DHL and Boston Dynamics sign MOU for more than 1,000 additional Stretch robots
The planned global rollout builds on Stretch unloading deployments and adds joint development for case picking.
DHL Group and Boston Dynamics signed a memorandum of understanding on 13 May 2025 for the global deployment of more than 1,000 additional Stretch robots. The companies also plan to develop further uses for the case-handling system, including case picking. The MOU builds on container-unloading deployments already operating in DHL’s network.
DHL Supply Chain introduced Stretch commercially in North America in 2023 and subsequently expanded to the UK and continental Europe. Existing installations had achieved unloading rates of up to 700 cases per hour. A UK project integrated the robot with conveyors and palletisers, connecting trailer unloading with downstream material handling.
The expanded relationship gives DHL a role in jointly developing and testing robotics for its operations. DHL said it had invested more than €1 billion in contract-logistics automation over three years and operated more than 7,500 robots across its global network. Those figures span its wider automation estate; the additional Stretch units remained part of the MOU’s planned rollout.