Partner Success Story | Boston Dynamics
Taking the next step in our automation strategy with Stretch
We implemented Boston Dynamics’ robot Stretch into our inbound operations to enhance speed and safety of freight unloading.
Robotic truck unloading as a further building block in our warehouse automation strategy
As one of the world's largest third-party logistics (3PL) providers, we integrate engineering and automation into our core operations. Our expansive facility in Louisville, USA, spanning approximately 280,000 sqm, is dedicated to delivering top-tier supply chain management, warehousing, and fulfillment services for both B2B and B2C clients. This involves moving massive volumes of inventory through the facility efficiently and effectively.
Being able to automate every step of the inbound process is a crucial part of our automation strategy. In order to enhance the speed and safety of freight unloading, Boston Dynamics' Stretch robot emerged as the ideal choice. The mobile robot is specifically designed to unload boxes from trailers and shipping containers, takes over physically demanding tasks and allows our employees to focus on higher-value tasks in the warehouse.
"Overall, the perception of Stretch has been very positive," shares Rachael Miller, Senior Director of Operations at the Louisville site. "The workers really love having Stretch as a colleague” says Miller.
"It volunteers to unload the container every day. It has also helped with planning unload times for our trucks. We're starting to use the data to understand where we need to improve."
We know that Stretch won't replace our workforce but allows us to upskill our workers to perform more meaningful warehouse tasks.
Rachael Miller Senior Director Operations at Arvato
Such tasks include conducting more cycle counts in our warehouse, helping to reconcile those counts, working in our forward logistics, fulfillment activities, and performing quality checks for outbound orders.
The Main Challenge
Unlike palletized loads that can be moved by forklift, roughly 80 percent of the shipments arriving at our Louisville facility are loose-loaded, meaning colleagues had to manually unload them box by box.
Finding an automation solution that can handle a wide variety of box sizes was a real challenge. In our case, Stretch can unload everything that we bring in a loose-loaded form.
Supplementing the existing manual unloading process with automation gives a higher rate of consistency and helps to meet the service level agreements we promise - independently from external influences that might occur.
Improving safety and employee health
Stretch’s design also prioritizes employee safety, which is an important point for us. It uses lidar technology to create a virtual safety zone, automatically shutting down if anyone approaches too closely.
Being fully mobile, the robot significantly reduces infrastructure costs and simplifies training for our employees. The single robotic arm, which is equipped with a vacuum gripper of suction cups that can be individually actuated for optimal suction on each box, paired with the advanced vision system that allows it to analyze boxes in real time, the robot can unload and place boxes safely on a conveyor for further processing. It can even pick and place a multiple number of smaller boxes, which significantly reduces unloading times.
"Stretch can work with anything that's a box," said Spenser Brouwer, Director of Customer Solutions and Integration at Boston Dynamics. "As long as it's shaped like a cardboard box, Stretch can handle it. Even damaged boxes or boxes that are deformed."
Flexible at peak times
Stretch also provides real-time metrics on the number of cases unloaded and at what pace, giving us valuable insights for operational planning, especially during peak seasons. "Seasonal planning is very important to our operations," says Philipp Rücker, Vice President Logistics Engineering at Arvato. "There are often unknowns in the supply chain. With Stretch being very consistent on its unload rate, we can plan additional capacities where we need them. We can also plan for off hours where we may not have a scheduled shift in place, with just one operator putting the robot into a truck."
Constantly improving
"Arvato is the most technology driven 3PL provider, it’s part of our company’s DNA" Rücker explains. “We are investing heavily in emerging technologies like goods-to-person-systems, vision systems, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). Robotics is an important piece of this puzzle, enabling us to deliver fully automated processes from end to end.”
The implementation of Stretch at our site in Louisville is just the first step of an international roll out. Further implementations in the US and Europe are already planned in order to reduce unloading times and improving the daily work of our employees significantly.
