The Murcian company Wepall has created a pioneering robotic palletizing software that allows anyone to program and use robots in industrial environments without the need to be a computer expert or have any prior knowledge. It is one of the twelve startups selected from more than 1,000 candidates to enter the Growth phase of Lanzadera, Juan Roig’s accelerator, which aims to help companies with a consolidated business plan to grow.
For years, palletizing jobs have been performed by manual labor of operators in workdays with repetitive movements in which heavy objects are lifted and large products are stacked and unstacked on and off pallets. This activity can cause injuries such as sprains, strains, falls, tears and other problems. “One way to protect employees from risk is to not expose them to danger,” explains Wepall CEO Gregorio Navarro. And one of the advantages of this startup is that it reduces occupational risks, since the software expands the possibilities of using all types of robots.
“Robotics is a technology that is being implemented worldwide, but it has a handicap, which is the programming itself,” says the entrepreneur, who has more than 20 years of experience in the sector. As he explains, robotic programming is “very complex”, since each brand of robot has “its own language, unique and different from all the others”, a fact that makes it very difficult for any operator to use. “At Wepall we have developed a technology that makes it possible to unify all the programming in a single language and, based on this technology, build applications that can program a robot without having any programming knowledge,” explains Navarro.
This technological solution facilitates, simplifies and speeds up “enormously” the installation and configuration of robotic systems, reduces assembly time and also reduces dependence on external programmers. “That which we have developed for palletizing, because we are experts in palletizing, an expert in welding or painting can build an equivalent, to manufacture a car or anyone who has a know-how can now do it with a robot without any knowledge of robotic programming,” notes the CEO. The company currently operates from its facilities in Spain and Hong Kong (HKSTP).
