A. P. Møller Maersk is revolutionizing its warehouse inventory management by using Verity’s cutting-edge drone technology. After a successful six-month trial at four of the company’s North American sites, the plan is to roll out the drones to all of its pallet storage warehouses.
Inventory management in warehouses is a crucial aspect of the supply chain, affecting flow, costs, and business decision-making. However, this task can be time-consuming, repetitive, and prone to inaccuracies, particularly when it involves workers climbing to great heights.
Erez Agmoni, Senior Vice President of Innovation & Strategic Growth for Maersk North America, says, “As a supply chain integrator, we are always seeking innovative and effective solutions for our warehouse operations. With Verity’s system, we aim to improve accuracy and safety while reducing the carbon footprint for our customers. The system has exceeded our expectations in terms of accuracy, safety, and speed, making our warehouse management system even more effective for customer decision-making.”
Verity’s warehouse drones efficiently collect inventory data by scanning barcodes and capturing images in three dimensions using high-resolution cameras. The electric-powered drones operate autonomously, returning to their charging pad when necessary and functioning even during off-hours and in low-light conditions. The system requires just one day of training for operators.
The drones take pictures of SKUs on pallets to identify any inventory errors, such as missing or misplaced items. The collected data is then compared to the information stored in the warehouse management system and distilled into actionable insights that are directly accessible through a user dashboard.
The results are stored in the cloud, making them easily shareable and providing better analytics for supply chain leaders. According to Agmoni, “The Verity solution is a key factor in helping our customers stay ahead of the competition through higher quality, faster inventory data.”
