Drones are emerging as an alternative to conventional methods in supply chain, offering faster and cost-effective solution for various logistics challenges. Capable to bypass traffic, access remote or hard-to-reach areas, and automate tasks, cargo drones are transforming last-mile delivery and transportation logistics, say industry experts.
-Dr. Shehara Rizly
Beyond delivery, drones are enhancing warehouse operations by automating tasks such as inventory management, stock monitoring, and barcoding. With cameras and sensors, drones can perform real-time checks, ensuring inventory accuracy and reducing human errors. This leads to faster TAT and efficient warehouse management.
Cargo drones are also improving supply chain visibility. They can track shipments in transit and provide data-driven insights to optimise logistics operations. Infrastructure inspection is another area where drones are valuable, as they can quickly assess the condition of transport systems, ensuring their safety and integrity.
While challenges such as limited payload, regulatory restrictions, and weather dependency remain, the continuous advancement in drone technology is setting the stage for them to transform the supply chain, offering unparalleled speed and efficiency.
Equipped with advanced sensors and real-time data capabilities, they enhance supply chain visibility and reduce human errors. There are a few concerns too, which needs to be accessed such as battery life where the flight time of the drones maybe limited, and another concern is the weather. Despite these challenges, cargo drones are becoming a viable option for certain aspects of the supply chain, particularly where speed, efficiency, and accessibility are critical.
However, when it comes to last-mile delivery the feasibility of using drones becomes quite a task as we need to weigh the pros and cons. Among those, the more visible one is the cost followed by distance and vulnerability. For short haul operations it may be an apt option, however, coupled with an additional cost.
At the same time, safety could also be compromised as it is open to both physical and technical dangers. In remote areas there can be unforeseen dangers in the surrounding areas such as trees that have outgrown or something similar and it may be able to be hacked to change the route.
Education and training must to handle drones
Richard Hall, Director, Middle East and Asia-Pacific, Transport Overseas Group
The only area where this would make sense is remote geographical locations or areas without proper road coverage. The current setup of using efficient road vehicles is by far effective in deliveries. Most drones have issues with payload capabilities versus performance compared to a road vehicle as an electric vehicle. As always, employees need education and training on such products alongside legislative awareness. Also, there would need to be some pilot projects to show its technical capabilities.”
Cargo drones can be useful in interior areas
A.S. Farhan, Asst. General Manager, Freight & Logistics, Al Rais Cargo Agencies
Cargo drones can be a valuable alternative for last-mile delivery, especially in remote or hard-to-reach areas. However, they are not yet ready to replace conventional methods on a larger scale due to limitations in payload capacity and regulations. To raise awareness, the industry needs to focus on educating stakeholders through seminars, pilot programmes, and regulatory discussions. Among the factors to be considered the key criteria is the cost, hence it will take some time to understand and estimate costings for such technology.”
Drones are an alternative to conventional transport
Shailen Shukla, Director, Supply Shain, Alesayi Group Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Drones have the potential to serve as an alternative to conventional modes in the supply chain. Looking at the positive side, it will be speedy and efficient, reduce costs, produce fewer emissions and contribute to more sustainable logistics solutions. Drones can access difficult regions such as rural or interior areas. The challenges include limited payload capacity, regulatory and safety concerns. Heavy investment is needed to put up infra such as charging, landing, and loading.”
Drones can easily reach inaccessible regions
Abid Hamza, General Manager, Fast Logistics
Cargo drones hold potential for last-mile delivery, particularly in urban and remote areas. They offer speed, reduced road congestion, and can reach inaccessible locations to traditional vehicles. However, they are best suited for small-package deliveries and may complement rather than fully replace conventional methods. Regulatory frameworks should be established to ensure safe drone operations, and demonstrations of their efficiency in local deliveries can further drive adoption.”
Weather can affect drone performance, reliability
Yasser Zahreddine, Country General Manager, SMSA Express
Drones are faster, provide faster delivery time and can access remote and interior places where normal delivery resources struggle. Though adopting such new technology in mass involves significant costs and requires extensive training and integration within transportation companies. Weather, political and geographical conditions in this area can affect drone reliability and performance. Creating awareness about drones requires broad collaboration with all stakeholders, including industry leaders, tech providers, and regulatory bodies.”
Companies can benefit from faster deliveries
Yousif Najim, CEO, Orbit Logistics
Cargo drones can be a viable alternative to conventional methods in the supply chain. They offer benefits such as faster delivery times, reduced traffic congestion, and access to remote and interior areas. Cargo drones have the potential to revolutionise logistics by providing
efficient and cost-effective delivery solutions. To create awareness about the use of cargo drones, initiatives such as educational campaigns, demonstrations, and partnerships with logistics companies can be effective.”
There are issues galore when it comes to drones
Mazhar Marzook, Cargo Manager, GSA, UAE, ATTA Cargo
Cargo drones can support supply chain methods, particularly for last-mile deliveries in remote areas. We can raise awareness though industry workshops, collaborating with government agencies. The UAE is in a good position to lead these initiatives, given its focus on adopting new logistics technologies. There are many instances where a warehouse facility makes more sense to use drones in terms of keeping track of goods. In a broader environment there are still some challenges.”
Infrastructure for drones is not up to the mark
Nadeem Sultan, SVP, Cargo Planning and Freighters, Emirates Skycargo
Though cargo drones have been deployed, they are present only in certain pockets around the world. On the African continent, in some countries where the road infrastructure is not as good, drones have been deployed to deliver medicines etc. In Dubai, we see many drones flying around. It brings a new challenge when it comes to maintaining safety of civil aviation as well as air traffic.”
Drone makers, firms, govt to promote safety protocol
Dr. Víctor Mateu Acting Chief Researcher, Technology Innovation Institute
Cargo drones have the potential to revolutionise the supply chain by serving as an alternative to conventional transportation methods, especially in hard-to-reach areas. However, for this alternative to be truly viable, integrating end-to-end zero trust security, resilience, and advanced safety capabilities into the drones and unmanned traffic management systems is critical. Fostering partnerships between drone manufacturers, logistics companies, and the government must cometogether to promote protocols prioritising security and resilience.”
Stringent regulatory infra absent for cargo drones
Ram Menen, Founding Member Emirates Group and Emirates SkyCargo
There are two kinds of drones. One is the regular one, which is used for last-mile delivery. The other is involved in the Nautilus project—large commercial freighters flying on regular manned routes. So, air traffic controllers, when they are dealing with them; they do not differentiate between unmanned and manned aircraft. So those systems are currently in development.
Kenya is leading in the drone space. The regulatory infra is essential to have drones flying on specific controlled routes.”
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