Bauhaus’s logistics operations have entered a new phase of automation as robots take over goods receipt at the company’s central warehouse in Krefeld. The German DIY retailer’s facility, which supplies stores across Europe, processes thousands of deliveries daily involving more than 10,000 individual items. The new system involves XYZ Robotics’ Rocky robots handling the unloading of shipping containers, sorting, and palletising in a fully automated workflow.
The Rocky One robot autonomously drives into shipping containers to analyze the size and shape of incoming parcels. A scanning system captures barcodes on the boxes, and the Rocky One SE subsequently sorts the goods onto waiting pallets according to specified patterns. They state that conventional automation systems often struggle with parcels that vary greatly in shape and weight, but this integrated solution appears to overcome those limitations. Since going live earlier this year, the system has operated reliably without human intervention.
Torsten Winter, Vice President of Operations (Warehousing & Transport) at BAHAG/Bauhaus AG, explained the operational impact of the change. “Since it went live earlier this year, the system – one of the first of its kind in Europe – has been running reliably and completely autonomously,” Winter said. “This allows our team to focus on more value-adding tasks.” He added that the company is exploring further deployments of the technology within its network, potentially improving German DIY sales efficiency.
Warehouse staff previously performed physically demanding work in confined spaces to unload and sort items, a task that carried an increased risk of injury. By automating these specific stages of the supply chain, the facility has reduced the manual labor required for these repetitive tasks. The Rocky robots are designed to manage the variability in parcel dimensions and palletising patterns, which previously caused issues for less adaptable machinery.
For the employees currently working in the facility, the reduction in manual handling tasks shifts the focus from basic physical labor to other responsibilities. While the robots manage the mechanics of intake, human workers can direct their attention toward higher-value activities within the logistics chain. The company has indicated a continued interest in expanding this automated approach to other parts of its logistics network.
The barcodes are scanned by a scanning system and the goods are conveyed onwards. (Source: Bauhaus)
Im Anschluss sortiert der Rocky One SE die Ware nach vorgegebenen Mustern auf die bereitstehenden Paletten. (Source: Bauhaus)