Implementation of RFID technology at PORCELANOSA for the automation of logistics control

What was the challenge of the project?

PORCELANOSA, a leading Spanish company in the design, manufacturing and commercialization of materials for architecture, construction and interior design, needed to transform its logistics operating model to eliminate the bottlenecks caused by manual package verification.

The traditional process required operators to manually scan nearly 200 labels per batch, taking up to 1 hour 30 minutes to review 20 carts, and over 2 hours in the case of sample labels and small components. When a package was missing, the operator had to stop the process and manually consult the system, causing delays, the risk of incomplete shipments and low logistics asset turnover.

The challenge was clear: transform a reactive, slow and error-prone process into an automated, reliable environment with full real-time traceability.

We designed and deployed an RFID-based solution integrated at the critical points of PORCELANOSA’s logistics flow, structured in four phases:

First, we configured RFID totems in the warehouse and receiving area for position validation and initial order reading.
We then implemented the automatic association of orders to carts and pallets during the picking and preparation phase.
In the consolidation tunnel, we installed RFID antennas with a traffic light-style visual alert system: green when the trolley or pallet is complete, and red with automatic identification of the missing package.
Finally, at the outbound docks, the system automatically confirms the final load onto the truck before shipment.

The solution enables simultaneous mass reading of all labels in under one second, completely eliminating the need for individual scanning and ensuring exact traceability of every package, cart and logistics position throughout the entire chain.

What solutions did we implement?

What results and achievements did we achieve?

66% reduction in pallet review time: the process went from 1 hour 30 minutes down to just 30 minutes per batch.
33% reduction in cart verification time: reading 20 carts in the consolidation area was cut from 1 hour 30 minutes to under 1 hour.
Elimination of human error: automated verification guarantees correct, complete shipments every time.
Higher asset turnover: carts are no longer held up in manual validation processes, increasing overall operational capacity.
Fewer incidents: reduced claims, returns and corrective shipments thanks to automatic validation at outbound docks.
Full process traceability: real-time visibility of every package, cart and logistics position across all phases of the operation.