INESC TEC’s new project develops intelligent logistics systems

INESC TEC’s new project develops intelligent logistics systems

Tec-FEL - Logistics 4.0: Technologies for flexible and eco-efficient logistics is the name of the new project led by INESC TEC.

20th December 2018

Tec-FEL - Logistics 4.0: Technologies for flexible and eco-efficient logistics is the name of the new project led by INESC TEC through the work developed in collaboration with the Centre for Enterprise Systems Engineering (CESE).

The goal is to develop intelligent logistics systems that aim at improving the sustainability of supply chains in the circular economy, in which the movement of raw materials, products, waste for recycling and productive resources are essential for the globalisation and consequent competitiveness of the Portuguese industry.

This project intends to investigate advanced and intelligent optimisation methods for the flexible planning of the transport at lower costs, the models of which include uncertainty and dynamic adaptation to “just-in-time” information. This challenge has several applications, such as emergency services, delivery services, among others that constantly deal with issues of uncertainty in routing.

Tec-FEL is divided in four lines of action. The first line of action consists of standardising the research in terms of categorisation, application and variables, systematising the existing approaches for a eco-efficient planning. The second one focuses on studying ways to incorporate the uncertainty in the problem, namely through a priori optimisation techniques. The third one intends to develop efficient solution techniques in order to effectively solve the problem for future incorporation in decision support tools and for the integration with sensors and other Industry 4.0 technologies. The last one intends to apply the proposed models and methods in order to validate the benefits in an online shopping retailer in Portugal.

This project is funded by the ERDF – European Regional Development Fund through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation - COMPETE 2020 Programme and by National Funds through the Portuguese funding agency, FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia within project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031908. Tec-FEL will be conducted in partnership with the University of Campines in Brazil. The research activities will run until June of 2021. The team is composed of Alexandra Marques from CESE, and Pedro Amorim, Eduardo Cúrcio and Maria João Santos from the Centre for Industrial Engineering and Management (CEGI).

 

The researchers mentioned in this news piece are associated with INESC TEC and UP-FEUP.