DHL Supply Chain, a global contract logistics provider and part of Deutsche Post DHL Group, recently announced it has become the first company to achieve commercial application of Boston Dynamics’ Stretch robot developed for carton unloading of trucks. The successful deployment of the robot at a DHL Supply Chain site comes just one year after DHL Supply Chain announced its $15 million investment in robotics solutions from Boston Dynamics.
In the application, Stretch robots take packages from the back of trailers and place them on a flexible conveyor. Unloading boxes is a strenuous, physically demanding work process which can impact an associate’s ability to work efficiently. By automating this process, the operation not only addresses safety concerns but also the ongoing labor supply challenge by redirecting skilled labor to focus on value-add, strategic tasks in other areas of the warehouse.
“Through our accelerated digitization strategy, we continue to innovate and find creative solutions for today’s supply chain challenges. As experts in logistics and supply chain, we offer our technology partners, such as Boston Dynamics, invaluable knowledge of our processes that is key to developing robots that can efficiently work in warehouse environments. The successful deployment of Stretch is not just a win for DHL but is also marked progress for the wider industry who will no doubt benefit from this technology as well. We are also excited to be able to offer yet another solution to our customers that allows for flexibility in scaling up or down as operational needs change.”
Sally Miller, CIO, DHL Supply Chain North America
