Warehouse robotics provider Exotec makes its Skypod system commercially available. Skypod offers higher performance, improved storage density, and advanced software features.
The new Skypod incorporates a number of design improvements including a new and more compact Skypod robot, a workstation for robot-to-robot picking, high-throughput Exchanger, and denser storage. These redesigns combined with new software features improve the throughput at a single workstation by 50% while also enhancing storage density up to 30% compared to the previous generation.
The key differentiator for the Next Generation of Skypod is the ability to handle both each and case picking, positioning Exotec to better address multichannel needs with a single solution. The system also natively supports a number of value-added logistics features that traditionally require external equipment and complex subsystems. This not only enables customers to simplify the flow of goods through the warehouse, but also significantly shrinks the system footprint by cutting down the need for conveyors, sorters, external storage, and packing stations.
The Next Generation of Skypod introduces enhanced automation for warehouse operations. Its Integrated Buffer stores completed or partially completed orders within the system until they are ready for outbound shipping or consolidation, reducing reliance on staging areas. The Perfect Sequencing feature ensures precise outbound order arrangement using robots and the Exchanger, optimizing pallet, container, or truck loading based on delivery routes and store planograms, eliminating the need for external sorting.
Additionally, the Pick-and-Pack function allows operators to pick directly into fulfillment containers, minimizing manual packing and integrating with right-size packaging solutions to cut last-mile costs. These advancements streamline logistics, improve efficiency, and reduce operational complexity in modern warehouse environments.
“When designing the Next Generation Skypod, our goal was to create a solution that would set the industry standard of operational excellence and elegance for the next decade and beyond,” said Romain Moulin, CEO and co-founder of Exotec. “We’re already seeing our customers reimagine their entire supply chain around the transformative capabilities of this innovation, from combining case and each picking operations to leveraging outbound sequencing to improve transportation costs. Witnessing this level of impact has been incredibly rewarding.”
Exotec developed the Next Generation of Skypod in response to evolving market needs and feedback from the existing customer base, which increasingly demands warehouse robotics to address a wider range of processes within the warehouse walls. Over the past two years, Exotec has sold and deployed the Next Generation Skypod system globally in stealth mode. The company has successfully secured over 20 projects worldwide, totaling $400M to customers including Oxford Industries, Grainger, and E.Leclerc to strengthen their supply chain operations.
“We chose Exotec for its storage density and its operational flexibility. Robotic advancements have enabled us to set up a larger buffer area for prepared orders within the system,” said Maxence Maurice, CEO of E. Leclerc Seclin. “Previously, I estimated that the customer journey, from arriving at the drive to leaving with their groceries, took between 10 and 15 minutes. Today, with the Exotec solution, it takes less than 5 minutes.”
