The exploits of the Becker Robotics team are well known across Minnesota and, in fact, the United States. The perennial powerhouse has multiple state titles and trips to the World Championships.
However, their latest title just might be the most impressive of them all.
Becker teamed up with Legacy Christian Academy (Andover, MN) to win the second annual PACK Challenge Competition.
The event, sponsored by PepsiCo and held at PACK EXPO International in Chicago, awarded $9,000 to the winning team. The Becker/LCA coalition was judged to have the best innovative packing solution and also won the award for Overall Best in Show.
According to a press release from show organizer PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, the competition brings together five finalist high school teams from Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in an end-to-end packaging competition for a challenging showcase of creativity, innovation, and ingenuity.
Each team was provided with the components necessary to design and build a functional de-nesting and orientating machine in a mock production line.
The group said that, “the winning machine from the coalition of Becker High School and Legacy Christian Academy stood out for its innovative use of material handling solutions and its ability to meet the demands of today’s packaging industry. The team demonstrated outstanding teamwork, problem-solving, and technical skills, impressing the judges and attendees alike.”
According to Alex Jurek, Becker Robotics Coach and part of the winning packing team, the entire process has been over a year in the making.
“The two high schools have collaborated on this challenge since June 2023,” Jurek said. “The team had to not only build a machine, but also had to create a fictitious company and brand with a robust back story that also included mission statement, core values, company motto, website, etc.”
In addition, the fictitious company had to have a full suite of marketing including branding standards, logos, print and digital media, and other real world applications.
“Winning the Best in Show qualifies our team to showcase their machine and company at the PMMI Pack Expo in Las Vegas September 29 through October 1, 2025,” Jurek added. “Since this started in the summer of 2023, there have been a host of students that started the project and then handed it over to the current students to complete.”
The machine that was build by the coalition had to be able to sort different sized cups and package them in a near and efficient manner. Many advanced concepts were used to create the winning product, which will now be shipped back to the schools and used to further education efforts.
Becker students involved in the competition include: Emilia Hansen ‘24, John Nielsen ‘24, Isaac Wentland ‘24, Eli Bring ‘25, Makayla Hoefs ‘25, Landon Jurek ‘25, Cameron Northenscold ‘25, Charlee Northenscold ‘26, Kiersten Thompson ‘26 and Ian Wentland ‘26.
“We are incredibly proud of the work these students have put into this competition,” says Kate Fiorianti, director, workforce development, PMMI.
Not only did the Becker/LCA team win Best in Show, but they were also awarded another $1,500 award for the best FAT, or Factory Acceptance Test, meaning the winning machine that best performed throughout the competition according to FAT and Operator Training standards.
Coaches for the Becker/LCA team included Todd Kruse LCA, Delta ModTech; Alex Jurek, BHS; Corey Applegate, Automation Minnesota; Kris Fischbach, Medtronic; Brendan Dahl, Delta ModTech; Ben McGowan, LCA.
A reception was planned for the team on Thurs., Nov. 14 at Legacy Christian Academy.
