Fully automated warehouse management system for Iperceramica

Polytec, in collaboration with Polytec Intralogistics, has designed and installed a fully automated warehouse management system for Iperceramica, with the goal of increasing operational efficiency and improving worker safety.
At the entrance of the automated warehouse, operators deposit full pallets containing ceramic bundles. From there, 3 robotic cells, guided by 3D cameras and an artificial intelligence system based on deep learning, identify and manipulate bundles of any shape and place them onto special trays. These trays are handled by 23 Voyager 200 AGVs, each with a capacity of 2,000 kg, and temporarily stored in a ground area organized to host up to 1470 trays. They are then transported to a dedicated robotic cell for customer pallet creation. At this stage, advanced software determines the optimal arrangement of the bundles, ensuring structural stability, safe transportation, and material protection.
The system has been further enhanced with advanced depalletizing and repalletizing features, now able to handle not only ceramic bundles but also “wood-effect” formats and bags of glue or grout. This allows the management of a wide variety of references and the configuration of customized pallets based on the specific needs of the end customer.
The entire process is coordinated by a WMS (Warehouse Management System), which manages the AGV missions and oversees all logistics operations within the warehouse.
The system is designed to operate up to 24 hours a day, depending on needs, with minimal human supervision, delivering a significant boost in efficiency and safety while greatly reducing manual material handling. Finally, thanks to the integration of a digital twin of the plant, operators can remotely monitor the status of each tray and the availability of bundles, ensuring complete and real-time control over the entire system.