: We see a promising future for our relationship with Kapture.io. Our goal is to achieve full integration of the system as the backbone of all evaluations in all areas of the competition. We believe there is still room for improvement and better tailoring the platform to our specific needs. We are committed to working together to achieve a final consolidation.
Journalist: How does having the information available in real time affect HSS, and is it worth the effort?
Juan F. Laporta: Having the information available in real time is extremely beneficial for FSS. The ability to react immediately and obtain quick results allows us to improve transparency vis-à-vis the teams evaluated, which contributes to the prestige of the competition. It is definitely worth the effort invested, as it allows us to be more efficient and provide a more satisfying competition experience for all participants.
Journalist: We appreciate your feedback on the collaboration with Kapture.io and the digitalization of Formula Student Spain, and wish you much success in the future!
Juan F. Laporta: Thank you very much. We are excited about the future of Formula Student Spain and we will continue working hard to improve and adapt to the digital challenges. We hope to reach new goals and contribute to the growth of the competition!
19/07/2023 Kapture.IO
