{"stable_id":"e25eb1b9d100c26c","slug":"dhl-stretch-trailer-unloading","company":"DHL Supply Chain","workflow_name":"Boston Dynamics Stretch robotic case unloading","function_code":"logistics","pattern_codes":["exception_based_operations"],"changed_assumption":"That people must spend entire shifts lifting loose-loaded cases from hot or cold trailers.","evidence_strength":"reported","publication_tier":"showcase","freshness":"current","reviewed_at":"2026-08-23","updated_at":"2026-08-22","source_quality_summary":"2 primary; publication outcomes are reported.","caveat_summary":"Operator-reported maximum, not an average; product mix affects speed and employee-satisfaction improvement was not quantified.","freshness_caveat":null,"workflow_summary":{"before":[{"actor":"Warehouse associate","action":"Enter the trailer, identify each case, lift it, and place it onto a conveyor.","actor_type":"control"},{"actor":"Warehouse team","action":"Clear fallen or irregular cases and sustain throughput across the shift.","actor_type":"human"}],"hinge":"That people must spend entire shifts lifting loose-loaded cases from hot or cold trailers.","after":[{"actor":"Stretch robot","action":"Uses perception and a robotic arm to identify, grasp, and place cases from the trailer onto a conveyor.","actor_type":"ai"},{"actor":"Warehouse associate","action":"Supervises the cell, clears exceptions, and works in downstream or higher-value tasks.","actor_type":"system"}],"decision_mode":"shared","decision_marker":"AI handles the default; humans own exceptions"},"before":[{"order":1,"actor":"Warehouse associate","action":"Enter the trailer, identify each case, lift it, and place it onto a conveyor.","handoff_to":"Inbound sort","control":"Manual pace and safe-lifting practice"},{"order":2,"actor":"Warehouse team","action":"Clear fallen or irregular cases and sustain throughput across the shift.","handoff_to":"Downstream handling","control":"Human coordination"}],"after":[{"order":1,"actor":"Stretch robot","action":"Uses perception and a robotic arm to identify, grasp, and place cases from the trailer onto a conveyor.","handoff_to":"Inbound sort","control":"Robotic operating envelope"},{"order":2,"actor":"Warehouse associate","action":"Supervises the cell, clears exceptions, and works in downstream or higher-value tasks.","handoff_to":"Downstream handling","control":"Human safety and exception authority"}],"decision_rights":"The robot selects routine grasp and placement actions; people control cell safety and exception recovery.","exception_path":"Humans handle fallen boxes, unsupported products, jams, and cases outside the robot's grasp envelope.","removed_work":["Most repetitive case lifting inside covered trailers","A portion of exposure to hot and cold trailer interiors"],"outcomes":[{"metric":"Case unloading rate","baseline":"Manual unloading rate in tested environments","result":"Up to 700 cases per hour; DHL states tested robot speeds exceeded the manual approach","period":"Commercial deployments through 2025-05-13","scale":"DHL deployments in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe","attribution_caveat":"Operator-reported maximum, not an average; product mix affects speed and employee-satisfaction improvement was not quantified.","evidence_label":"reported"}],"executive_lesson":"The case is strongest as an ergonomic workflow redesign; throughput is a maximum, and the undisclosed exception rate determines labor economics.","anti_pattern":"Using the 700-case maximum as an average or ignoring exception labor.","questions_for_leaders":["What is sustained throughput by product mix?","How often does a person enter the cell?"],"collections":["embodied-work"],"bundle_version":"1.0.0","bundle_fingerprint":"sha256:c23c6cc2b88153d008ea8fda928f632ce0011fc2d4c5036672a16e5d895bab93","canonical_url":"https://brianletort.ai/transformations/dhl-stretch-trailer-unloading"}