Description

HEB-IO TwinX reduces truck unloading times to under five minutes and can autonomously handle pallets weighing up to 2,000 kg. At the core of the solution are two compact, cooperating fork robots that drive fully underneath a pallet, lift it, and transport it autonomously between the truck and the warehouse.

The dual-robot design enables the robots to move underneath pallets, pass through them, and pick them up from the side. Combined with omnidirectional drive and high ground clearance, HEB-IO TwinX is specifically designed for loading docks, truck interiors, and existing brownfield warehouses.

Multiple robot pairs can operate in parallel. This transforms truck loading and unloading from a sequential process performed by a single vehicle into a parallel swarm operation.

HEB-IO TwinX thus automates one of the last largely manual areas of modern intralogistics. The goal is to reduce waiting times, increase dock throughput, make processes more predictable, and relieve employees of physically demanding tasks. Its modular design supports maintenance, repairs, and gradual scaling from individual pilot systems to larger fleets.

Innovations

Two autonomous forks instead of an automated forklift: this is the core innovation behind HEB-IO TwinX. The robots drive fully underneath pallets, pass through them, and pick them up from the side. This makes TwinX significantly more compact and flexible than conventional forklifts or rigid loading systems.

A key unique selling point is the combination of an extremely compact form factor, Mecanum drive, an integrated lifting mechanism, and high ground clearance. This allows TwinX to overcome typical level differences between the warehouse floor, loading dock, and truck, and to operate in brownfield environments without specially adapted floors or fixed conveyor systems.

Another major innovation is parallelization. Multiple HEB-IO TwinX systems can move pallets simultaneously. While conventional forklifts or individual autonomous vehicles transport pallets one at a time, HEB-IO TwinX organizes loading and unloading as a parallel swarm process.

The innovation therefore lies not in any single component, but in a new system architecture combining a dual-fork design, side pallet pickup, high ground clearance, omnidirectional mobility, and parallel fleet coordination.

Market relevance

The market is being driven by three developments: a shortage of skilled labor, increasing pressure to automate, and the need for more predictable and resilient supply chains. HEB-IO addresses a point where automation often falls short today with its TwinX solution.

Waiting times of 45 to 90 minutes at loading docks and growing pressure on personnel make truck loading and unloading a major bottleneck in intralogistics. Despite largely automated warehouse processes, this step is still often performed manually. HEB-IO TwinX closes precisely this automation gap. Since palletized goods flows are standard worldwide, the solution is scalable internationally.

Target customers include companies with high volumes of palletized goods and regular truck traffic: logistics service providers, distribution centers, FMCG and retail warehouses, industrial warehouses, and transshipment hubs. HEB-IO TwinX is particularly relevant for brownfield sites where installing fixed conveyor systems or making major infrastructure modifications is economically challenging. Discussions with major logistics companies confirm that automated truck loading and unloading using AGVs is firmly on the agenda for the coming years. This underscores market demand for flexible, retrofit-ready automation solutions.

Customer benefits

Greater efficiency, shorter unloading times, lower cost per pallet, less dependence on staffing, and improved predictability: these are the goals HEB-IO aims to achieve.

By deploying multiple robots in parallel, dock throughput can increase significantly. Truck turnaround times are reduced, workflows become more predictable, and downstream warehouse processes can be utilized more consistently.

Employees benefit from being relieved of physically demanding, repetitive, and often short-notice loading and unloading tasks. They can focus more on process control, quality assurance, maintenance, and handling exceptions. Truck drivers also benefit from shorter waiting times and more clearly defined processes.

For brownfield customers, a key advantage is that HEB-IO is designed for deployment without major structural modifications. Its modular design simplifies maintenance and repairs, while allowing the system to scale gradually from a single loading dock to larger fleets and additional sites.