A year-long industry-academe research collaboration between Cebu Technological University (CTU) and Knowles Electronics Philippines (KEP) has produced an Artificial Intelligence (AI) model designed to automate grain-size measurement in annealed Mu-metal alloys, potentially improving the efficiency of a key quality-control process in manufacturing.
Project CORDOVA formally culminated on June 23, 2026, with the handover of the completed research output to KEP.
The project grew from an observation made by CTU Electronics Engineering student Trevor Omamalin during his internship at the company’s Research and Development (R&D) department in 2025.
Omamalin was assigned to address a bottleneck in the measurement of grain size, a process that had traditionally depended on manual inspection by trained personnel. Working with fellow researcher Emmanuel Pilapil, CTU advisers, and KEP engineers, he spent the succeeding year developing and testing an AI-based solution for the task.
The resulting model outperformed the other architectures benchmarked in the study, including larger reference models, while requiring significantly less computational overhead. The results demonstrate the potential of a more efficient, automated approach to a quality-control process used in KEP’s manufacturing operations.
Omamalin and Pilapil conducted the research under the supervision of Dr. Maria Gemel B. Palconit and Engr. Jayson C. Jueco of CTU.
The research was carried out under CTU’s Sustainable Center for Engineering and Next Generation Technology (SCENT), College of Engineering Research and Development, and Department of Electronics Engineering, in direct partnership with KEP’s R&D and manufacturing operations.
On KEP’s side, R&D Electro-Acoustic engineers Carl Kevin Mirhan and Engr. Jeilo Billeta co‑supervised the students throughout the development, ensuring the model aligned with the company’s actual production constraints.
The culminating event was attended by KEP Vice President and Managing Director Joseph Emmanuel Liwag, Engineering Director Brian Ocañada, and members of KEP’s engineering and human resources staff. Representing CTU were Dr. Palconit, Engr. Jueco, and Dr. Ronald Galindo.
Project CORDOVA stands as a tangible example of how industry-academe R&D collaboration, when embedded directly within industry, can solve real-world manufacturing challenges while advancing sustainable, resource-efficient engineering practice.
It also builds on the broader institutional partnership between CTU and KEP. Earlier this year, the university and the company formalized their collaboration through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) spearheaded by Dr. Palconit.
A new cohort of CTU R&D interns has since begun placements in KEP’s R&D department, extending the industry-based research pipeline established through the project.
Project CORDOVA strengthens CTU’s commitment to applied research by connecting its students and faculty with industry needs, advancing technology development, and providing hands-on experience in solving real-world engineering challenges toward its goal of becoming a premier science and technology university.
Via Engr. Jayson Jueco, RD Chair of College of Engineering – CTU Main Campus
