Three students from the Department of Industrial Engineering (DTI), Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia (FTUI) created Lenka, an ergonomic Pempek printer. Tri Inayah Bagus Setyawati (2021), Hasna Hamida Nurkamila (2021), and Muhammad Azzamulhaq (2021) designed Lenka to help increase productivity, provide profits, and improve the competitiveness of pempek MSMEs in Indonesia.
Amid the growth of MSMEs that increasingly encourage labour productivity, ergonomic and efficient working conditions are very important. In Indonesia, pempek MSMEs still face challenges in terms of production effectiveness. MSMEs in this sector still rely on manual methods that result in worker fatigue and an unergonomic working environment. As a response, Azzam and his team from Team Impulse designed Lenka as a working tool for Pempek MSMEs.
Lenka is designed to be easy to use with no special skills required and takes into account ergonomic factors for production efficiency. It can be used to mould three types of pempek: lenjer, curly and adaan. It is equipped with different mould tips that can be adjusted as needed. The mould for lenjer pempek is a circle with a diameter of 3 cm, for adaan pempek it is a circle with a diameter of 2.3 cm with a funnel, and for curly pempek it is a small circle with a diameter of 5 mm.
“The way this tool works is very easy, users can use Lenka by inserting pempek dough that is ready to print through the hopper, and then the dough will enter the cutting tube vertically. The pempek moulding process is done by turning the lever to push the dough out through the pempek mould according to the desired type. The dough will come out of the mould by moving the lever of the cutter blade, lenjer and curly pempek can be cut with the cutter according to the desired size or can be scooped through the funnel above to form pempek adaan,” Azzam explained how Lenka works.
Lenka’s top features include an extender feature that can be adjusted to the user’s height, an ergonomic handle feature that uses rubber material to reduce the effort required by the user, as well as three types of moulds that can be customised to suit pempek needs.
“In addition to functional aspects, we also consider health, safety and environmental aspects in designing Lenka. The team uses food-grade stainless steel that is safe, anti-corrosion and resistant to heat, as well as rubber material that is safe for users. The design of this tool is also adjusted to the body size of Indonesian people to ensure user safety and comfort. The basic materials and other materials for making this tool are also adjusted to the ergonomic aspects of the environment,” said Tri Inayah.
Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU said, “Lenka’s innovation is not just a pempek printer, but also a smart solution that will have a significant impact on pempek MSMEs in Indonesia. With its ergonomic advantages, Lenka will improve pempek production efficiency, reduce worker fatigue, and create a safer and more comfortable working environment.
Thanks to Lenka’s design, the Impulse Team won 1st place in the Industrial Design and Seminar Competition (INDISCO) 2023 organised by the Industrial Engineering Student Association of Diponegoro University. In the competition, which was announced on Monday (30/10), the Impulse team defeated 21 student teams from various universities in Indonesia.
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Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia