"We have not reinvented our tried-and-tested product and are therefore not so much talking about a new Skypod system as a fundamental further development of the previous solution," says Sabrina Seubert, Marketing Manager Central Europe. According to the company, Exotec is now the first robotics company to include functions that previously had to be retrofitted as subsystems.

Many of the innovations that have been established in recent years for the efficient handling of full case and each picking as a subsystem are now part of the basic equipment of the Skypod system. "With the all-in-one solution, we are meeting key logistics requirements," says Markus Schlotter, Managing Director Central Europe. "Many important functions that give customers a competitive edge are integrated straight away."

For example, sequencing, without which nothing works in small parts logistics. If you want to prevent the heavy parts from weighing down the fragile ones during picking and palletizing, you need a tool for correctly timed deliveries. Until now, sequencing had to be retrofitted. But if you need it anyway, you can integrate it directly into the overall system - without any extra installation. This idea was the inspiration for the further development of the Skypod system into a compact all-in-one solution.

Up to 600 presentations per hour

Almost in passing, Exotec has maximized the batch factor at the stations with the sequencing function. The system forms order batches so that the pickers can immediately fill the same products, which the Skypod robots transport to the picking station, into several target containers. Batch formation has no detrimental effect on 1:1 picking. Each picking station counts up to 600 presentations per hour.
The new Skypod robots transport more than the ordered and finely sequenced goods. With the all-in-one solution, they also transport the appropriate cartons for the respective orders to the picking station. The pickers place the items directly into the shipping container intended for them, eliminating the need for repacking processes. The warehouse saves itself a subsystem and space-consuming, complex conveyor technology. "Basically, we assume that in future many of our systems will be able to manage without any conveyor technology at all in the picking process," says Schlotter.

Buffering without subsystem

Another thing that can be saved when setting up a picking warehouse with the new solution is the buffering subsystem. If an order cannot be fully picked because an item is missing, for example, this does not completely slow down the actual process. Instead, the shipping cartons are filled as far as possible and then sent to interim storage. The advantage: capacities and employees take care of everything that can already be done. The rest follows as soon as the missing goods are available.

The combination of buffering and sequencing opens up a new option: the Skypod system as a full-case solution for replenishment in stores. Pallets of clean items arrive at the incoming goods department, are depalletized and stored. On call, the Skypod robots transport various items quickly, efficiently and in the correct sequence to semi-automatic or fully automatic palletizing. "Our customers have always asked for a compact, high-performance and flexible system that is capable of 100% sequencing," explains Schlotter. "The new generation of the Skypod system can do it."

More traffic area for mobile Skypod robots

Let's move on to the pulsating heart of the Exotec system: the technically improved and more compact Skypod robots, which can now climb the shelves side by side - up to 14 meters. Exotec has increased the robots' operating range: These now also use the floor under the shelves as a traffic area. With the efficient side effect that the larger area can accommodate two and a half times as many robots as before without causing traffic jams and congested routes.

Exotec uses proven technology for robot navigation. Instead of the laser navigation previously used, the company has switched to track guidance using ground markings and camera-based positioning. "This is a particularly user-friendly decision," says Markus Schlotter, explaining the choice of this tried-and-tested method. "Our customers want reliable and less complex navigation solutions."

Improved storage density and picking efficiency

Exotec has been gathering practical experience with the new generation of the Skypod system in pilot installations for several months. According to the robotics company's calculations, the better use of space and height can increase storage density by 30 percent. The picking efficiency is even expected to increase by 50 percent.