Students from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) have achieved remarkable success at the International Industrial Spectrum 2025 White Paper Competition. The UGM FiNiX Team, consisting of Devita Ananda Pohan (Accounting 2023), Viola Kretapradana, and Hanna Aria Widiatma (Industrial Engineering 2023), won first place and received the Best Team Presentation award.
The Industrial Spectrum 2025 White Paper Competition was organized by the Industrial Engineering Student Association of UGM. The competition attracted 66 teams from various universities across Indonesia and was held at the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering (FT UGM), on Sunday (Sep. 14).
Devita Ananda Pohan explained that the competition consisted of several selection stages. In the preliminary round, each team was required to submit an abstract of their paper, followed by the semifinal round, where participants submitted the full paper.
The final round challenged participants to solve a case study within a limited time and present their findings before the judges.
“In this competition, participants presented their best ideas in a scientific paper under the theme Green Mining Downstream. Our team submitted a paper titled NiLestari: Building a Circular Economy in Indonesia’s Nickel Industry Through Tech-Integrated Waste Management,” said Pohan at UGM Campus on Thursday (Oct. 16).
She shared that participating in this competition provided her and the team with valuable experience and learning opportunities, as they were required to explore a topic unfamiliar to them.
In the preliminary stage, the FiNiX Team was tasked with addressing waste management issues in Indonesia’s nickel mining industry, with a focus on the eastern regions, including Sulawesi and Papua.
The team proposed a circular economy model, emphasizing the use of nickel reserves to support the electric vehicle (EV) battery industry, given Indonesia’s position as the world’s largest nickel supplier, contributing over 50 percent in 2023.
“In the final stage, the committee presented a new case study on designing a circular economy model for EV batteries in Indonesia. Fortunately, our preliminary research aligned closely with this final challenge,” she explained.
“The topic was very relevant to our research proposal, which focused on developing a circular economy model for EV batteries in Indonesia. We didn’t just propose a model and supply chain framework, but also provided policy recommendations to ensure sustainable EV battery management.”
Although proud of the achievement, Pohan admitted that the competition was challenging since it was their first time participating in a white paper contest. Additionally, the topic was relatively unfamiliar to her as an accounting student.
“This challenge motivated me to learn new things and gain deeper insights into the green mining transition and EV supply chain in Indonesia. I’m truly grateful for this achievement. Through this competition, I learned how to work dynamically in a competitive setting with new people and gained a wealth of new knowledge,” she concluded.
Reporter: FEB UGM/Kurnia Ekaptiningrum
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya