For Gap Inc. executive Kevin Kuntz, integrating a new robotics system into a warehouse typically involves installing bulky equipment with a large footprint along with a hefty amount of IT support and delays. So when Kuntz learned Boston Dynamics’ mobile warehouse robot, Stretch, uses an advanced vision system and a robotic arm atop a mobile base to unload shipping containers without needing a network connection, he was impressed. The fact the robot can be up and running in a matter of days made the decision that much easier.
“The tech lift was very light,” said Kuntz, Gap Inc.’s Senior Vice President of Global Logistics Fulfillment. “It’s not bolted to the floor or a PC conveyor. We could bring in a machine in two to three days. It’s literally as simple as, ‘Hey, I’m going to put it in the truck.'”
Moving apparel from coast to coast
With brands that include Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta, Gap Inc. is the largest specialty apparel company in the United States. Its distribution sites in North America include a sprawling 1.4 million square foot distribution center in Gallatin, Tennessee.
By having Stretch take on the physically demanding task of unloading trailers stacked floor to ceiling with boxes, the company has reduced injuries, lowered turnover, and watched employees get excited about automation intended to keep them safe.
“Our facilities go all the way from Ontario, Canada to Texas and coast to coast, so you could be unloading a trailer in sub-zero weather or it could be 105 degrees out,” said Mike Baricevich, Senior Director of Operations Engineering and Vendor Compliance. “The fact that Stretch is in there truly supplementing our people and reducing our injury rates is just a huge benefit to us. So instead of the person being in service to the robot, it’s really the robots in service to the person.”
“The value of Stretch is immense. I am able to give my team days off from throwing that they couldn’t typically get. I also have a very tenured team who has been working inbound for quite a while. They recognized that Stretch was going to add to their longevity and how long they could stay in the inbound department.”
Jimmy Hesson, operations supervisor
Moving every box type with ease
Gap Inc. leaders first saw Stretch at a trade show in 2021 and arranged for a beta test at its distribution center in Fishkill, New York. They wanted to see how well the robot could move a variety of boxes filled with everything from denim jeans to T-shirts. Stretch handled all comers with ease.
“We run four basic boxes with supplemental boxes, in addition to vendor boxes, and from day one in the beta, Stretch was able to account for those,” said Baricevich. “In fact, we didn’t even know if it would lift the 50-pound box and it did it very successfully. It will auto adjust, so there’s no need for manual intervention. Stretch allows our associates to step away from those strenuous tasks, so they can focus on higher-value work.”
Involving employees with new tech
According to Eric Formanek—Senior Director of MHE, Engineering Maintenance and Capital—when Gap Inc. pursues new technology, managers always collaborate with employees. He says team members looked forward to operating a modern robot such as Stretch.
“Our culture at Gap is always open to exploring new ways of working,” said Formanek. “Especially when you engage with our associates, they get to be part of our solution and development. They embrace it. The fact they’re able to go from working in a trailer in the heat and cold to operating modern technology is pretty impressive.”
How Stretch works
Stretch is designed for ease of use. Its base is the size of a standard pallet and omni-directional wheels allow it to fit into tight spaces. Stretch uses cameras and other sensors to detect and evaluate the stacks of cases in a container. Once it determines which case to lift first, the robot swings its arm around, grips the case, and swings back to place the case on a conveyor.
Stretch integrates with telescopic conveyors using wireless communication to have the conveyor pull forward or backward as the robot works. Because Stretch is battery-powered, it requires no compressed air lines or power cables like other robotic systems.
“Stretch runs on its own,” said Brian Mackenzie, a robotics engineer at Boston Dynamics. “It uses machine learning and its vision to detect all the cases, the ceiling, the walls, the things around that, and then it uses its vacuum gripper to pick up the boxes, place them on the conveyor, and get them inducted into the warehouse. Basically, anywhere in your warehouse a pallet can go, Stretch can also go.”
Getting up to speed
Boston Dynamics engineers typically spend a week and a half training employees on site. Employees can typically start driving Stretch around the warehouse and positioning it inside trailers to begin the unloading process in less than an hour. Within two days, employees are certified to operate Stretch on their own.
Operators drive Stretch using a wired pendant that resembles a video game controller. Once Stretch is in position inside a trailer, operators switch to a touchscreen tablet to run a safety check before hitting play. Stretch snaps to work and the employee can walk away.
“It’s a video game world right now,” said Jimmy Hesson, operations supervisor at the Gallatin site. “Even though I have some tenured associates, they play video games with their children. The learning curve with Stretch was very minimal.”
Lidar-based safety zones
To keep workers out of harm’s way, Stretch uses lidar to create a virtual perimeter around itself and the container while it’s in motion. If someone crosses into that perimeter, the robot instantly shuts down.
“I think all of our people feel very secure working around it,” said Kuntz. “Sometimes I’ll set it off myself if I just barely cross the line. Stretch stops and the red light comes on. So, yes, it’s been very safe. We haven’t had any incidents with it at all.”
Label Sense integrates with downstream automation
Gap has long been a proponent of automation, especially with automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS). One of Stretch’s latest features, called Label Sense, improves the robot’s integration with Gap’s ASRS. Stretch will detect labels and turn boxes so that the labels face scanners every time for better downstream ingestion.
“Label Sense is really important for customers like Gap because of the way they’ve designed their downstream system with their scanners,” said Mackenzie. “If Stretch can place the label on the right side, for example, then all their scanners can read the label correctly.”
Multipick feature saves time
Not only will Stretch handle different types of cases, it can grip ones that are slightly damaged or deformed. Stretch’s Multipick feature also allows it to grip several cases at once, as long as their collective surface area isn’t larger than the gripper.
“Stretch’s Multipick feature increases the speed that goods can flow through inbound, so it’s picking up two, three, sometimes four boxes at a time,” said Maddie Pero, another robotics engineer at Boston Dynamics. “The time you shave off by picking that many boxes at once will really speed up how quickly Stretch is running.”
Adapting to online sales
Another benefit of Gap deploying Stretch is meeting the demand brought on by the steady rise of online sales, which are more labor-intensive to fulfill than bulk shipments to stores. According to Gap, investing in automation technology, such as Stretch, will allow the company to keep pace by shifting more workers from inbound to outbound fulfillment.
“Online fulfillment involves about five times more labor than retail fulfillment,” said Kuntz. “In the old days, it took one person to move a thousand units to a retail location. To move a thousand units online, I need almost five people to do the same thing in the same timeframe. So automation plays a big part of what we want to do in the future, and we’ve got to plan that years in advance.”
Providing relief with scheduling
Employees still spend shifts unloading cases by hand, but the Stretch units give managers greater flexibility with scheduling. Now a skeleton crew can set Stretch to unload during extended shifts while associates get time off—even when the warehouse is operating seven days a week during peak seasons. Long-time employees also acknowledge that putting less wear and tear on their bodies could lengthen their careers.
“The value of Stretch is immense,” said Hesson. “I am able to give my team days off from throwing that they couldn’t typically get. I also have a very tenured team who has been working inbound for quite a while. They recognized that Stretch was going to add to their longevity and how long they could stay in the inbound department.”
Embracing automation
Gap Inc. would like to make as much of its inbound process as touch-free as possible. According to Kuntz, one or two people in the inbound department can now process 10,000 cases in a day—a task that would have taken 12 to 15 people before automation. Stretch is playing a major role in that process, allowing employees to advance to more urgent, and meaningful, work.
“It’s had a big role in us becoming, and continuing to be, the employer of choice as well, because our employees know that we’re trying to invest in technologies in those really difficult jobs and not expecting them to work those roles all the time,” said Kuntz. “Most people think that you automate just to save money—that’s not necessarily true. Safety is a big reason we want Stretch to unload trailers. We got a lot of positive comments from employees about bringing in technology to solve a real world problem.”
