Editor’s Note
This article highlights the culmination of the Automation Machine Builder Award (AMBA 2026), a national competition that provided engineering students with hands-on experience in automation and industrial manufacturing. The event underscores the importance of practical training in preparing the next generation of engineers for the evolving demands of the industry.
On February 6th in Hanoi, the final round of the Automation Machine Builder Award Season 2 (AMBA 2026) was officially held, concluding a journey of over three months of learning, training, and practical experience for engineering students nationwide in the field of automation and industrial manufacturing.
The AMBA Season 2 competition is co-organized and supported by leading businesses, technology companies, and automation solution providers, including: ETEK, Tan Phat ETEK, ABB, Advantech, Bosch Rexroth, Cognex, Delta Electronics, Jobchoice, KUKA, SMC, and VASI.
The participation of organizers and partner organizations not only provides expertise, technology, and training but also contributes to creating competition content that closely matches the practical needs of businesses and factories, particularly in the context of the strong shift towards automation in the manufacturing industry and semiconductors.
The theme of AMBA Season 2 is “Automated Machines in Semiconductor Manufacturing, NPN Loading,” focusing on machine design problems, robot integration, machine vision, control, and process optimization in a semiconductor manufacturing environment—an area requiring high precision, strict standards, and a high level of automation.
The Automation Machine Builder Award (AMBA) is an academic platform with a spirit of “creativity and sharing” for engineering students, where students have the opportunity to develop ideas and solutions during the stages of machine design, assembly, programming, operation, maintenance, and optimization based on real-world problems from businesses and manufacturing plants.
Starting in November 2025, AMBA Season 2 saw participation from 62 teams comprising over 300 students from 27 universities and colleges nationwide. After the preliminary round, 24 excellent teams were selected for the second round, where they further refined their solutions based on technical criteria and practical utility.
As part of the competition, teams received over 20 hours of intensive training with experts from technology and automation companies. The training focused on machine design thinking, industry standards, equipment selection, system integration, and solution optimization, helping students better understand the real-world needs of manufacturing businesses.
In addition to training, AMBA Season 2 also organized three factory tours and practical experiences at CICOR Vietnam, Manutronic Vietnam, and Sumitomo Heavy Industries Vietnam. Through these activities, students had the opportunity to directly observe production lines, operational processes, and industrial environments, enabling them to adjust and refine their competition entries towards practicality and high applicability.
The top 10 teams were selected from the entire training and experience process for the AMBA Season 2 final. Here, teams will present, operate, and defend their solutions before a judging panel comprising business representatives, technical experts, and lecturers. The program will also include an awards ceremony to honor the efforts, creativity, and capabilities of students in the field of automation and industrial manufacturing.
Highly appreciating the idea of organizing the competition by the organizing committee, Professor Le Hung Lan, Vice President of the Vietnam Automation Association, said:
