WOF – Warehouse of the Future

Developed in consortium by several entities, such as RARI - Construções Metálicas, Engenharia, Projetos e Soluções Industriais, S.A., 4iTech Lusitânia S.A., as well as, among others, the University of Porto, the University of Coimbra and NOS Comunicações, this project aims to strengthen research, technological development and innovation in the supply chain.

Warehouse of the future intends to establish a new paradigm of the Warehouse of the Future, based on the sensing of people, equipment and inventories, as well as the automation and real-time management of stabilisation processes, picking and movement of materials/components.

The project encompasses the research and development of 3 distinct solutions, namely:

  • New wireless seamless pick-to-light system, with high autonomy, flexibility and sensory capacity, inducing a fully traceable picking process, in line with the paradigms of Industry 4.0 and production based on high levels of flexibility;
  • New robotic solutions for automatic picking, including the automatic handling and movement of parts and kits, through the fusion of artificial vision and collaborative robotics techniques with 5G-ready communication technology;
  • Systems for monitoring and optimising the stabilisation of materials and their automatic handling, integrating the research of an accelerating process for the stabilisation of green materials and the development of an advanced sensing component for the accurate monitoring of the material stabilisation state, as well as an integrated solution for the automatic handling of considerable cargo.

Co-funded by COMPETE 2020 under the Co-promoted Projects: Suppliers Club Initiative - PSA, the Warehouse of the future project involved an eligible investment of around EUR 2 M, corresponding to a incentive of approximately EUR 1M.