SupplyChainTalk: The future of supply chains - last mile delivery with drones

On 29 November 2023, Supply Chain Talk host Alastair Charatan was joined by Antoine A. Pratt, Supply Chain Executive Leadership Consultant; Patrick Strauss, Chief Intelligent Environments Solutions Officer (CIESO), GlobalLogic UK&I; Derek Westfall, Supply Chain Professor, Portland State University.

 

Views on news

 

One of the most ambitious efforts is the UK’s ‘Skyway’ project, which leverages mobile networks combined with technical expertise to establish a so-called ‘drone superhighway’. Once complete, the drone corridor scheme will span 165 miles (265 km) of connected airspace, linking major cities such as 

 

Reading, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Cambridge, Coventry, and Rugby and eliminating the need for line-of-sight piloting in these areas. Viability is still a question, as this would be a new road and air traffic pathway. A drone delivery from a close urban distribution centre may cost 50 cents plus battery and fuel. Another question is, how many drones can an air controller handle, which will impact the economies of drone delivery?

 

Drones and mini vehicles complementing automotive last-mile deliveries

 

One-third of the audience is already using drones for some purposes. Drones are expected to turn from a trend into a standard in the long run. Commercial drones need to comply with specific standards, and this area hasn’t been fully explored yet. In the short term, drone delivery will likely be restricted to medical, emergency and agricultural use cases. For last-mile delivery, brands must also consider the personal and reputational damage a malfunctioning drone can cause. It will probably take a lot of time to mitigate these risks. A hybrid delivery method where truck drivers deliver parcels with drones on their stops in densely populated areas sounds like a more realistic use case – the maximum altitude would be 30 feet.

 

Starship vehicles are already trundling around in parts of the UK with deliveries, and vans can be seen launching them to reach their destinations within a radius. Drones in warehouses are a much more vigorous use case, where they need to operate in a controlled environment. Considering current skills shortages in warehouses, drones may take over some of the picking and packing jobs shortly.

 

The panel’s advice

 

The factor that will be the hardest to control about drones is the weather.

 

IKEA has just bought drones for their 16 warehouses.

 

Find a purpose where drones can be relevant and create an ecosystem around them