Exotec
Skypod — 3D goods-to-person AS/RS with climbing robots
Exotec's Skypod system uses robots that travel in all 3 dimensions — along the floor, up racks, and horizontally at height — to retrieve bins from a dense grid. Delivers 3x more throughput per square foot than traditional AS/RS with unmatched scalability.
High-throughput e-commerce and fashion DC needing maximum picks per square foot
Cold chain operations or those prioritizing lowest-risk proven technology
Strengths
- Highest throughput per square foot of any GTP AS/RS system
- 3D robot movement enables unique storage density and access speed
- Scales by adding robots — no system shutdown for expansion
- Fastest-growing AS/RS company by installation count
Weaknesses
- Premium pricing at top of AS/RS market
- Cold chain capability limited vs Multishuttle competitors
- Newer company — less long-term operational track record
- Limited North American service network vs Dematic/Swisslog
Practitioner analysis
Exotec's Skypod system is the most space-efficient goods-to-person solution for environments with ceiling heights above 8m — the robots climb the racking, eliminating the need for a separate high-bay structure. European deployments are extensive; North American presence is growing. Implementation is complex (10–16 months) but the system performance at go-live is consistently strong.
Exotec is still building out their North American service organization — verify local service capability in your region before committing. The Skypod system has a floor area premium vs. AutoStore because the racking structure takes space that AutoStore's grid doesn't. Model the true footprint carefully. Also: their bin size constraints are similar to AutoStore — evaluate your oversized SKU percentage.
Fashion, beauty, and high-SKU retail DC operations with ceiling heights above 8m and significant land cost pressure.
North American service organization is less mature than AutoStore's or Dematic's — get specific SLA commitments for your region.
Questions to ask in your RFP / demo
- What is your service organization in our region — how many field engineers, and what is your average on-site response time?
- How does your ceiling height requirement compare to AutoStore for the same storage capacity and throughput?
- Can we visit a North American reference site at comparable scale?
Products
3D goods-to-person AS/RS with climbing robots for maximum throughput