GXO and Exotec run 127 robots to pick Guess orders from Venlo

GXO and Exotec run 127 robots to pick Guess orders from Venlo

15 September 2026: GXO Logistics and Exotec have deployed an Exotec Skypod system at GXO's Venlo site in the Netherlands, where it fulfils orders for the fashion brand Guess across EMEA and Asia. Exotec says the system processes between 40,000 and 70,000 pieces a day and reaches up to 2,200 order lines an hour at peak.

What was installed

The system uses 127 robots, 60,000 rack locations, eight goods-to-person picking stations and 200 metres of conveyor. In a Skypod system the robots climb the racks and bring stock to the stations, so pickers stay in one place while products come to them.

Exotec describes the Venlo installation as fully integrated and tailored to fashion logistics. It was designed and implemented with GXO, and Exotec coordinated integration and end-to-end deployment to ensure operational reliability.

Why fashion needs a custom build

The brief listed high SKU counts, seasonal swings in demand and evolving customer needs. Wim Vermeir, Exotec's Senior Sales Executive for Benelux, said fashion logistics requires precision engineering rather than off-the-shelf automation, and added, "With GXO, we designed a system built specifically for those demands, and the throughput numbers speak for themselves."

What GXO does at Venlo

GXO handles inbound logistics for Guess at the site, plus value-added services such as quality control and garment conditioning, and outbound distribution. The aim is to raise throughput and productivity and to leave room for growth.

Mark Donne, Operations Manager at GXO Venlo, said, "The impact has been evident from day one." He added, "As our business with Guess continues to grow, we have the scalability and flexibility needed to support future demand."

He said the automated solution with Exotec, tailored specifically for Guess, "has helped take our operation to the next level." Vermeir described the result as "a highly efficient operation that supports both current performance and future growth." The announcement says the deployment strengthens the collaboration between GXO, Exotec and Guess.

The release presents the project as an example of automation helping retailers cope with seasonal demand, scale without re-engineering, hold throughput under pressure and improve customer service.

The companies

GXO Logistics, listed on the New York Stock Exchange as GXO, describes itself as the world's largest pure-play contract logistics provider. It is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, and has more than 150,000 team members across more than 1,000 facilities covering more than 200 million square feet.

Exotec describes itself as a global warehouse automation company that designs and manufactures its own technology. It says more than 75 brands, including Oxford Industries (Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer), Carrefour, Decathlon and UNIQLO, use its systems across more than 200 sites worldwide. The Venlo release was datelined Wasquehal, France, and Eindhoven, in the Netherlands.

Related on TrustList:

• Two wholesalers report what Exotec Skypod robots changed for them
• Swiss firm Verity wins robotics innovation award for warehouse drones
• Agility's Digit 5 humanoid will recharge in nine minutes after 90 minutes' work

Sources

• Exotec: GXO and Exotec automate Guess fashion fulfilment, 15 September 2026