Two Limkokwing students thought up the winning combination in an ice-cream design contest and captured the top prizes in November. The honours went to William Ng, creator of the Monster Stick, and Ng Bee Poh, inventor of the Train ice-cream cup.”

William worked on his Monster Stick after drawing inspiration from movies like Pokemon and I Not Stupid. And it’s not just an ice-cream stick. A buyer can collect five or more of these sticks to play a game.

Bee Poh came up with a toy-themed ice-cream cup called Train. A collector can form a train using the specially-designed cups.

The winners had combined their designs with creative, fun and practical elements to stand out from others. And the organiser of the contest, Nestlé Manufacturing (Malaysia), was impressed.

The participants attended a prize-giving ceremony at Nestlé’s factory in Chembong, Negeri Sembilan. They also toured the factory, where they were briefed on key operational aspects such as quality control, safety and marketing.

Creative minds from Limkokwing

“We see a new batch of creative minds from Limkokwing every year,” notes the company’s packaging technology manager, Mr Lim Seng Huat. “The students are always a source of new ideas.”

Nestlé, the world’s biggest food conglomerate, signed an agreement with Limkokwing two years ago to collaborate in research and development for packaging innovation.

Fifteen product design students participated in the contest. “The winning entries are not only creative and refreshing but also functional and cost-effective in production,” says Mr Lim.

“Limkokwing’s unique industry-within-university practice allows students to work closely with industry,” points out the president of the university college, Tan Sri Dato’ Lim Kok Wing. “It grooms the right workforce with creative thinking and helps to create content for industry.”

Well, you do find many bright sparks on Limkokwing campus.