The “Lusitano” project – Mobilising Agenda for Business Innovation in the Textile and Clothing Industry (TCI) in Portugal, started in early 2023. This is one of the several initiatives in which Técnico participates, under the RRP, with an investment of 111.5 million euros.
In this project, which aims to accelerate the structural transformation of the TCI, Técnico is represented by the Industrial Management group of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the affiliated research centre Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores – Microssistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC MN).
The “Lusitano” project provides for research and development of new solutions, finding sustainable textile solutions, including yarns and fabrics, based on natural fibres and recycled fibres, as well as energy and resource management solutions for the TCI.
Técnico’s participation will involve collaboration in the development of a product for Agile and Sustainable Continuous Improvement – PDCA 4.0. This tool will allow the automatic identification of deviations from performance indicators, support root cause analysis and also predict the impact of the resulting trade-offs.
According to professor Paulo Peças, coordinator of the team, “the provision of a visual and intuitive environment will allow continuous improvement teams easier access to data analysis techniques”. The companies will also optimise their operation, use of energy and consumable materials. This will ensure the involvement of human experts and their perceptions and intuitions. The demonstration of this product to different players in the textile sector will allow validating its industrial utility”, he adds.
INESC MN will be responsible for the design of smart labels that will allow the identification of products, data transmission and analysis in the production process. It will also be possible to track them online and in real time. For that, online monitoring systems will be installed to control textile production and smart labels response. This work will be led by professor Helena Alves.
The project is led by Nau Verde and involves the participation of the following entities: Twintex – Indústria de Confeções, S.A., Paulo de Oliveira, S.A., RIOPELE – Têxteis, S.A., Calvelex – Indústria De Confeções, S.A., Polopique – Comércio e Indústria de Confeções, S.A., Polopique – Acabamentos Têxteis, S.A., Polopique II – TECIDOS, S.A., Vanguarda – Soluções de Gestão e Organização Empresarial, LDA, Polywasser Technologies, LDA., University of Beira Interior, University of Minho, Instituto Superior Técnico, Fibrenamics Association – Institute for Innovation in Fiber and Composites Materials, INESC Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias, CENIT – Centro Associativo de Inteligência Têxtil, FF – Associação Fábrica do Futuro da Moda e do Design, and Ventiláqua, S.A.
