Savannah Unveils Next-Gen Robotic Fulfilment Center

Savannah’s 760,000-square-foot warehouse just got a brain.

Exotec and Komar Distribution Services are launching what they call a next-generation automated fulfilment center in Georgia, wrapping Exotec’s Skypod robotic system into a fully integrated end-to-end solution at Komar’s Savannah facility. The site is sized for growth and designed to push throughput while slashing the labor-intensive parts of picking and replenishment.

From a practitioner’s lens, this deployment is less a flashy demo and more a real deployment exercise with a sizable footprint. Exotec’s Skypod fleet stacks robotic arms and autonomous storage on a two-tier approach, stacking pallets and totes in high-density, indexable lanes. Production data shows early signals of throughput gains in pilot lines, according to integration teamsreporting on the project’s progression. The Savannah installation isn’t just a box of robots; it’s a complete automation stack that includes the warehouse control software, integration with Komar’s existing IT ecosystem, and planning logic that coordinates inbound, put-away, picking, and packing.

The operational promise is straightforward: reduce manual travel time and boost accuracy by eliminating much of the “hunt and walk” chore that dominates many large DCs. Floor supervisors confirm that the system is handling a substantial share of inbound and outbound tasks, with the caveat that certain exceptions still require human oversight. In practical terms, this means human workers will still be needed for value-added activities and for handling edge cases that live outside the robot’s domain—at least until AI-driven exception handling matures to a higher degree.

Integration work remains the wild card that separates demos from deployments. Industry insiders note that a truly seamless handoff between the Skypod fleet, Komar’s reward-of-the-day workflows, and a customer’s WMS/TMS requires careful alignment of floor-space planning, power and network infrastructure, and software licensing. Floor supervisors and integration engineers have flagged the need for robust electrical feeds and stable network access across the 760,000-square-foot floor plate, plus time for staff to be trained on teach pendant routines, system dashboards, and abnormal-condition responses. Operational metrics from the rollout suggest a disciplined, phased approach rather than a “flip the switch” switch-on.

Cost discipline will be tested as with any large automation project. Hidden costs vendors often overlook up front—software maintenance, ongoing integration with legacy IT, change-management programs, and planned downtime for cutovers—will matter when the book closes on the project. In Savannah, observers expect a longer runway for workforce adaptation: the system can deliver meaningful cycle-time improvements only if staff buy into new flow patterns and the software remains aligned with real-world warehouse variability.

Two big questions frame the early push: first, what is the true payback period once the entire integration is baked in and labor costs are fully realized in Savannah’s specific mix of products and volume? Second, what are the maintenance and upgrade cycles for the Skypod fleet in a high-velocity environment where seasonal peaks can stress both hardware and software?

If the early data holds and the integration stays on track, the Savannah center could serve as a blueprint for tier-one fulfillment operations seeking scalable capacity without building out another traditional brick-and-mortar DC. This isn’t a cure-all; it’s a carefully engineered deployment that asks for a clear plan, patient ROI evaluation, and a workforce prepared to partner with robots, not compete against them.

In the near term, the project will be watched for sustained uptime, the delta in cycle time across inbound and outbound lanes, and the cadence of lessons learned around IT and floor operations alignment. It’s a bold bet on automation as a long-term advantage, contingent on disciplined execution and realistic expectations about integration costs and human factors.

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Exotec and Komar launch ‘next-generation’ automated fulfilment centre in Savannah