Robotics firm Exotec expands partnership with Renault Group at warehouse in Germany

Exotec, a provider of warehouse robotics, is equipping car manufacturer, Renault Deutschland, with its Skypod system at its Brühl site. Starting in 2026, Renault plans to supply car dealers across Germany with spare parts for its models, using an automated warehouse in the country for the first time. 

The warehouse will be equipped with a total of 89 Skypod robots to deliver a planned throughput of over 1,600 containers per hour. The system combines goods receiving and order picking, with a capacity of 1,500 order lines per hour. Orchestrating the entire operation is Exotec’s in-house warehouse execution system, Deepsky, which coordinates inbound to outbound flows. 

Go live is set for June. 

“We are delighted to be involved in the modernisation of Renault Germany's logistics site,” says Andreas Stöckl, EVP Sales Central Europe at Exotec. “Our Skypod system enables flexible, scalable, and efficient warehousing that is ideally suited to the high demands of the automotive industry. Together, we are setting new standards for spare parts logistics in Germany.”

“With the expansion of our site in Brühl and the collaboration with Exotec, we are investing specifically in innovative technologies to further optimise our spare parts logistics,” says Oliver Schieritz, Director Customer Service & Aftersales at Renault Deutschland.

“With its Skypod system, Exotec is making a significant contribution to making the supply of our dealers throughout Germany even more reliable, efficient, and sustainable.”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Supply chain automation will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards will open for entries in April. They celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.