Introduction:
Some companies are using drones to deliver packages to customers and the big question is which companies use drone delivery? Both online buyers and sellers are concerned about delivery time. Technologies, services, and businesses have been developed in response to the demand for speed. One-day delivery through mobile vehicles is insufficient for speeding up the delivery process. Consequently, retail giants and eCommerce platforms are now trying to adopt new and faster methods to simplify customer service. Due to the highly growing e-commerce market in 2022, drone delivery companies are a thing to talk about.
As a means of integrating speed in their services, companies are now shifting their attention to commercial delivery drones, which will offer seamless delivery, the opportunity to expand their market, and competitive growth. In order to deliver packages to a location that has become the new focus of e-commerce giants, unmanned aerial vehicles or drones have greater potential.
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What is Drone Delivery?
Both consumers and companies are adopting drones rapidly, and the retail industry is leading the way. The most well-known and readily apparent use of drones for retailers is drone delivery.
According to Amazon, Alphabet, and other tech giants, drone delivery services can play a significant role in e-commerce fulfillment in the future. A number of major retail and logistics companies around the world are testing drone delivery systems and services to solve the problem of “last mile” deliveries.
Several companies have already taken the first step.
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First Drone Delivery – A Domino’s Pizza
In November 2016, Domino’s drone delivery partner Flirtey delivered a pizza order to a customer’s door at 11:19 a.m. outside Whangaparaoa, New Zealand, about 25 kilometers north of Auckland. Just for your information, the first drone delivery was a Peri-Peri Chicken Pizza and a Chicken and Cranberry Pizza.
Using GPS navigation, Flirtey’s DRU Drone was autonomously controlled by a team of drone experts and a pilot to drop off the pizzas.
Where delivery drones have worked
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is developing its own version of the futuristic delivery service. Alphabet subsidiary Wing is delivering parcels by drone in Logan, Australia. In August, the delivery drone company, formerly part of Google’s “moonshot” initiative, announced that it had delivered its hundred thousandth package.
Over 10,000 cups of coffee, 1,000 loaves of bread, and 1,200 roasted chickens have been delivered using the drones. The company says it has not experienced one single delivery issue during its flights in Logan, and has run thousands of internal flight and delivery tests at the same time.
Wing, which expanded operations in Australia this year, plans to expand its U.S. office in Christianburg, Va., and expand into Finland “in the near future.”
Wing’s drone deliveries are automated, however they are monitored by pilots who function more like air traffic controllers than anything else. The routing of deliveries is determined by factors such as distance, weather conditions and airspace regulations, and deliveries are made to homes using a winch, without requiring human interaction.
Are there any new steps that are being taken to leverage drones for commercial delivery?
The Federal Aviation Administration announced two safety rules for UAVs in 2020. In the US, these new rules anticipate the advent of commercial drones for package delivery and logistics. The regulations address the security, safety, and privacy concerns associated with the innovative and advantageous use of drone delivery systems and technology.
The pandemic has also caused a surge in growth in the eCommerce market, while the platforms need to increase the smoothness of their services. Hence this environment is the catalyst in determining the shifting interest of the companies to the commercial drone deliveries.
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Advantages of Drone Package Delivery.
Drone package delivery has the following advantages:
- Direct routes and shorter routes can be considered during air deliveries, saving the companies a lot of time.
- Delivery vehicles are expensive. With drones, the operational costs are lower. As a result, costs will be reduced.
- ML (Machine Learning), Geospatial mapping, and IoT (Internet of Things) all contribute to high accuracy in package delivery.
- The connectivity to harsh terrains and remote regions like mountains, hills, and jungles becomes easier.
- By limiting human intervention, contactless delivery is facilitated, which is convenient.
- Carbon footprints are reduced as a result of reduced energy consumption.
Hurdles Associated with Drone Delivery
In order to facilitate drone delivery, companies might encounter the following challenges:
- Altitude, drone weight, navigable airspace, drone operation span, and privacy laws are all problematic.
- Drone delivery currently has a shortage of skilled and experienced resources.
- Initiating and implementing drones is expensive. The cost of setting up the launch pad, aligning drone movement, technology and software, licenses, R&D, and training facility are huge.
- Some people are not likely to accept drone deliveries due to security, safety, and privacy concerns.
- Snow, wind, rain, and other climatic conditions will affect drone delivery efficiency.
- Possible changes in damage to packages and theft of packages along with the drone equipment are possible.
12 Top Commercial Drone Delivery Companies
Here is the list of companies that use drones to deliver packages via the air. Even though drone delivery facilities are still limited in number and form, some companies are taking advantage of this service. Therefore, you should check out who is leading the way in parcel delivery.
Source: YouTube
Small drones will allow Amazon to deliver packages weighing between 5 and 30 pounds using Prime air drone delivery. They are currently working on developing and testing their Prime Air facilities. Its development and testing activities are taking place in the UK, US, France, Austria, and Israel.
In 2020, Amazon will be able to operate its Prime Air drones with the approval of the FAA. This will allow Amazon to deliver packages safely and effectively to their customers, as they believe. Amazon announced its Prime Air drone facility at the re: MARS conference. A grant was also granted for the company’s ground-based drone fulfillment services in 2017.
2. Flytrex
Providing end-to-end drone delivery services is what Flytrex offers clients looking for drone delivery. Restaurants, retailers, delivery companies, and eCommerce marketplaces use the company’s automated drones.
Flytrex’s drones are capable of delivering packages weighing up to 6.6 pounds. Their range is 6.2 miles.
This company began delivering packages by drone in Israel in 2013. In the eCommerce space, as a supplier to the drone manufacturers. In Iceland and Reykjavik, drones are used for the delivery of groceries and other goods. A test program is being conducted in North Carolina and North Dakota. In a recent news report, Walmart announced that they will be using Flytrex drones to support their North Carolina pilot program with the use of drones in their supply chain.
Source: YouTube
Based in San Francisco, this company operates from distribution centers strategically located at the heart of each of its service regions. The drone flights and fulfillment operations are overseen by local personnel hired and trained by Zipline. By using its drones for delivery, Zipline offers everyone quick and convenient access to medicines that are in demand. Their belief is that drones can fulfill such needs of delivery and can bring about a great deal of change in logistics.
10. Matternet
As a drone shipping company, Matternet has quite a reputation in the drone delivery industry. Founded in 2011, the company began operating in 2012. Using their proprietary Cloud Platform, M2 Drone, and Station, this company offers end-to-end drone delivery solutions.
Matternet offers drone delivery services in the eCommerce, healthcare, and logistics sectors, where the service providers can use Matternet’s shipping methods.
They are currently operating under a Swiss aviation authority permit. This company conducts full logistic operations in different cities with this permission and authorization. The company uses drones that can transport payloads weighing 2 kilos and 4 liters up to 20 kilometers.
Customers place orders through Matternet’s proprietary software platform. They then create delivery routes for their drones, which they monitor, command and control to operate the assets of the company.
11. Boeing
As Boeing tests its autonomous flight technology, it is focusing on larger unmanned cargo air vehicles. Through Boeing Horizon X Ventures, the company has also invested in Matternet, the drone logistics platform.
12. Uber
Uber Eats, Uber’s food delivery business, wanted to use UAVs by 2021. A test is planned for San Diego this summer.
A federal program is testing the potential impact of commercial drone flights in low-altitude airspace in San Diego, California, with Uber participating along with Alphabet and FedEx.
Although Uber’s plans for drone delivery are worlds apart from its bold vision for autonomous flying taxis, Uber Eats is a robust business for the company.
Uber still envisions autonomous flying taxis in the future. By 2023, the company plans to launch flying taxis in Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth, with testing beginning as early as 2020.
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