IN Brief:
- Go-Pak has introduced a Stretch robot into warehouse operations to automate inbound case handling and conveyor loading.
- The company says container unloading time has fallen from about 7.5 hours to 2.5 hours, with the system handling up to 800 cases an hour.
- The move points to a more modular automation approach in packaging supply, where robotics is added around specific bottlenecks rather than whole-site replacement.
Go-Pak has deployed Boston Dynamics’ Stretch robot in its warehouse operation, targeting one of the most repetitive pressure points in packaging logistics: unloading inbound cases from containers and feeding them into downstream handling equipment at consistent speed. The company says the installation is already changing both container turnaround time and the mix of labour used on the floor.
According to Go-Pak, unloading heavy SKUs manually had been taking about 7.5 hours per container. With Stretch in place, that process has fallen to around 2.5 hours. The robot photographs incoming goods, identifies dimensions, and places cases onto conveyors feeding the palletiser. Go-Pak says the system can handle up to 800 cases an hour, with palletisation reaching 1,200 cases an hour, giving the warehouse more headroom during peak inbound periods.
For a packaging supplier serving foodservice, retail, and cash-and-carry channels, that kind of improvement is less about spectacle than resilience. Inbound handling remains one of the harder warehouse functions to stabilise when volumes rise, labour is tight, or product mix shifts quickly. Stretch is designed for mobile case handling rather than fixed, infrastructure-heavy automation, which makes it easier to slot into existing operations around a defined bottleneck.
Go-Pak says the change is also altering how labour is used. With container unloading increasingly automated, staff time can be redirected into quality control, problem-solving, and other exception-led tasks that are harder to standardise. The company describes the project as part of a wider effort to keep pace with growing order volumes without relying on more physically demanding manual work.
The deployment also shows how warehouse automation is spreading beyond pure logistics operators and into packaging supply businesses that sit close to food manufacturing. As those businesses handle higher pallet volumes, broader SKU ranges, and tighter service expectations, modular robotics aimed at a single pain point can offer a faster return than full warehouse redesign.
Go-Pak says the project was supported by parent company SCG Packaging and delivered with input from Boston Dynamics, Kalyan Conveyors, WestRock, civil engineers, and Go-Pak’s own team. Further company details are available on the Go-Pak website.
