Exotec’s Skypod robots streamline order picking at a Decathlon logistics site
Warehouse robotics firm Exotec has rolled out a major multi-site automation programme for sports retailer Decathlon, as businesses across Europe look to scale up logistics efficiency and reduce operational strain.
The initiative, known as Skyfleet®, spans seven logistics centres across five countries — including the UK, France and Germany — and is designed to standardise operations while improving performance and working conditions.
Exotec said the programme marks a significant step in its evolution as a full-service integrator, managing warehouse processes from inbound deliveries through to outbound dispatch within a single system.
The project builds on an earlier deployment of Exotec’s Skypod® system in Tilburg in 2021, with Decathlon now expanding the partnership to create a more unified, scalable logistics network across Europe.
At the core of the programme is a standardised model for store replenishment, allowing each site to operate with a consistent structure while still adapting to local requirements.
Each installation includes fleets of up to 200 robots, tens of thousands of storage locations and the capacity to process thousands of order lines per hour, with full automation of both inbound and outbound flows.
Exotec has also integrated a range of automated equipment across the sites, including depalletisers, carton-opening systems and RFID tunnels, helping streamline intralogistics processes.
By standardising equipment and design choices across multiple locations, the company said it has been able to reduce costs and speed up deployment, particularly during the early performance ramp-up phase.
Operations are coordinated through Exotec’s Deepsky® software, which ensures what the company describes as “seamless end-to-end operational continuity” across all sites using a shared system architecture.
The programme has also delivered notable changes for warehouse staff, with a reduction in physically demanding tasks and increased opportunities for upskilling.
At Decathlon’s Northampton site, workers who previously walked up to 10km a day now cover closer to 1km, while workplace incidents linked to order preparation have fallen significantly, from “one per 5,000 to 1 per 10,000”.
Performance improvements have also been recorded across the network. In Setúbal, Portugal, daily order volumes have doubled to 114,000, while sites such as Ferrières in France have nearly doubled the number of stores they supply.
The system is also designed to respond flexibly to demand, with robots able to be transferred between sites during peak periods. Additional capacity is already being added, with 13 more robots ordered for the Ferrières facility.
Decathlon said the partnership has transformed its logistics operations over the past five years.
Jérôme Saillour, head of logistics automation at the retailer, said: “We were looking for a partner to support our logistics network rationalisation project.”
He added that Exotec was selected because it could “deploy multiple sites in a short time and integrate scalable solutions that evolve with our needs”.
“In five years, we have profoundly transformed the workplace experience within our warehouses and written the next chapter of logistics at Decathlon,” he said.
Exotec co-founder and chief executive Romain Moulin said the programme demonstrates the company’s ability to deliver complex projects at scale.
“With the Skyfleet program, we have demonstrated our ability to orchestrate multi-site deployments,” he said, adding that the company is now creating value “throughout the entire warehouse”.
The rollout highlights the growing role of automation in large-scale logistics, as retailers seek to improve efficiency, resilience and workforce conditions across increasingly complex supply chains.