Bordata wins the first edition of Challenges You with OPTILINE
Posted on June 2, 2026 (Last modified on September 23, 2026 )
3 minutes • 553 words
Table of contents
Less paper, fewer errors, more control.
We’re proud to share that Bordata has won the first edition of Challenges You, an open innovation programme run by the Municipality of Esposende through START Esposende, in partnership with HYLINE. Our winning solution, OPTILINE, is a production automation and monitoring platform designed around a real operational challenge on HYLINE’s factory floor.
The challenge
Challenges You brings local companies together with multidisciplinary teams to solve real business problems using digital technology. For this first edition, HYLINE asked participating teams to find ways to optimise its industrial processes.
The core issue was a familiar one for many manufacturers. Production data was recorded by hand at the workstations and then transcribed every day into Excel spreadsheets. That process costs time, introduces errors, and means management always sees production status with a delay.
Our solution: OPTILINE
OPTILINE replaces manual logging with a digital system that sits directly at the manufacturing stations. Data is captured and processed in real time, and it flows automatically into Power BI management reports. There is no daily transcription and no spreadsheet reconciliation.
We made one design decision early on: OPTILINE had to fit the way HYLINE already works. It integrates with existing processes and requires no changes to other departments or systems. In a working factory, a solution that disrupts operations won’t be adopted, however good it looks on paper.
The result is a permanent, up-to-date view of the status of every production order. Monitoring improves, operational errors fall, and teams spend their time on the work itself rather than on recording it.
Why it stood out
The jury highlighted four qualities in OPTILINE:
- Fit to the challenge: it was built around HYLINE’s specific needs, not adapted from a generic template.
- Practical applicability: it was designed for a real industrial setting.
- Technology integration: it connects to existing processes and Power BI reporting.
- Scalability: it can grow with the business.
“Every manufacturer we speak to has the same problem: the data exists, but it arrives late and has to be rebuilt by hand. OPTILINE captures it where the work happens, so the people making decisions see what is true now, not what was true yesterday.” — Jose Almeida, Founder & Director, Bordata
About the programme
Challenges You is part of the START Esposende Digital Way project, funded by Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). Its aim is to strengthen links between local businesses, technology talent, and the regional innovation ecosystem. Over several weeks, the participating teams took part in technical site visits and specialist mentoring, and worked closely with both the organisers and HYLINE.
What this means for us
OPTILINE reflects how we approach every project. We start with the decision someone needs to make, then build the data flow that supports it, and only then design the report. Manufacturing is one of our key sectors, and this project shows what’s possible when operational data is captured at the source rather than rebuilt after the fact.
Our thanks go to the Municipality of Esposende, START Esposende, and the HYLINE team for the challenge, the access, and the collaboration. We also congratulate every team that took part.
If your production data still lives on paper or in daily spreadsheets, we’d welcome a conversation: [email protected]
Source: Município de Esposende e HYLINE premeiam a solução OPTILINE — START Esposende