Warehouse robotics in France: the 2026 map of Exotec, Balyo, MiR and other players

Warehouse robotics in France brings together three families of players: homegrown French pure players (Exotec, Balyo), international pallet-AMR specialists with a local presence (MiR, Agilox, the manufacturer/Easy to Carry, EP Equipment) and major conventional forklift manufacturers now diversifying (Jungheinrich, Toyota, Fenwick-Linde, STILL). This map sorts them by category, with no value judgement, to help you know who does what before an automation project.

Warehouse robotics France players: how this map was built

This map of warehouse robotics players in France draws on public sources (product pages, press releases, trade press) surveyed and dated as of August 18, 2026. It covers four families: goods-to-person systems, pallet-handling AMRs, integrators/distributors, and conventional forklift manufacturers that have added an automated range.

The goal is not to name a "best" player but to factually document who makes what, with what capacity, what navigation and what commercial presence in France. Each company mentioned deserves a neutral reading: technologies, company size and commercial maturity vary widely from one player to another, and no ranking conclusion should be drawn.

French pure players: Exotec and Balyo leading the way

Exotec, based near Lille (new headquarters inaugurated in February 2026), is France's first industrial unicorn. Its Skypod system, a goods-to-person AS/RS for bins (not pallets), has reached its 4,000th robot produced and was refreshed as a "Next Generation" version in February 2025 (source: Exotec, Voxlog). It is a benchmark for French robotics, even though it is not positioned in the autonomous pallet truck segment.

Balyo, based in Moissy-Cramayel (Seine-et-Marne), is the long-standing domestic competitor in automated forklifts: the LOWY (stacker, 1,600 kg), REACHY (reach truck), VEENY (very-narrow-aisle) and TUGGY (tow tractor) ranges, built on OEM chassis with proprietary geo-guidance and 3D LiDAR. Balyo long supplied its technology under white label to Linde/Fenwick and Hyster-Yale before developing a direct-sales offer; the company claims more than 2,000 robots deployed over its 20-year history (source: Balyo). Its capital structure has seen recent turbulence: a squeeze-out tender offer launched by SoftBank was challenged by minority shareholders, alongside a €36.6 million capital increase in November 2024 (source: L'Informé, BusinessWire).

Two younger French players round out this landscape: E-COBOT (Nantes), with its Husky Transpal/TPL1000 pallet AMRs, and Sherpa Mobile Robotics (Haguenau), with the SHERPA-F (1,200 kg).

International pallet AMRs present in France

In the segment of autonomous mobile robots dedicated to pallets, several foreign manufacturers are present in France, with very different levels of local commercial maturity.

MiR (Mobile Industrial Robots), a Danish manufacturer owned by Teradyne, launched the MiR1200 Pallet Jack in March 2024: 1,200 kg, 3 SICK laser scanners, 5 3D cameras and a top-mounted 3D LiDAR for AI-based pallet recognition (source: GlobeNewswire). It is distributed in France through certified integrators such as Fit Robotique, with a full French-language site.

Agilox (Austria) offers its ONE/OCF/ODM range with decentralized swarm navigation ("X-Swarm Technology"), distributed in France by Meanwhile France, with a blog actively translated into French.

EP Equipment (China) positions itself on price and simplicity with the EXP15, a 1,500 kg automatic pallet truck starting at around €12,000 excl. VAT, available from European stock and already documented in French.

The manufacturer (China), a global leader in service robots according to Frost & Sullivan (July 2026, across four dimensions: revenue, volumes, exports and cleaning — a ranking disputed by competitor Keenon based on another firm, IDC), announced its first autonomous pallet truck, the robot, on August 18, 2026: 2,000 kg, 3D LiDAR navigation and depth cameras, inter-floor management. It is distributed in France by Easy to Carry.

Other Chinese manufacturers (VisionNav, Seer Robotics, Hikrobot, Quicktron) have documented pallet products but a French commercial presence that is still emerging or marginal to date, with no local structure identified for most of them. KNAPP (Austria, Open Shuttle Fork) and Kivnon (Spain, K55 AGV stacker) round out the list with an already established French presence.

Conventional forklift manufacturers diversifying

The major historic forklift names have all added an automated range to their catalogue, backed by an already-established French sales network — a significant logistical advantage.

Jungheinrich (Germany) offers the ERE 225a automated pallet truck (2,500 kg) and the arculee AMR, from its 2022 acquisition of arculus, with a very comprehensive "automation" hub in French.

Toyota Material Handling (Japan/Sweden) offers its Autopilot range (BT Levio LAE250 pallet truck, CDI120 tow tractor) supervised by the T-ONE platform, with an active French blog and a published customer reference (Stolarz-Lempert).

Fenwick-Linde (Germany, the number-one material-handling brand in France) offers the T-MATIC, an automated pallet truck up to 3,000 kg with infrastructure-free optical geo-navigation, complemented by the L-MATIC, K-MATIC and P-MATIC ranges.

STILL (Germany, KION group) unveiled the AXL 15 iGo at LogiMAT 2026, a dock-focused autonomous pallet truck able to load and unload trucks with no infrastructure.

Crown (USA), Hyster-Yale (USA, "driven by Balyo" technology) and Mitsubishi Logisnext/Rocla (Japan/Finland, a European AGV pioneer) round out this group, with a French presence that varies by range.

Integrators and distributors: the local gateway

For many foreign manufacturers, access to the French market goes through a local integrator or distributor rather than a dedicated subsidiary. This is the case for Fit Robotique with the MiR1200, Meanwhile France with Agilox, or Easy to Carry with the autonomous pallet truck. This local link remains decisive: it governs flow qualification, commissioning and after-sales support, regardless of the robot's own technological maturity.

Warehouse robotics France players: the full comparison table

Where the robot fits in this landscape

The robot, distributed in France by Easy to Carry, sits in the pallet-AMR category, alongside MiR, Agilox and EP Equipment. Two things set it apart in this overview: its load capacity (2,000 kg, above the MiR1200's 1,200 kg) and its native handling of inter-floor journeys via IoT integration with elevators and automatic doors.

The manufacturer also draws on an already-established international footing in service robotics, but the robot itself was only just announced on August 18, 2026: unlike players such as Jungheinrich, Toyota or MiR, it does not yet have field experience in France. Its price is not public to date; as a benchmark, the market for autonomous pallet trucks across all brands broadly ranges from €30,000 to €150,000 depending on capacity and level of integration.

FAQ

Who are the main French players in warehouse robotics?

The two most documented French players are Exotec, a goods-to-person specialist with its Skypod system (bins, not pallets), and Balyo, which has been automating trucks on OEM chassis for 20 years. E-COBOT and Sherpa Mobile Robotics round out this landscape with more recent pallet AMRs.

What is the difference between Exotec and Balyo?

Exotec designs automated goods-to-person systems (Skypod) that carry bins to an operator, with no involvement in pallet handling. Balyo automates conventional forklifts and pallet trucks to move pallets autonomously, often on chassis supplied by partner manufacturers such as Linde or Hyster-Yale.

Is MiR a direct competitor in France?

Yes, in the pallet-AMR segment: the MiR1200 Pallet Jack (1,200 kg, launched in 2024) and the autonomous pallet truck (2,000 kg, announced on August 18, 2026) target the same use. The MiR1200 has more field experience behind it; the robot has only just arrived on the French market via Easy to Carry.

Do conventional forklift manufacturers such as Jungheinrich or Toyota also do robotics?

Yes. Jungheinrich, Toyota Material Handling, Fenwick-Linde and STILL all offer automated ranges (pallet trucks, stackers, AMRs) alongside their ride-on forklifts. Their strength is an already-established French sales network, useful for maintenance and large-scale deployment.

Related reading

• MiR1200 vs autonomous pallet truck: a detailed head-to-head between the two pallet AMRs featured in this map.
• Logistics robots: the 7 types of warehouse robot, to understand the categories mentioned (goods-to-person, pallet AMR...).
• AGV vs AMR: what are the differences?, the technology fundamentals behind each player.
• Autonomous pallet truck: a complete overview, the full spec sheet for the pallet truck distributed by Easy to Carry.
• Autonomous pallet truck price in 2026, to place the price ranges mentioned in this article in context.

Want to see where your project fits among these players? Easy to Carry distributes the robot in France and helps you qualify your pallet flows. Discover the autonomous pallet truck or contact us for a no-obligation conversation.