Walmart: Inventory control via drone

Published on: June 10, 2016 / Update from: November 26, 2018 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Walmart plans to use drones in the warehouse (Source: Walmart)

The topic of drones has been high on the agenda for many companies – retailers and logistics providers – for some time now. Well-known companies such as Amazon and DHL with delivering goods by drone for a long time. So far, however, it has remained a matter of individual test projects and there is no date in sight for widespread use of the devices. Now the US retail giant Walmart says it is close to integrating drones into its daily work processes. However, the flying helpers are not intended to transport goods to customers, but rather are used in the company's own distribution centers for intralogistical purposes. Your main task will initially be checking inventory levels. After a six to nine month test phase, the drones could then be used across Walmart's 190 distribution centers across the United States.

At a presentation of the new technology in one of the company's megastores, the remote-controlled flight of a drone through the aisles of the warehouse was demonstrated for the first time. During its flight, the drone creates 30 images per second and in this way catalogs all the items on the shelves. These photos are automatically evaluated immediately. If it is determined that inventory is running low or is incorrectly classified, information is sent to the user. This is done using a colored indicator. If this flashes red on the control unit, a storage error is signaled. A blue light indicates that a product is missing. Green, on the other hand, means OK.

Fewer regulations for indoor use of drones

In contrast to the operation of drones in public spaces, as is necessary for delivering goods to customers, supervision by a pilot is not required for indoor flights. This means that the flying objects can operate within the department store automatically and without personnel-intensive control. There are also no unexpected obstacles within a warehouse, which makes the autonomous orientation of drones much easier.

The camera technology used by the drone was developed specifically for Walmart. With their help, the devices can check an entire Walmart warehouse within a day and place repeat orders if necessary.

Drones – efficient and fast

Previously, these time-intensive tasks were carried out manually by employees, but Walmart hopes to be able to significantly speed up the process with the help of drones. According to Walmart's vice president of engineering, Shekar Natarajan, the devices can scan as many products in a day as a worker does manually with a handheld device in a month. In addition, drones are significantly cheaper to operate than human employees. In addition to saving time, Walmart is primarily hoping for more efficient use of its staff. Instead of in the warehouse, these could be used in other, more productive areas. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that job cuts will be an additional consequence.

It is to be expected that logisticians will take a very close look at the further course of the test; The use of drones could help to manage key areas of intralogistics even more efficiently in the future.