Last week, the School of System Design and Intelligent Manufacturing (SDIM) welcomed Southern Packaging Group Chief Operating Officer (COO) Li Yonghua to give a lecture on innovations and trends of plastic packaging design to postgraduate students. This is one of a series of lectures on Industrial Practice of SDIM’s NEE Courses.

COO Li Yonghua started his lecture by examining product design from a user need perspective. Using examples from his own corporate experience, he spoke about the differing conditions between domestic and international conditions, covering a wide range of issues. The students received a vivid and detailed industrial understanding of the packaging industry.

Considering the future of the industry, Li Yonghua said that businesses will need an interdisciplinary approach to packaging that integrates a wide range of capabilities for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He said, “Companies have long been eager for comprehensive interdisciplinary talents cultivated under an emerging engineering education model.”

Li Yonghua expressed his interest in supporting emerging engineering talents, supporting the ARTiNX robotics team, and encouraged students to take advantage of the unique curriculum model to become comprehensive interdisciplinary talents.

The lecture ran more than 40 minutes beyond its scheduled two hour run time, due to the enthusiasm of all involved. SDIM Dean Prof. Wu Jingshen said that the lecture provided substantial knowledge for the students.

The SDIM emerging engineering curriculum provides innovative reforms to traditional engineering education, with unique features like student-centric learning, experiential learning, project-based learning and blended learning. Their curriculum covers topics like product design, computers, new materials, automation, mechanical structure, business management and art. It seeks to foster comprehensive interdisciplinary leaders for the new era.