Implementing a WMS in a lab-scale warehouse: the case of LOG.lab

June 16, 2026

While Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) are recognized as important tools for coordinating warehousing operations, an analysis of the literature and industry practice reveals significant perceived complexity, along with a lack of detailed documentation of their concrete technical configuration and hands-on implementation procedures. This work addresses the gap between the installed software capacity and the operational maturity of the WMS at the LOG.lab, a lab-scale warehouse established in partnership with Worten at Instituto Superior Técnico, transitioning it from an underutilized setup into a functional tool. Adopting the Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM), the method incorporated co-creation sessions with Worten specialists to define requirements and map processes. The main goal was to define the technical procedures and logic required to parameterize the system, replicating real-world warehouse flows at laboratory scale and within the respective constraints. The configured environment was validated through practical testing sessions with university students. Beyond establishing a functional pedagogical environment, this work synthesizes a roadmap for a sequential configuration that serves as a replicable framework for WMS related digital transitions. By documenting every technical stage, the process creates a repository of organizational knowledge management capability to preserve institutional expertise against student and researcher turnover. Ultimately, this work provides transferable configuration guidelines and insights for managing the logistics laboratory environment and supporting broader industrial equivalent WMS applications, establishing a baseline for an incremental, step-by-step technical mapping of unexplored parameters to build a reproducible testing environment.

Authors in the community:

• 

  J

  João Feliciano Sousa Pestana

  ist196802

Supervisors of this institution:

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  S

  Susana Isabel Carvalho Relvas

  ist46455

other-engineering-and-technologies - Other engineering and technologies

eng - English

Instituto Superior Técnico