HOW DCS ARE REDEFINING EFFICIENCY
automation is practical and well-planned through training programs, on-hand installs, and extended customer support that breaks things down into manageable phases for its customers. “If I had one piece of advice for someone looking to automate a facility it would be this: You don’t need to automate everything at once,” Caddy recommends. “Start where it makes sense. Get your people comfortable and grow from there. Of course, we encourage customers to choose systems that can scale and shrink as processing volumes and labor issues fluctuate throughout the year.” Gorbel ® Creates a Faster, Worker-Friendly Way to Unload and Load Floor-Loaded Trailers The unloading and loading of floor- loaded (non-palletized) trailers at distribution centers is a notoriously demanding process for workers and can undermine a facility’s efficiency. Bottlenecks are just one of the many delays caused by manual handling that slow down overall operations. Gorbel’s Destuff-it ™ and Restuff-it ™ pivoting conveyor systems are portable and ergonomic conveyors used to unload and load floor-loaded trailers, bringing not only new efficiency to the process but improving the experience for warehouse associates. “With these systems, we’re focused on improving the handling process from the trailer to the first 100 feet into the warehouse,” says Stefan Friedrich, product marketing manager for Gorbel. Each system has a motorized operator platform and a conveyor that can pivot up-and-down and side-to-side. For workers unloading a trailer, for instance, rather than lifting a box, dropping it onto a pallet and then removing the pallet when it is full, they simply slide boxes onto the conveyor, which pulls the boxes out of the trailer and into the warehouse. Friedrich points to three pillars of benefits to the Destuff-it ™ system: productivity, ergonomics, and safety. Friedrich says a team of three or four
Gorbel’s Destuff-it™ solution is designed for unloading operations and contains a conveyor belt that moves in one direction.
people typically can manually unload a trailer at a rate of about 350 to 650 cases per hour. With Destuff-it ™ , 900 cases per hour is the bare minimum, 1,200 cases per hour is more to be expected, and some facilities have topped 2,500 cases per hour, Friedrich says. “We’re at least twice as fast as a manual crew of people, but typically we’re three or four times as fast,” Friedrich says. Destuff-it ™ —a system that augments and enhances human workers—also is more efficient than fully automated systems, he adds. The increased productivity proves particularly important during peak seasons when more trailers arrive and depart a warehouse, and when finding sufficient labor undermines efficiency, Friedrich notes. The improved productivity in the unloading and loading process also means that warehouses do not have to reallocate workers to the dock door, pulling them away from other warehouse tasks, when volume is at its highest. It is physically demanding work for team members to manually unload a trailer. In addition to the heavy boxes, workers often must climb on step stools to access the top of box walls, which can lead to both safety hazards and hazards to the products in the boxes. The operator platform and pivoting conveyor on the Destuff-it ™ allow workers to reach the
top of box walls without a step stool or strenuous lifting. “With our system’s pivoting conveyor, you can nose right up to the package—we bring the conveyor to the package, rather than the package to the conveyor—and that lets operators slide boxes onto the conveyor without any major ergonomic strain on their bodies,” Friedrich says. With a Destuff-it ™ system, workers are augmented instead of removed. Workers can move within their optimal ergonomic zone instead of bending, twisting, and straining. When workers are comfortable, their jobs are more enjoyable and retention goes up. Gorbel’s case studies include interviews with warehouse associates who use the system. A common comment is how much better they feel at the end of the day from using the system. “They’ll say things like, ‘I can go home and play with my kids because I don’t feel physically drained from lifting stuff all day,’” Friedrich says. “That’s an important benefit and core to Gorbel’s mission of improving people’s lives.” VARGO Helps Find Continuous Flow in Order Fulfillment When it comes to order fulfillment,
waves are best to be avoided in a warehouse—they’re liable to pull you under.
52 Inbound Logistics • November 2025
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