Case Study | BAUHAUS Automates Inbound Receiving with RockyOne and RockyOne SE
BAUHAUS is one of Europe's leading home improvement retailers, with more than 290 specialty centers in 19 countries. Its central warehouse in Krefeld receives thousands of inbound shipments a day, covering more than 10,000 SKUs, and supplies the store network within tight delivery windows.
At this scale, every step has to be precise and consistent. BAUHAUS has long relied on technology to meet that standard. With other warehouse processes already modernized, inbound receiving was next. Together with XYZ Robotics, BAUHAUS deployed Rocky robots to automate the entire inbound workflow at Krefeld, from truck unloading to palletizing, giving the site a steady flow of goods and a safer workplace.
One Continuous Inbound Flow
Built on RockyOne and RockyOne SE, the system connects truck unloading, sorting, and palletizing into one automated workflow.
RockyOne drives into trucks and shipping containers and unloads loose cartons onto the conveyor. A barcode scanner on the line identifies each carton and sorts it in real time. RockyOne SE then stacks the cartons onto pallets in the patterns BAUHAUS specifies, stable and ready for storage. Cartons move from container to pallet at a constant pace, with no manual handoffs where errors or delays could build up.
Built for Varied Freight
Inbound freight at BAUHAUS rarely arrives in a uniform pattern. Cartons vary widely in size, weight, and packaging, which conventional automation struggles with. Glossy printed surfaces confuse vision systems, long cartons are difficult to grip, and cartons packed against the container wall can leave as little as 2 to 3 cm of clearance.
RockyOne adapts to these conditions and needs no SKU data in advance. Its multimodal gripper selects the right pickup method for each carton: top suction, side suction, or picking with bottom support. It unloads cartons up to 28 kg with a secure hold.
Safer Work for Warehouse Teams
Manual truck unloading means repetitive lifting in a confined space, often in extreme heat or cold. The work is hard to staff and carries a high risk of injury. With Rocky robots, operators move from heavy lifting to supervising the line from a tablet. Day-to-day operation takes little training.
"Since going live, the system has been running reliably around the clock, from truck to warehouse, without manual intervention. Our team can now focus on higher-value work," said Torsten Winter, Vice President Operations (Warehousing & Transport) at BAHAG / BAUHAUS AG. "We are already exploring where else to apply this technology across our network. With XYZ Robotics, we have a reliable, forward-thinking partner."
The Krefeld deployment shows that the system works at the scale of a large retail operation. XYZ Robotics is now bringing the same setup to more sites across Europe. Its local team in Germany supports European projects from planning and commissioning through to after-sales service.
