To combat soaring workplace injuries and ergonomic risks from heavy lifting, third-party logistics provider States Logistics has teamed up with KUKA Robotics and Contoro Robotics to deploy an AI-driven, mobile robotic solution that fully automates semi-trailer unloading.
KUKA Robotics hopes to assist warehouses and distribution centers in creating safer working environments through automation solutions that reduce repetitive lifting, bending, and twisting. As companies turn to robotics to automate physically demanding tasks such as case unloading that can contribute to employee injuries, KUKA enables customers to meet those challenges with flexible, reliable automation.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, overexertion involving outside sources such as lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, and carrying continues to rank among the leading causes of workplace injuries. Repetitive case unloading from non-climate-controlled trailers is one of the warehouse operations most susceptible to these ergonomic risks.
To improve worker safety, third-party logistics provider States Logistics partnered with KUKA and AI-powered robotics company Contoro Robotics to automate manual semi-trailer unloading at one of its California distribution centers. The solution combines a KUKA industrial robot with Contoro’s intelligent software to perform repetitive case unloading, allowing employees to transition away from one of the facility’s most physically demanding jobs.
“The need for change was about protecting our employees, not just our throughput,” said Javier Sevilla, the vice president of operations at States Logistics. “Worker safety is our highest priority, and we were seeing a significant number of back strain-related health claims associated with manual case unloading. By implementing the KUKA robots through Contoro, we’ve created a safer work environment while allowing our employees to focus on work that is much less physically demanding.”
While improving employee well-being was the driving force behind the project, the automated solution also provides the consistency and reliability needed to support the company’s growing logistics operations. Before making the shift to automation, roughly two to four States Logistics employees loaded and unloaded two to three truck trailers per shift. The automated system now handles four to five trailers per shift, reducing repetitive lifting while equally increasing throughput.
“Automation is an essential tool for creating safer workplaces,” said Nate Brazelle, the vice president of sales and marketing. “Many warehouse tasks require employees to perform the same strenuous motions thousands of times throughout a shift. By automating these repetitive applications with KUKA robots, companies can significantly reduce ergonomic risks while allowing their workforce to take on more engaging and less strenuous responsibilities.”
By pairing KUKA’s versatile hardware with Contoro’s AI software, States Logistics highlights a broader supply chain shift: leveraging robotics to simultaneously slash injury rates and supercharge throughput in grueling warehouse environments.