Sanwa Supply, a leading office supplier in Japan, manages large volumes of inbound shipments at its East Japan Logistics Center. In the past, container unloading was physically demanding for workers. “To ease the burden on our employees in harsh conditions, we decided to introduce the robotic unloading system,” said Junichi Hojo, General Manager of Sanwa’s Tokyo Supply Center.

Today, RockyOne from XYZ Robotics is fully operational at the site. With its high payload capacity and robust performance, the robot is ideal for automating heavy container unloading.

Efficient and Reliable Handling of Heavy Loads

Previously, unloading each container required two to three employees. Cartons weighing up to 25 kg made the task exhausting, and summer temperatures inside the containers could soar to 40°C, exposing employees to the risk of injury and heatstroke.

RockyOne, equipped with a multimodal gripper with bottom support, handles heavy cartons securely, relieving workers from backbreaking labor. Even in extreme conditions, the robot maintains a steady pace of up to 470 cases per hour—about 1.5 times faster than manual handling.

Onsite employees now focus on higher-value tasks outside the container, such as operating the robot via a wireless pad. “Since the robot is easy for our employees to operate, their workload has become much lighter,” said Junichi Hojo.

Flexible Adaptation to Onsite Variations

Inbound shipments often contain cartons of different sizes and orientations. RockyOne’s advanced 3D vision system identifies mixed cartons in real time and adapts to irregular arrangements, ensuring accurate and efficient unloading.

At Sanwa, the facility lacks a hydraulic dock ramp. The team implemented a movable leveler, allowing RockyOne to move smoothly into containers. The robot can also unload the outermost cartons on the leveler, minimizing manual intervention.

Since its deployment, RockyOne has helped Sanwa Supply boost inbound efficiency, enhance workplace safety, and ease labor strain. Encouraged by these results, Sanwa plans to expand the robotic unloading solution to additional logistics centers in partnership with XYZ Robotics.

About Sanwa Supply Inc.

Sanwa Supply Inc., established in 1951, is a Japanese leader in the design and production of computer goods serving the world of global information.

Sanwa Supply keeps abreast of current trends in world markets in order to develop products that are at the forefront of the IT industry.