For the first time, Ikea is putting drones to work in the same time and place as people. The autonomous drones assist employees with automated stock checks at its distribution centre in Genk, Belgium.
Now also during the day
Drones already perform nighttime stock checks in six Belgian Ikea stores: a cumbersome job that used to be done manually and took months. A seventh one will follow suit at the beginning of March. That pioneering project – also a world first – was awarded the Mercury prize by trade federation Comeos last autumn.
At distribution centre in Genk, Ikea is going one step further: here, the drones also carry out their tasks during the day, during employees’ working hours. Because the drones are active simultaneously with the employees, colleagues can respond in real-time to possible shortages or surpluses, work even more efficiently and deploy the drones in warehouses where operations are carried out 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
International implementation
The Belgian pilot project is now being implemented internationally: drones are already operating in dozens of Ikea branches worldwide. They make the daily work of shop employees more ergonomic, safer and less repetitive, the company says. They also contribute to a better customer experience, as drones allow employees to find products and correct errors in stock faster.
Ikea developed the drone technology in collaboration with Swiss company Verity, which developed a customised GPS system and an AI-based algorithm that allows the drones to scan bar codes and detect errors in stock. Manual stock inspections have therefore become unnecessary.
