Team Mattel celebrates record breaking speed after competing in the new Formula-E race Pro-Class category.
Figuring out how to build and power a race car using a 16-foot long rubber band is not your typical corporate team building exercise. But, it turns out, that’s exactly the kind of creative boost the business world needs. For the first time, the international Formula-E race at Art Center included a “Pro Class” category with teams participating from Mattel in El Segundo and Axial, a remote control car company based in Irvine. Competition was fierce and teams were gunning for the gold in the 9th annual “day at the races” showcasing talented students, businesses and even a junior race car design set.
Jun Imai, manager of diecast product design in the Hot Wheels / Matchbox Brands division of Mattel said his team put in a lot of late nights and weekends during the eight week process of building and testing their car. The hard work paid off on race day, as the Mattel-designed car broke race records in the Pro Class division.
Imai, an ’03 alum, says he’s constantly pushing his team to innovate by creating better work, more efficiently and more cost-effectively. “But in this case,” he said, “It was, how do we make these cars handle and just blow away the competition because we’re here to win.”
As they innovated in the service of claiming a competitive edge, Imai watched his team progress through the iterative process, with its inevitable failures, which created more excitement, motivation and encouragement to keep going.
“It’s just amazing, as a company, what its done for us,” said Imai. “It brought a lot of guys together who normally don’t work together, it gave us a lot of insights and ideas on the things we normally wouldn’t have looked at as a design company, so it really kind of stretched a boundary.”
When it came to race day he said the Mattel team was impressed with their competitors’ creations, particularly the technology, thought, research and process that went into each car part.
“It’s completely worth the time and investment of resources we’ve put into it, totally worth it, we’ll definitely be back next year,” he said. The team plans to present about the experience to Mattel executives and the board of directors.
Axial’s pit crew was similarly gratified by the race’s buildup and payoff. “Honestly, the biggest take-away was we got excited because it was a new challenge, it sparked new creativity, it was a new way to think about problems,” said Jamie Seymour, an alum (class of 2002, Transportation Design) and product designer with Axial.
Let’s face it, building a rubber band car is not an everyday activity. And this project provided everyone from Axial’s CEO on down a break from the routine. “You know, they say, ‘even if you do what you love, at some point, it becomes a job,’ so it’s nice to have something different,” said Seymour
Gensler Associates, Disney Imagineering, Mattel and Axial all presented awards for achievement to designs reflecting their company values. “This helped our students understand that companies have core values that drive their design efforts,” said faculty member Stan Kong.
What is the most valuable skill gained from the Formula-E exercise for creative businesses? “Failure and learning how to deal with it and not be discouraged,” said Lisa Kong of Gensler, after presenting an Innovation Award at the event. “The award is based on the idea that you can redefine what’s possible through the power of design.”
Grad ID Team Monster set records for all three races. The Grad ID process is based on informed instruction by experienced professionals said Stan Kong. “So Mattel and Axial’s participation enabled our students to build confidence by comparing their work to professional standards. Both companies set examples of the importance of teamwork, professionalism and enthusiasm.”
Kong says there are several important learning moments that result from the Formula-E project because the designs are taken beyond conceptual development and models. Students produce working prototypes that have measurable performance factors replicating the workplace.
More student teams than ever before participated from design programs at universities in China. “I think this symbolizes the speed and commitment the government places on the importance of design for the future of China,” said Kong. “The project helps them accelerate towards that goal, they’re educating their students to transition their industries from manufacturing products for the rest of the world to creating and manufacturing their own.”
Each of the five Grad ID teams were required as part of their project to engage local non-profits serving youth. Team Andross mentored a group of foster boys, ages 11 to 18, in drawing, engineering and building their own cars. This final race took place at Create Now’s office in downtown L.A. in July. The group also toured campus.
Other teams worked with Artworks Pasadena, the Armory Center for the Arts and kids from La Pintoresca Park Library; Side Street Projects, an entirely mobile artist-run organization that gives artists of all ages the ability and the means to support their creative endeavors; and Kidspace Museum where children designed and produced laser cut rubber band propeller-driven vehicles which competed in the “Jr. Class” division on Formula-E race day.
