McDermott International Ltd came out on top as ten teams from companies in the engineering construction industry competed in the 47th ECITB ACTIVE Cup at Cranfield University near Milton Keynes.
The high-pressure project management competition, which is now in its 30th year, involves teams of up to five managing a project from concept through to completion with the aim of making the most profit against their initial cost.
After three days of competition, the Red-5 team from McDermott International was crowned winners, with the teams from Wood (gold winner) and Saipem (silver winner) the runners up.
Organised by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), the event is run in collaboration with, and hosted by, Cranfield School of Management.
The ACTIVE Cup, which takes place three times a year, gives teams experience of the whole project management process as they manage a simulated project through an execution phase of 28 weeks.
McDermott International’s Red-5 team was the overall winner of the January ACTIVE Cup competition
ECITB Chief Executive Andrew Hockey was on hand to give out prizes to the winners. He said: “Congratulations to McDermott International and all the teams that took part. It was a delight to interact with teams from such a diverse group of organisations.
“Anyone that has had the opportunity to observe or participate in this event over the years can appreciate just how much of an undertaking the ACTIVE Cup really is. The level of dedication, skill, tenacity, and collaboration that is displayed in such abundance over such a short space of time is fantastic.
“I would encourage anyone that has not participated before to consider doing so in the future so that they too can benefit from this fantastic experience.
“Project management competence is a fundamental foundation in the effective delivery of projects across our industry.
“As we continue to navigate the energy transition and a global landscape with increasingly complex problems, our project management capability is critical to achieving success. A core element of this is our ability to collaborate effectively and efficiently, which is a key feature of this Cranfield programme.”
As well as the teams from McDermott International, Wood and Saipem, the remaining cohort for January’s ACTIVE Cup came from Worley, Aker Solutions, Lorien Engineering Solutions, part of the NIRAS Group, Bechtel Corporation and the ECITB itself.
The second of the three ACTIVE Cup events in 2024 takes place in Scotland at Carnoustie Golf Hotel, north of Dundee, from Monday 4 to Wednesday 6 March, with applications now closed.
The final event is back at Cranfield School of Management from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 June, with applications to take part in this event open in April.
The teams being issued with their project objectives at the ACTIVE Cup
All the teams that took part in the January ACTIVE Cup