Skypod Next-Gen: the new frontier of automation for fashion

Why automate the warehouse in the fashion industry

In the fashion world, everything runs fast: collections change in a matter of weeks, sales channels multiply, and customers expect quick and error-free deliveries. In this scenario, the automated warehouse for textile industry becomes an agile, intelligent and automated engine.

That’s where Exotec’s Skypod Next Gen comes in, a Goods-to-person fashion logistics automation solution designed to meet the specific needs of the textile industry.

Skypod Exotec: the technology that revolutionizes the textile industry

Skypod Next Gen represents the evolution of robotics applied to logistics, scalable and fully flexible, designed to respond in real time to the needs of dynamic industries such as fashion and e-commerce.

Here are its main features:

• Autonomous mobile robots that move freely horizontally and vertically up to 12 meters in height, picking up containers directly from shelves and bringing them to workstations.
• Integrated Pick & Pack: the new generation enables a smooth and continuous flow between picking and packing activities. The result? Drastically reduced throughput times, fewer errors, and simplified order management, especially for the e-commerce channel.
• Integrated dynamic buffering: the system can temporarily store containers intelligently, optimizing the order fulfillment sequence and reducing waiting time. Goodbye to inefficient, physical buffer areas.
• Seamless scalability: new robots or modules can be added to the system without stopping operations, a vital feature for companies that are growing or subject to seasonal peaks.
• Advanced, WMS-friendly software: the system easily integrates with existing management software, providing synchronized workflows and real-time visibility.

Advantages of Skypod applied to the fashion industry

The benefits of an automated warehouse in the fashion industry are many, starting from SKU management to returns.

• Flexible SKU management
  Fashion requires the simultaneous management of thousands of ever-changing items. Skypod Next Gen responds with dynamic storage logic and rapid access to each individual SKU.
• High-speed order fulfillment
  Whether it is a single or multi-item order, the system optimizes flows to ensure fast deliveries, even during seasonal peaks.
• Simplified returns
  Returns management-a typical challenge in fashion-is simplified by the system’s ability to quickly replenish items in stock.

Case study: Ariat improves supply chain with Skypod

A concrete example of the effectiveness of Skypod technology is Ariat, a leading manufacturer of riding boots and apparel. With a distribution network serving more than 6,500 stores worldwide, Ariat faced the challenge of managing increasing logistical complexity due to an expanding product catalog and rising customer expectations.

In 2020, Ariat opened a 93,000 m² distribution center in Fort Worth, Texas. To optimize operations, it implemented the Skypod system, integrated by Hy-Tek Intralogistics, with the following results:

• Increased efficiency: the picking rate has increased 10-fold, enabling the handling of more than 1,650 lines per hour with only seven operators.
• Work optimization: 80% of picking activities have been reallocated to higher value-added tasks.
• Rapid scalability: expansion of the system from 57 to 86 robots was completed in minutes in 2022.
• Improved customer service: Ariat introduced next-day shipping and extended order cut-off times.

The competitive advantage for Fashion brands

In an industry where turnaround time is a competitive advantage, automating the warehouse with solutions like Exotec’s Skypod not only speeds up operations, but also reduces operational costs, improves traceability and delivers a flawless customer experience.

Conclusion

Exotec’s Skypod Next Gen represents a strategic ally for fashion brands that want to transform the textile warehouse into a value lever through a textile automation system.

Want to find out how to apply Skypod technology to your fashion warehouse? Contact us for a personalized consultation and as Exotec Italy’s system integrator we will provide you with the support you need.