Students exhibited prototypes of Husqvarna products

A patented product developed by a student at the School of Engineering (JTH) at Jönköping University (JU) was shown at the exhibition of the Husqvarna course on 15 December.

“Our objective for this course is that it will generate real products and if that happens with one out of ten prototypes, it is worth a lot to us,” says Andreas Rangert, President, Light Agriculture Business Unit at Husqvarna.

The exhibition that took place in Science Park Towers in Jönköping was crowded. The theme of this year’s exhibition was arborism and what was displayed were prototypes on tree felling and tree pruning and more from previous years. This is because the new prototypes that the students have developed are confidential. The so called Husqvarna course is actually called Product Development Project and it is students studying Mechanical Engineering: Product Development and Industrial Design programme who develop new prototypes of Husqvarna's products.

“It shows that you can go all the way”

The patent that was displayed concerns an accessory product that reads the fuel level in Husqvarna's chainsaws.

“It shows that you can go all the way. Then, whether it becomes a product or not in the end, you never know, but if we get a patent, there is a great deal of faith in the idea,” says Andreas Rangert.

He emphasizes that the Husqvarna course has become an important part of their collaboration with JTH and that it generates many good ideas for their development department.

"Many potential employees”

“We get good contact with the students who take the course and see many of them as potential employees with us in the future. The education at JTH is of a good standard, which is why we are also a strategic partner of JTH. We work with other universities as well, but JTH is the one closest to us and with whom we have the most cooperation”, says Andreas Rangert.

Andreas Rangert emphasizes that course manager Conny Larsson, Lecturer Industrial Design at JTH, is very driven in his role and good at creating interest for the Husqvarna course. Conny Larsson says that after the exhibition, Husqvarna takes the prototypes to its primary development department and that students that do their degree job at Husqvarna usually get to continue to work on their prototype.

“A gold star again”

He mentions that the students have gotten better at presenting and “selling” their prototype and that those who have taken the course this fall have received a lot of praise from several people at Husqvarna.

“So, there will be a gold star for the students this year,” he says, smiling.

The JTH students Leon Kärvebod and Edvin Johnsen think it has been fun and interesting to work with Husqvarna and that they have learned a lot. They emphasize that it was fun to develop a prototype hands-on and make it work the way they wanted.

“Super valuable”

“The Husqvarna course gives a good picture of what you can expect in working life and how a large company like Husqvarna works,” says Leon Kärvebod.

“It is super valuable to have this experience and it is good that you have done something practical during your education that is perhaps quite close to what you will be doing later on in working life,” says Edvin Johnsen.