The alternative to Exotec Skypod is NEO ASRS.
Exotec is the strongest technical competitor NEO has, and the one most often mischaracterised. Their robots climb, so unlike AutoStore they do reach height — Exotec publishes up to 14 m, which is more than NEO. Where NEO separates is payload and how quickly a system goes in.
What Exotec Skypod builds
Robots that drive on the floor and then climb the face of a rack to retrieve bins, feeding fixed goods-to-person workstations.
Line by line, from their published specs.
Sources are listed at the foot of this page. Where Exotec Skypod does not publish a figure, the cell says so instead of carrying a guess.
| CAPABILITY | RAMS | EXOTEC SKYPOD | EDGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payload per bin | 40 kg (88 lb) | 30 kg (66 lb)[1] | RAMS |
| Storage height | Up to 12 m (~39 ft) | Up to 14 m (45.9 ft)[1] | Them |
| Workstation throughput | 650+ units/hr per GTP station | Up to 600 bins per hour per workstation[1] | Even |
| Robot speed | Aisle shuttle | Up to 4 m/s travelling, 1.5 m/s climbing[1] | Them |
| Lead time to live | 4–8 weeks typical | Not published as a project timelinenot published | RAMS |
| Bin compartments | 2 / 3 / 4 / 6 / 8 | Not publishednot published | RAMS |
| Installed base | Early-stage in North America | 200+ sites, 10,000 robots, 938M cycles (Oct 2025)[2] | Them |
RAMS figures are our own claims and we will substantiate any of them on a call.
Where Exotec Skypod beats us
Written in earnest. If one of these is the thing your operation turns on, Exotec Skypod may be your answer and we would rather say so now.
Height. Exotec publishes up to 14 m against NEO's 12 m. If your building is genuinely that tall and vertical storage is the whole point, they reach higher.
Published workstation throughput. Up to 600 bins per hour per workstation is a higher published figure than the per-station number we quote for NEO.
Scale and proof. 200+ customer sites and 10,000 robots as of their ten-year mark in October 2025.
Robot speed. 4 m/s travelling and 1.5 m/s climbing, published on their own site.
Where RAMS wins
40 kg against 30 kg
Exotec publishes 30 kg per bin, the same as AutoStore. NEO's 40 kg is the widest practical gap between the two systems and it decides which SKU families can be automated at all.
Deployment speed
Exotec does not publish a project timeline, only that adding robots takes minutes and adding storage takes days once the system exists. NEO typically goes from order to live in 4 to 8 weeks.
Bin partitioning
NEO bins split into 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 compartments, so small-part picking does not waste a full bin per SKU. Exotec does not publish a comparable option.
A US integrator who owns the outcome
RAMS engineers, integrates and supports the system in the United States under one contract, rather than coordinating between a European manufacturer and a separate local installer.
Exotec Skypod, for your vendor diligence
- French manufacturer, founded 2015. Reported 200+ customer sites, 10,000 robots and 938 million cycles completed at their ten-year anniversary in October 2025.
- Purchase versus subscription terms are not published on their site.
Sources for every Exotec Skypod figure above
Checked August 2026. Vendors revise their specifications; if you find one of these out of date, tell us at info@ramsmfg.com and we will correct the page.
Bring us the operation, not the brochure.
Thirty minutes, an engineer, and your actual throughput numbers. If Exotec Skypod is the better fit for what you described, that is what you will hear.
Book a 30-minute call