Archive · 19 Sep 2026
Sona College Team Wins Global Mitsubishi Factory Automation Contest
A team of four students from Sona College of Technology won an international factory automation contest.
The contest was held by Mitsubishi Electric in Tokyo.
Their team was called Team Nexus AI.
They built an AI tool that turns simple English instructions into computer code for industrial machines.
This can help engineers program machines more easily.
The students worked on the project for nearly 150 days with help from teachers and Mitsubishi Electric India.
They had already won the national competition in Pune.
The winning team received a trophy, medals and ₹1 lakh.
Team Nexus AI from Sona College of Technology won the MECA Global Finals 2026 in Tokyo.
The four-member team defeated national-winning teams from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand.
The students created an artificial-intelligence assistant that converts plain-English machine instructions into programmable logic controller code.
The team had previously won the Mitsubishi Electric Cup National Level Competition in Pune in February 2026.
The winners received the Gold Cup trophy, medals and a cash prize of ₹1 lakh.
- Who
- Team Nexus AI, a four-member team from Sona College of Technology, led by Tharanika K.
- What
- The team won the MECA Global Finals 2026 factory automation competition.
- When
- The global finals took place in 2026; the team had won the national competition in February 2026.
- Where
- The global finals were held in Tokyo, Japan; the national competition was held in Pune.
- Why
- The team developed an AI-based assistant that converts plain-English machine instructions into PLC code.
- Winning team
- Team Nexus AI from Sona College of Technology, Salem
- Competition
- MECA Global Finals 2026
- Organizer
- Mitsubishi Electric
- Project
- An AI assistant that converts plain-English machine instructions into PLC code
- Development period
- Nearly 150 days
- Prize
- Gold Cup trophy, medals and ₹1 lakh
- National achievement
- Winner of the sixth Mitsubishi Electric Cup National Level Competition in Pune in February 2026