Exotec Expands Skypod Warehouse Robotics in Japan with Dual Deployments at Mitsubishi Shokuhin and Trusco Nakayama

French warehouse robotics company Exotec has announced the commissioning of two new Skypod systems in Japan, marking a significant expansion of its automated storage and retrieval technology in one of the world's most advanced logistics markets. The deployments, executed in partnership with IHI Logistics Industrial Systems, serve Mitsubishi Shokuhin, a major food distributor, and Trusco Nakayama, one of Japan's leading industrial distributors. Both projects demonstrate how goods-to-person automation is reshaping warehouse operations across sectors facing acute labor shortages and rising throughput demands.

The expansion comes at a critical moment for Japanese logistics. With a shrinking workforce and some of the world's highest expectations for delivery speed and service quality, companies across food distribution, industrial supply, and e-commerce are turning to automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) that can maximize storage density while minimizing human travel within the warehouse. Exotec's Skypod system, described by the company as a "mobile ASRS," differentiates itself from conventional shuttle-based ASRS by using robots that perform both horizontal transport and vertical retrieval — eliminating the need for separate shuttles on each rack level.

Japan's Logistics Automation Imperative

Japan's demographic reality creates unique urgency for warehouse automation. The country's working-age population has declined steadily since the 1990s, while e-commerce penetration and just-in-time delivery expectations continue to rise. According to the Japan Logistics Systems Association, the logistics sector faces a chronic shortage of warehouse workers, with vacancy rates for picker and packer roles significantly exceeding national averages. At the same time, Japanese customers — both consumer and B2B — demand next-day or same-day fulfillment with near-zero error rates.

This convergence of constraints has made Japan a proving ground for next-generation warehouse robotics. Traditional shuttle-based ASRS and crane-based systems, while effective for high-volume single-SKU storage, struggle with the mixed-SKU, high-mix environments typical of Japanese distribution centers. The Skypod approach — where each robot can climb the racks to retrieve any bin at any level — addresses this gap by combining the storage density of ASRS with the flexibility of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

The two new deployments illustrate this versatility. At Mitsubishi Shokuhin's new Food Service Distribution Centre (FSDC) in Soka, the Skypod system manages almost 13,000 product references spanning food products, alcoholic beverages, and professional supplies. For Trusco Nakayama, the system operates at the Planet Aichi logistics centre — the group's largest facility — handling tools, consumables, safety equipment, and industrial supplies with nearly 32,000 bins, 37 robots, and four picking stations.

Sector-Specific Deployments Drive Adoption

Food Distribution: Mitsubishi Shokuhin's Soka FSDC

Mitsubishi Shokuhin's deployment represents the first implementation of Skypod in Japan's food distribution sector. The company's Soka facility faces the dual challenge of handling temperature-sensitive products while maintaining the high picking accuracy required for food service customers — restaurants, hospitals, and institutional caterers that depend on precise, timely deliveries.

With labor shortages and the need to improve working conditions in its warehouses, Mitsubishi Shokuhin implemented Skypod to reduce operator travel distances, improve picking efficiency, automate ambient temperature operations, and maintain a high level of customer service. The project is part of a broader strategy to build a logistics infrastructure capable of supporting the company's growth through 2040, reflecting the long planning horizons typical of Japanese industrial investment.

The food distribution environment imposes specific demands: strict lot tracking, expiration date management, and the ability to handle both fast-moving staples and slow-moving specialty items within the same footprint. Skypod's bin-level granularity — each robot can access any of the thousands of bins in the system — makes it well-suited to this mixed-velocity profile.

Industrial Distribution: Trusco Nakayama's Planet Aichi

Trusco Nakayama, a major supplier of tools, consumables, and industrial safety equipment, deployed Skypod at its new Planet Aichi logistics centre. The facility, described as the group's largest logistics hub, handles a catalog of industrial supplies characterized by high SKU counts and unpredictable demand patterns — a profile where traditional fixed-location storage struggles.

The deployed system includes nearly 32,000 bins, 37 Skypod robots, and four picking stations designed to improve productivity, picking accuracy, and storage space utilization. For an industrial distributor managing thousands of tool references, fastener assortments, and safety gear SKUs, the ability to dynamically reposition inventory based on demand velocity translates directly to faster order fulfillment and reduced floor space requirements.

Both projects highlight the growing adoption of warehouse automation technologies in Japan to address shared challenges: labor shortages, increasing throughput requirements, improved productivity, and better working conditions for warehouse operators.

The Mobile ASRS Architecture

The Skypod system's architectural distinction lies in its robot-centric design. Conventional ASRS typically employs fixed infrastructure — cranes, shuttles, or lifts — that operate within predetermined paths. When capacity must increase, the infrastructure must be extended, which is capital-intensive and disruptive. Skypod robots, by contrast, are mobile agents that traverse the rack structure itself. Each robot can travel horizontally along the rack aisles and vertically up the rack faces to reach bins at any height.

This design yields several operational advantages. First, throughput scales with the number of robots rather than the number of fixed aisles. Second, the system can accommodate irregular rack configurations and building constraints that would complicate crane or shuttle installation. Third, maintenance and redundancy are inherently distributed — if one robot requires service, the others continue operating, whereas a crane failure typically halts an entire aisle.

The trade-off is that Skypod robots must be more sophisticated than simple shuttles, integrating navigation, climbing mechanisms, bin gripping, and payload management. Exotec's approach has been to optimize for the 30–50 kg bin weight range typical of e-commerce and distribution, where the robot's mobility advantage is most pronounced.

Romain Moulin, CEO of Exotec, emphasized the strategic importance of the Japanese market: "Japan is one of the world's most demanding and innovative markets when it comes to logistics. The new systems at Mitsubishi Shokuhin and Trusco Nakayama demonstrate Skypod's ability to meet very different requirements while providing a concrete response to the challenges of productivity, labor availability and service quality. We are proud to support these two major companies as they transform their logistics operations."

Competitive Landscape and Market Context

The Japanese warehouse automation market is fiercely competitive. Established players including Daifuku, Murata Machinery, and Toyota Industries (through its Toyota Material Handling and Bastian Solutions subsidiaries) dominate the traditional ASRS and conveyor segments. AutoStore, with its cube-based storage and robot-on-top architecture, has secured significant installations in Japan's e-commerce sector. Meanwhile, emerging competitors like Symbotic and newer entrants from China's rapidly scaling robotics ecosystem are targeting the same mid-market segment.

Exotec's positioning leverages its French engineering heritage and its specific focus on the "mobile ASRS" niche. The company's $335 million Series D funding round in 2022, which valued it at $2 billion, provided capital for international expansion and continued R&D on robot climbing mechanics and fleet orchestration software. The partnership with IHI Logistics Industrial Systems — a Japanese integrator with deep local relationships and project execution capability — follows the pattern of global robotics firms partnering with established Japanese system integrators to navigate the market's complex procurement and compliance landscape.

Learn more about the broader robotics and warehouse automation trends in our Robotics & Drones category coverage.

Industry Implications and Forward Outlook

The dual deployment signals several broader shifts. First, goods-to-person ASRS is moving beyond e-commerce fulfillment into food distribution and industrial supply — sectors with more complex handling requirements and stricter regulatory environments. Second, the partnership model (Exotec + IHI) reflects the increasing importance of local integration expertise for global robotics vendors entering Japan. Third, the emphasis on working conditions and labor augmentation rather than pure headcount reduction aligns with Japanese corporate governance norms and the country's "Society 5.0" policy framework.

"Following the success of our projects with Mitsubishi Shokuhin and Trusco Nakayama, we are excited to continue expanding in Japan and supporting organisations with demanding logistics performance requirements," Moulin added. "Both projects, spanning the food and industrial distribution sectors, demonstrate Skypod's strength and adaptability in enhancing logistics operations. We look forward to building on this success and expanding our presence across Japan."

For Japanese logistics operators, the message is clear: the automation technologies proven in North American and European e-commerce are now being validated in Japan's more demanding, multi-sector environments. As labor constraints tighten further, the companies that secure integration partnerships and deployment experience today will define the competitive baseline for the next decade of Japanese logistics.

References

• Robotics & Automation News: "Exotec expands warehouse robotics business in Japan with two major Skypod installations" (October 20, 2026)
• The Robot Report: Exotec coverage including Skypod deployments and funding history
• Japan Logistics Systems Association: Annual labor market and automation adoption surveys
• IHI Logistics Industrial Systems: Project references and integration capabilities

For additional context on warehouse automation technologies, see the Wikipedia entry on automated storage and retrieval systems.