Drone Replaces Vehicle for Factory Logistics Operations

Drone Replaces Vehicle for Factory Logistics Operations

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A drone manufacturer, German pharmaceutical company, and the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences have recently partnered up to design, develop, and test the use of delivery drones for factory logistics operations. The pharmaceutical company, Merck, has utilized Wingcopter’s drone to ship supplies between factories in Germany.

Pigment samples have been flown in from Merck’s plant in Gernsheim to the company’s laboratory using a special drone developed by Wingcopter. The samples make the 25 kilometer flight in order to be analyzed for quality at the company’s lab. Merck usually sends out a small van that travels between the lab and factory twice a week on weekdays. The drone has made its first official flight, replacing the van, on February 5, 2020. 

These flights are part of a project to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of a long-term business model of utilizing drones for delivery operations. The main factors being assessed are time, costs, sustainability, and flexibility. Merck controls the general process of delivery and supplies the goods to be transported, while Wingcopter has developed the drone, flight plan, and carries out the flight operation, according to Uasvision.com.

The project is currently being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. The federal ministry has chosen Wingcopter for the project since the company develops drones with all the matching characteristics for air freight traffic between factories and plants. They are capable of landing and taking off vertically, but also capable of covering larger distances due to its swivel rotor design.

The main focus of the project is to determine an optimal route between the locations. Once an optimal route has been established, it is likely that the drone may one day replace ground vehicles in transport operations, eventually leading to lower logistics costs which in turn, will lead to lower pharmaceutical drug prices.

“We have already proven many times that our delivery drones offer a significant advantage over conventional, ground-based means of transport or manned aircraft in various, especially life-saving applications in remote regions of various developing countries,” said the CEO of Wingcopter, Tom Plummer. “Thanks to this unique project, we can show that this also applies to commercial deliveries in metropolitan areas of industrialized nations.”

A final evaluation of the project is expected to be completed by March this year.