Logistics and supply chains have always been at the forefront of embracing new technologies, especially when it comes to automating processes to deliver their services efficiently.

1. The Way Forward
ware
Copyright © FlytBase, Inc. 2021

2. w
a
r
e
Logistics and supply chains have always been at the forefront of embracing
new technologies, especially when it comes to automating processes to
deliver their services efficiently. Right from the steam engine and forklifts, to
robotic packers and delivery drones, this industry has never shied away from
exploring new and promising technologies.
In fact, thanks to the adoption of new technologies, the logistics industry holds
tremendous potential in implementing automation-centered technologies.
McKinsey Global Institute estimates that the transportation-and-warehousing
industry has the third-highest automation potential of any sector.
Amidst these promising numbers, drones in logistics are expected to play an
important role when it comes to automation, specifically for warehouses.
Market leaders have not failed in noticing this, with spending on robots and
drones forecast to hit $128.7 billion in 2020.
Copyright © FlytBase, Inc. 2021
The Inevitable Need For Automation
While automation was seen as a luxury more than a need a few decades ago,
it has now become an imperative for large scale warehouse operations.
Buying or shopping online has become extremely easy and accessible,
adopted for an increasingly larger share of both B2B and B2C fulfillment needs,
thus creating a critical need for warehouse operations to be more efficient.

3. Copyright © FlytBase, Inc. 2021
w
a
r
e
Manual inventory operations cannot keep up with the increased volume and
velocity of warehouse inventory. Labor costs have shot up tremendously, to the
point where the bottom-line of warehousing operations at large retailers and
3PLs has been severely affected. DHL recognized this challenge and invested
$300M in warehouse robotics and automation.
Another important issue faced in manual inventory operations is the safety of
warehouse workers. Despite bringing about increased safety measures, ware-
house workers are still quite prone to warehouse accidents.
Besides these economic and safety concerns due to manual operations, an-
other critical aspect is the degree of efficiency in scanning inventory. Scanning
thousands of bin locations manually not only takes up a huge chunk of time
and money, but it also brings about discrepancies in data accuracy. It is inevi-
table that there will be human errors while scanning or counting rack-pallet
and bulk inventory storage.
The Obstacles to Automation
Like any emerging technology, drone automation in the logistics sector has its
own set of challenges.

4. Copyright © FlytBase, Inc. 2021
w
a
r
e
Lack of clarity: While we read about
examples such as Amazon using
drones to deliver packages, there is
as yet little information available
about the effectiveness of drones for
warehousing operations. Due to this,
companies have been somewhat
reluctant to take the plunge,
although that’s changing rapidly, as
we gain ‘technological clarity’. Drone
Logistics and Transportation is
turning out to be a large market
opportunity, driven by the sheer
amount of intelligent technology
and domain expertise that is
required.
The second area of clarity involves
the determination of whether a
given warehouse is ‘drone-ready.
This is an extremely important question to address early-on in the journey of
drone automation for large warehouses, to help ensure that there is sufficient
ROI and a compelling payback period. You can estimate the RoI of inventory
drones for your warehouses by submitting basic information about your
inventory operations to our ROI Calculator.
The third area of operational clarity related to the government regulations that
control the drone flights. Thankfully, most of the developed countries do not
require any regulatory approvals to fly drones inside enclosed spaces i.e.
indoors. Some countries do require some permissions, but those permissions
can be obtained relatively easily since the drone flights are not outdoors, and
hence much safer.
Cost of Automation: Since robotic automation in logistics is considered a
high-cost technology, it leads to hesitation on part of warehouse stakeholders.
While custom drones do involve higher capital expenditure, the recent use of
off-the-shelf drones has made it possible to deliver quick ROI and high
operational efficiencies in inventory counting operations. Not only can
warehouse inventory managers save on labor costs, but inventory audits can
be made more fast, safe and accurate. Hence, in its truest essence, the use of
drones in logistics is indeed an ‘investment’, not just an ‘expenditure’!

5. Copyright © FlytBase, Inc. 2021
w
a
r
e
Turnaround time: Another concern for warehouse operators is the turnaround
time expected to fully deploy drone solutions for inventory counts. Generally,
the process of finding the right drones, intelligent automation software, WMS
integration capabilities, etc. as well as training warehouse staff to operate
these drones is indeed time-consuming. The time and expertise required to
actually deploy the complete solution in each facility further adds to concerns
related to implementation timelines.
FlytWare has overcome these obstacles to widespread drone adoption in
warehouse operations, by providing an end-to-end solution, starting from all
the hardware to the proprietary intelligent automation software built by us!
Moreover, FlytWare is hardware-agnostic, allowing it to leverage the safest,
most reliable, most-affordable, off-the-shelf drones.
The deployment of FlytWare in each warehouse is done by the FlytWare team
and/or local partners in US, Europe and Asia. Warehouse operators can be
trained in less than an hour to use the dashboard to plan, schedule, launch,
monitor and log drone missions; which is the only manual part of the whole
workflow!.
The Success of Drone Automation
The advantages of drones in logistics are clear and present. Take a look at how
warehouse operations can be transformed once a fleet of drones has been
deployed for autonomous inventory counts –

6. Copyright © FlytBase, Inc. 2021
w
a
r
e
1. Faster & Cheaper Inventory Scans: Inventory locations are scanned or
counted faster and cheaper, with FlytWare having shown that such counting
can be done up to 3x faster and 3x cheaper. The drones can navigate through
Very Narrow Aisles (VNAs) as well as tall racks easily.
2. Data Accuracy: Real-time analytics and comprehensive reporting, with
image proof of each barcode, help validate inventory data like never before.
This means no longer having to budget extra man-hours during inventory
audits.
3. 24/7 Availability: Launch drone scanning missions at any point in time,
according to the convenience of warehouse operations. The COVID-19
pandemic has affected the majority of the warehouse operations due to heavy
reliance on manual operators. But with autonomous drones, inventory
counting operations are being continued without any disruptions.
4. Scalability: Deployment of multiple drones at each warehouse location
helps scale up the frequency of inventory counting instantly, without
compromising on the accuracy. The payback period can be as short as 9
months.
5. Safety: Reduce or eliminate the risk of warehouse inventory staff facing
injuries during cycle counting, especially while accessing bin locations at high
rack locations.

7. w
a
r
e
Deciding to automate warehouse inventory counts by deploying autonomous
drones is not an easy decision. But, with the right technology and the right
partners, it can lead to quick ROI and more efficient operations.
We have successfully piloted FlytWare at IAG Cargo (part of the same group as
British Airways) as well as at Romark Logistics. We would be delighted to
replicate the same success at your warehouses or distribution centres!
Reach us via https://flytware.com/contact/ to see how our solution works and
how it can digitally transform your warehouse operations.
ware
flytware.com
Contact Us