Swiss Warehouse Runs on 100 Exotec Skypods

A Swiss warehouse swapped aisles for skyward robots—100 of them.

Dosenbach-Ochsner, the Swiss arm of the Deichmann Group, quietly stacked a new generation of intralogistics at its Luterbach site in the Canton of Solothurn. The company has deployed Exotec’s Skypod system, a scalable, pod-based storage and picking solution designed to move goods in three dimensions rather than along a single aisle. Since go-live, more than 100 Skypod robots have been in operation, feeding picking and packing stations and transforming how the facility handles sportswear and equipment orders.

The Skypod concept is straightforward in a crowded warehouse: compact, high-density storage using vertical racks that rise above the floor, with autonomous robots ferrying pod-sized payloads to human pickers and automated packing lines. The Luterbach installation illustrates a growing trend among European retailers to push storage into the air while keeping labor focused on value-added tasks. Production data shows the system is delivering consistent, real-time visibility into inventory and order status, with the robots tasked to retrieve pods and bring them to operators at dedicated stations. The result is a more predictable flow and fewer bottlenecks at peak times.

Integration teams report that the project required careful alignment with Dosenbach-Ochsner’s existing warehouse management and enterprise systems. The Skypod deploy demanded robust IT networking, reliable power provisioning for charging docks, and a well-moned training plan for floor staff. Floor supervisors confirm that the automated layer has reduced forklift traffic and manual searching for items, especially during high-demand periods. But even with automation, humans remain essential: staff still handle exception management, returns processing, and specialized items that require manual handling or special quality checks. The system is not a wholesale replacement of human labor; it’s a rebalancing of tasks to reduce drudgery while expanding the capacity of the operation.

For practitioners watching this deployment, several takeaways stand out. First, integration requirements are non-trivial. Floor space planning must accommodate the vertical footprint of Skypod bays, the footprint needed for robot docking and charging, and the network topology required for real-time data exchange with the WMS. Second, the training burden matters. Operators must learn to read pod locations, interpret robotic status indicators, and manage handoffs between automated and manual stations. Third, the change management angle is real. The fastest gains come when supervisors, pickers, and packers are involved early in process redesign and those teams see measurable improvements in cycle times and workload balance. Finally, even with a high-density solution, some tasks remain human-driven. Returns processing, out-of-spec items, and fashion-specific SKU handling continue to rely on human judgment and agility.

Industry observers note that deployments like this signal a broader shift in European intralogistics toward multi-aisle, high-density automation that scales with demand. The Luterbach project demonstrates that a well-planned integration—one that marries robotics with robust IT, careful space planning, and a clear training path—can unlock faster throughput without blowing up capital budgets on sprawling new facilities. But CFOs should watch for some hidden costs vendors don’t advertise upfront: incremental power loads, network upgrades, spare-parts inventories, and a longer-than-expected ramp for operators to reach peak productivity. In this case, the early signs are encouraging: a large, scalable fleet backing a modernized picking workflow has the potential to push capacity without expanding the building footprint.

As more consumer brands pursue tightly synchronized warehouses, the Dosenbach-Ochsner example offers a practical playbook—start with a clearly defined picking model, ensure integration with existing systems, plan comprehensive operator training, and prepare for a staged ramp that proves the business case before chasing seasonal extremes.