GXO Deploys 127 Exotec Robots for Guess Fulfillment in the Netherlands

GXO Logistics and Exotec announced on September 15, 2026, the successful deployment of the Exotec Skypod System at GXO’s facility in Venlo, the Netherlands, where GXO operates fulfillment for global fashion brand Guess. The robotic installation includes 127 robots, 60,000 rack locations, eight goods-to-person picking stations and 200 meters of conveyor network, and processes between 40,000 and 70,000 pieces per day, the companies said.

GXO said the automated solution is enhancing fulfillment operations for Guess across EMEA and Asia by increasing throughput, improving productivity and supporting future growth. At the Venlo site, GXO manages inbound logistics and value-added services, including quality control and garment conditioning, as well as outbound distribution for Guess to retail stores across EMEA and Asia. The joint announcement was datelined Wasquehal, France and Eindhoven, Netherlands.

System Design and Integrator Role

The system can achieve throughput of up to 2,200 order lines per hour during peak periods, according to the announcement. An Exotec case study of the Venlo project states that Exotec acted as full system integrator, delivering a complete end-to-end solution under a single point of responsibility. Rather than assembling components from multiple vendors, GXO chose a single integrator to simplify accountability, reduce integration risk and ensure every component in the chain was optimized to work together for Guess’s distribution needs, the case study states.

Under the design described in the case study, Skypod robots navigate the rack structure and bring goods directly to operators at the eight Order Mover goods-to-person picking stations. The 200-meter conveyor network connects the storage, picking and dispatch zones, while specialty machines address handoff points throughout the flow: a spiral conveyor handles vertical movements between levels, tray-box joiners and separators enable consolidation and mixed-unit handling, and a tote destacker feeds the picking stations automatically. Exotec coordinated integration and end-to-end deployment across the facility, and the companies said the system was tailored to the requirements of fashion logistics, including high SKU counts, seasonal demand fluctuations and evolving customer needs.

Guess carries thousands of SKUs across sizes, colors and seasonal collections, each requiring precise handling, picking accuracy and the ability to scale rapidly during peak periods, according to the case study. At Venlo, GXO was handling a large and seasonally variable volume of Guess products while preparing to absorb new e-commerce flows for Benelux. The combination of volume volatility, SKU variety and a growing scope of value-added services meant incremental improvements to the existing setup were no longer sufficient, the case study states. Mark Donné, Operations Manager at GXO Venlo, said in the case study that the operation had been looking for ways to automate and that the central question was how to reduce the picking effort.

Since go-live, processing times have been reduced to a single day, and the ramp-up was among the smoothest deployments GXO has experienced, the case study states, attributing that outcome to joint preparation between the two teams and the quality of on-site support during the go-live phase. Donné characterized the site, previously a high-pressure and heavily manual environment, as calmer and better organized following the deployment. E-commerce fulfillment for Benelux is set to go live imminently at the site, and the case study states the system provides the capacity and responsiveness to serve Guess’s retail network across EMEA and Asia while absorbing the added e-commerce volumes.

“The impact has been evident from day one,” Donné said in the announcement. “Our automated solution with Exotec, tailored specifically for Guess, has helped take our operation to the next level, enabling faster processing, greater predictability and a smoother workflow across the site. As our business with Guess continues to grow, we have the scalability and flexibility needed to support future demand.”

“Fashion logistics doesn’t tolerate approximation — high SKU counts, seasonal spikes, and EMEA-wide distribution require precision engineering, not off-the-shelf automation,” said Wim Vermeir, Senior Sales Executive Benelux at Exotec. Vermeir said the system was designed with GXO specifically for those demands and that the resulting operation supports both current performance and future growth.

Partnership History and Company Profiles

GXO announced on December 11, 2024, that it had extended its agreement with Guess in Italy and the Netherlands to 2032. GXO has managed operations for Guess in Italy since 2011 and in the Netherlands since 2017. In the Netherlands, GXO operates a bonded warehouse for clothing that also handles tax operations linked to imports and exports. GXO had already deployed ProGlove scanners, garment sorters, parcel sorters and auto-inducting machines for Guess, and in December 2024 it said it planned to introduce AGVs in the Netherlands in the coming months, with additional technology solutions to follow under its continuous improvement program.

GXO Logistics, Inc. (GXO ) describes itself as the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider, with over 150,000 team members across more than 1,000 facilities totaling more than 200 million square feet and corporate headquarters in Greenwich, Connecticut. Exotec, a global warehouse robotics provider, says more than 75 brands, including Oxford Industries (OXM ) (Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer), Carrefour, Decathlon and UNIQLO, use its systems across more than 200 sites worldwide, and that it designs and manufactures its own technology as a single automation provider. According to GXO’s December 2024 release, Guess and its partners and distributors operated in approximately 100 countries as of July 29, 2023, when the company directly operated 1,023 retail stores in the Americas, Europe and Asia and its partners and distributors operated 546 additional retail stores worldwide.