Drone Technology in Supply Chain Management

Drone Technology in Supply Chain Management

Drones have become a trending topic recently that can invaluably assist companies in different kind of tasks. Nowadays, drones have been successfully used in various fields such as aerial photography, construction, mining activities, search and rescue mission, security, and scientific research.

Role of drones in supply chain management

Logistics companies are planning to use drone technology to simplify their supply chains. Companies are spending a lot of money to overcome problems like last-mile delivery in a logistics company. The use of drone technology can bypass the traditional road network and deliver packages, saving companies fortunes in fuel costs and delighting the customer with quick deliveries. Drones can also be actively used for inventory management, building inspection, intra-logistics, security, and yard management.

Uses of drones in various stages of supply chain management

Drone technologies open up a world of possibilities to serve a company’s supply chain. Initially, they can be used where the supply chain starts, at the raw materials phase, as it assists in prospecting for mining operations and mapping soil conditions and crop yields in case of farming. At the next stage, they can be used at manufacturing and warehousing facilities for security and safety purpose. With the help of drones, it would be easy to move small items around the warehouse in a faster, simpler, and more flexible way than conveyors, belts, or forklift trucks. Drones in distribution center would undoubtedly increase work flexibility and combine the speed of automated handling equipment with the scalability of a manual warehouse workforce.