As warehouse automation becomes increasingly central to global supply chains, Exotec is positioning itself for its next phase of growth, with Japan playing a pivotal role in shaping both its technology and operating standards.
Marking its 10th anniversary in 2025, Exotec has evolved from a fast-growing robotics innovator into a provider of mission critical automation systems deployed across regions and industries.
According to Ryu Tatewaki, managing director of Exotec Asia-Pacific, this progress has been anchored in three priorities. “Our ability to scale has been driven by continuous innovation, a strong customer centric mindset and sustained investment in people and culture,” he said.
Technological evolution has been central to that journey. The latest generation of Exotec’s Skypod system delivers 3D robotic movement, high throughput, scalability and exceptional reliability, while continuing to evolve through ongoing software enhancements. “The system is designed to adapt long after initial deployment,” Tatewaki explained, “ensuring it continues to meet changing business requirements.”
Beyond automation, Skypod generates direct business value by reducing stock levels, accelerating order-to-ship cycles, enabling right sized packaging, lowering waste and transportation costs and improving truck loading and store replenishment efficiency.
Since opening its Tokyo demo center in 2023, Japan has emerged as both a demanding market and a strategic reference point. Over the past two years, Japanese customers have accelerated the adoption of artificial intelligence-driven logistics to optimize inventory placement, forecast demand and dynamically route robots.
“A key to improving logistics efficiency in Japan is shifting the focus from cost reduction alone to value creation,” Tatewaki said. “Positioning logistics as a profit center and optimizing the end-to-end supply chain are essential.”
“A key to improving logistics efficiency in Japan is shifting the focus from cost reduction alone to value creation. Positioning logistics as a profit center and optimizing the end-to-end supply chain are essential.”
Ryu Tatewaki, Managing Director of Exotec Asia-Pacific
This philosophy underpins Exotec’s work with leading Japanese companies, including Uniqlo, Yodobashi Camera and PAL. In these partnerships, Exotec supports holistic supply chain optimization that extends well beyond the warehouse.
“We are not merely an OEM (original equipment manufacturer),” Tatewaki emphasized. “We position ourselves as an evolutionary integration partner, working side by side with customers through consulting, system integration and continuous operational improvement.”
The objective is to enable logistics to strategically drive value creation and contribute directly to revenue growth, customer satisfaction and capital efficiency.
Working with Japanese customers has also reshaped Exotec’s global standards. “Japan sets an extremely high bar for precision, uptime, service quality and sustainability,” Tatewaki said. Supported by 24/7 monitoring and an average system performance rate of around 99%, Japan has become a strategic reference market for Exotec, shaping global benchmarks that are now applied across other regions.
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, Exotec’s move to a larger headquarters and deeper customer engagement reflect its ambition to scale responsibly. Japan, Tatewaki concluded, “remains a strategic growth market and reference point that continues to shape our global technology road map and operational excellence.”
