People arrived early; some with notebooks, others with questions, several just observing. The room gradually filled with noise, as if tuning in to what was to come. This was no ordinary conference – it was a meeting with what is slowly changing the way we produce, transport and think about industry. Made up of sensors and decisions, algorithms and forklifts, but also of people, hesitations and collaborations that we’re still understanding.
The PRODUTECH R3 SUMMIT and the Open Day of iiLab (INESC TEC’s Industry and Innovation Laboratory) took place this way; not as solemn moments, but as productive disruptions of our routine. Two days to observe, listen, ask questions, experiment. And INESC TEC was at the core – with teams, Centres, and partners – showing a clear willingness to cross boundaries between sectors, languages, and ways of being in industry.
The PRODUTECH R3 Mobilising Agenda
PRR PRODUTECH R3 is one of the largest smart reindustrialisation initiatives currently underway in Portugal. Structured as a Mobilising Agenda supported by the Recovery and Resilience Plan, it brings together more than 100 entities and covers the entire manufacturing industry value chain. It focuses on the digital, green and resilient transformation of industry, with an emphasis on advanced technologies, operational sustainability and the improvement of national knowledge.
The PRODUTECH R3 SUMMIT
The morning of July 2 began with a clear ambition: to reflect on the role of industry in a country and continent undergoing transformation, with Institutional representatives, policymakers, companies and R&D centres. All of them to present, but also to listen and to understand where we are now – and what remains to be done.
Among the opening speeches, a consensus emerged: European reindustrialisation requires more than just willpower – it requires policies, coordination and long-term vision. Maurizio Gattiglio, chairman of the MANUFUTURE platform, did not hide his concern when talking about Europe’s strategic vulnerabilities, the growing distance from other regions like the U.S.A. and China, and the need for a clear industrial response based on added value, innovation and autonomy.
Ulrich Adam, from Orgalim, introduced a regulation-related challenge. It is not always easy to innovate in complex and slow environments. But that is where one perceives who really wants to lead this transformation. Miguel Almeida Henriques, from PRODUTECH, recalled that production technologies – often invisible – are essential to sustain competitiveness and prepare the country for new value chains.
Throughout the morning, the atmosphere was one of focus and pragmatism. There was talk of investment, industrial policy, but also of trust – between sectors, between companies and institutions. It was clear that the challenges are great, but that there is a solid foundation of competence and commitment in the ecosystem represented in the room.
INESC TEC’s role covers different domains, contributing to many of the Products, Processes and Services (PPS) developed within the scope of the Agenda. Through multidisciplinary teams – in areas ranging from Business Systems Engineering, Industrial Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Industrial Engineering and Management, Telecommunications and Multimedia to Artificial Intelligence and Decision Support – INESC TEC co-leads several technological areas: from collaborative robotics to industrial 5G, including simulation, computer vision, AI and data integration. It is also responsible for the structuring and operational management of work packages (WP) 3 “Smart Factories” and WP9 “Smart Intralogistics” – the latter considered the cross-cutting pillar for intralogistics, involving integration and technological demonstration of the Agenda – and for hosting various demonstration and technical coordination events, e.g., the Open Day at iiLab.
More than just a partner, INESC TEC plays the role of integrator between knowledge generation, technological validation and industrial applicability in this agenda – always in coordination with demonstrator companies, technology suppliers and management and innovation consultants.
The round table: where strategy met the factory floor
Closing the first day, the round table dedicated to smart intralogistics served as a necessary counterpoint. After the big ideas and macro visions, the focus turned inward – to the concrete and operational aspects, what is already being done with the current means and the reality that imposes itself.
With contributions from The Navigator Company, SONAE MC, Kaizen Institute and INESC TEC, the debate revealed an industrial landscape that is far from homogeneous, but which shares similar concerns: how to reorganise internal logistics based on data, how to fully benefit from robotics and simulation, how to transform without hindering.
The experiences shared did not overlap – they complemented each other. SONAE MC spoke about the application of digital twins in logistics centres. Navigator brought the vision of those who operate on a heavy industrial scale but want to become more flexible. Kaizen Institute pointed out that it is not enough to change systems, it is necessary to change routines, people and metrics. And INESC TEC was there as a listener and translator, positioning requirements and capabilities, creating space for integration to happen.
The panel did not seek consensus; it sought points of contact. This was perhaps the most revealing moment of the Summit: when transformation ceases to be a narrative and becomes shared practice, with room for doubt, error and continued progress.
Technology in motion: iiLab Open Day as a meeting and demonstration space
During certain days, technology ceases to be a concept and becomes a meeting space. On July 3, INESC TEC and NOS promoted the iiLab Open Day, an initiative designed to showcase and experience what happens when applied research meets real industrial operating conditions.
During an open afternoon, visitors roamed around Building A of the INESC TEC headquarters, in a format that favoured freedom of exploration, active demonstrations and direct contact between technical teams, decision-makers and potential partners. This was not an event with speeches – it was an event with movement (literally and symbolically).
At the heart of the initiative was iiLab – INESC TEC’s Industry and Innovation Laboratory. Designed as a modular environment for demonstration and technological validation, iiLab has established itself as a space connecting research and industry. Over the last two years, researchers have carried out tests and trials on logistics systems based on mobile robotics, computer vision algorithms, digital twins and integration with industrial 5G. iiLab also acted as a facilitator of the partnership with NOS, to materialise a 5G communications infrastructure dedicated to industry vertical, enabling testing and prototyping under realistic conditions.
During the Open Day, these capabilities acquired a concrete expression; visitors were able to observe solutions like autonomous forklifts with remote control systems and intelligent navigation logic, AMRs operating with dynamic task coordination, pallet detection and location algorithms, real-time data visualisation interfaces, and logistics decision-support systems in simulated and physical environments. Every corner of the warehouse was occupied by a working demonstration, mediated by researchers, engineers, students, and technicians who explained both what was happening and what still needs to be resolved.
NOS’ presence was visible not only in the 5G infrastructure – which supported all communications between devices and local servers – but also in sharing a vision of what it means to build an industrial ecosystem prepared for advanced connectivity. It was a moment of convergence between telecommunications, software, automation, cyber-physical systems and the realities of the factory floor.
More than just presenting technologies, Open Day presented relationships: between institutions, teams and systems. In a world where everything tends towards integration, iiLab positions itself as a must-visit place for anyone who wants to transform industry through knowledge. With Open Day, this ability became clear to those who visited – and remained open to anyone who wants to join.
Epilogue
The success of initiatives such as PRODUTECH R3 SUMMIT and iiLab’s Open Day is no accident. They are the result of collective, enduring and technically demanding work that takes place every day, far from the spotlight. Behind every demonstrator, every well-moderated panel, and every integrated technology, there are people: researchers, students, technical staff, engineers, and coordinators who – representing several teams at INESC TEC – make possible what people only get to know at the final moment.
This text would not be complete without a “thank you” to all those who participate, directly or indirectly, in the developments of PRR PRODUTECH R3. Their thoroughness, availability, initiative and persistence make projects translate into results, and results into real impact. To all of them, we express our truest gratitude.
By Pedro Senna, researcher and project manager
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