IKEA, one of the world’s largest shopping companies, uses drones to control stock in its warehouses. Unlike many of its competitors, IKEA has large open warehouses in its shopping centers. The company is now getting more help from drones for stock control in these very large warehouses.
IKEA wants to increase drone stock control in its warehouses
The company, which partnered with drone manufacturer Verity in 2020, first started using the drone technology in a warehouse in Switzerland. Now, the partnership has expanded, and the company has started using up to 100 autonomous drones in 16 different locations based in Belgium, Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Specifically, drones operate outside of working hours. The drones fly in the warehouse with their camera systems and scan the shelves to quickly collect information about the stock status. Explaining that they save a lot of time in this way, the company says that this infrastructure increases the accuracy of product availability and provides a “healthier workplace” as it saves employees from manually counting stocks.
“We are investing in technology across the board so that our stores can better support customer fulfillment and become true centers for omnichannel retailing. Introducing drones and other advanced tools – such as, for example, robots for picking up goods – is a genuine win-win for everybody. It improves our co-workers’ well-being, lowers operational costs, and allows us to become more affordable and convenient for our customers.” said Tolga Öncu, Head of Retail at Ingka Group (IKEA).
Also, IKEA wants to bring its drone stock control infrastructure to other countries in the future. The company is also actively working on other robotic systems for warehouses and products. Drones have recently been used for air cargo transportation. IKEA has not yet taken a big step in this regard, but the company may start delivering small-sized products to the specified address by drone in the future. What is your thought about this news? You can share with us in the comment section below…
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