MSOE’s Innovent Center partnered with Milwaukee Tool to hold the PACKOUT™ Challenge for students on April 28 in the Cove in Viets Tower. The competition challenged students to present their concept for a new component to the PACKOUT™, Milwaukee Tool’s modular storage solution designed for professionals to transport and organize tools, accessories and job site equipment.

More than 20 students participated in the competition, both individually and as teams. Students had five minutes to present their concept to a panel of Milwaukee Tool engineers who judged the projects on creativity, feasibility and adaptability.

The winners are:

First Place:
Crib Cube: PACKOUT Integrated Virtual Tool Crib with App
Zane Rothe, mechanical engineering
The Crib Cube is a compact, PACKOUT compatible, M12 battery-powered system with an integrated barcode scanner that can be used along with the companion app to maintain tool inventory. The system allows users to mitigate lost and left-behind tools on the jobsite by serving as a “virtual tool crib.”

Second Place:
Fold-Out: PACKOUT Folding Table
Joshua Dontchenko, mechanical engineering; and Owen Jacobsen, mechanical engineering
This project was an extending/folding table that would sit on top of the existing rolling PACKOUT system from Milwaukee Tool. It would be the first thing you take off the rolling storage when you arrive to the jobsite so that it can be a workstation. It is made in such a way that the table and folding extensions can be customized to house different tools depending on the specific trade.

Third Place (tie):
Drafting Stand: PACKOUT Work Top Converted into a Drafting Stand
Marie Diffley, industrial engineering
The PACKOUT Draft-board is a product designed to help professional tradespeople with organizing materials like their laptops, drafting papers, and job-to-job tools and materials on the top of their Packout. It includes locking compartments, a material bed and an adjustable laptop stand.

Side Deck: Packout Integrated Expandable Work Surface
William Mosby, mechanical engineering