How drones are being used to improve warehouse inventory accuracy and efficiency

Warehouses are becoming more and more automated as companies search for new and innovative ways to not only reduce costs but also help their workforce become more accurate and efficient, all while minimizing the intensity of their day-to-day responsibilities. One way warehouses are achieving this goal is through the use of drones.

During the NextGen Supply Chain Conference in Chicago late last year, AJ Raaker, director of warehouse development with Taylor Logistics, highlighted the benefits of using drones to enhance inventory accuracy and efficiency, particularly how the adoption of artificial intelligence, such as vision-based systems, offers richer data compared to more traditional methods like barcodes.

“Here’s what it looks like: a commercially off-the-shelf drone flies itself, takes images of inventory locations and converts those into data like case counts, occupancy levels and inventory matches,” said Raaker.

Offering gains in efficiency, Raaker said drones collect billions of data points every week, providing insights into inventory health, damage and positioning, all of which come with an array of benefits, including customer visibility, service level agreement accuracy and labour reduction.

“In a facility with about 20,000 rack locations, we were able to cut about 87 per cent of the labour required for inventory management, giving time back to other programs,” said Raaker.

Installation and challenges

With a company like Gather AI – which supplies drones to warehouses for inventory management to help companies save money, reduce losses and improve productivity and revenue – the installation process includes mapping a warehouse’s rack locations using QR codes, integrating the drones with the warehouse management system and training staff on how to properly utilize the new technology.

The drones operate autonomously and do not require Wi-Fi, making them easier to deploy and scale across the facility.

Raaker said initially, the AI did struggle to complete certain tasks, such as counting the number of bags of dog food on hand. But over time, data collection and machine learning improved and accuracy numbers increased.

“Early on, we were bad at counting dog food bags. But as we collected more data, our learning got better,” he said.

Overall, Taylor Logistics saw significant improvements in inventory accuracy while also achieving cost savings and greater customer satisfaction.

“Our customers can virtually walk through the warehouse from anywhere in the world,” said Raaker. “This is AI having a real, tangible impact on supply chains—improving inventory accuracy while reducing labour.”

Drone details

• Gather AI’s drones operate at temperatures as low as zero degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit) and can fly for approximately 20 minutes before needing to charge their battery.
• When the drone battery is low, it lands and an operator swaps out the drained battery for one that is fully charged.
• One drone can scale 300 pallets per hour, including the time it takes to swap batteries.
• Set-up time depends on the size and density of the warehouse but typically ranges from four to six weeks.
• Integrated into a warehouse’s operating system, the drones’ AI scans barcodes, text and additional information in the images it takes of the products and compares that with what is in the WMS.
• Companies do not purchase the drones from Gather AI, as they are included in the service fee. If a drone breaks down, a new one is sent to replace it at no cost.