With its new multi-site program Skyfleet, Exotec is automating seven logistics platforms for Decathlon in five European countries: France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy and Germany. Decathlon is standardizing its European supply chain and at the same time improving working conditions in its warehouses.
After an initial successful implementation in Tilburg in 2021, Decathlon has opted for a broader rollout with identical systems per site. Each Skyfleet platform operates 150 to 200 Skypod robots, processes up to 200,000 items per day and automates both inbound and outbound flows. Thanks to this uniform approach, the retailer achieves economies of scale and faster implementation.
Exotec developed the program specifically for Decathlon, to accelerate the international multi-site rollout through standardized processes. All warehouse processes are controlled by our own Warehouse Execution System Deepsky.
In addition to efficiency gains, Skyfleet also focuses on better working conditions. At the Northampton warehouse, the daily walking distance for pickers fell from 10 km to 1 km and the number of occupational accidents halved from 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 10,000. At the same time, operational capacity is increasing significantly: the Setúbal site doubled the number of orders processed to 114,000 per day.
The standardized approach also makes it possible to compare performance between sites and continuously optimize processes. Flexibility remains crucial: robots can be temporarily deployed between locations if necessary to cope with peaks.
