Ingka, the parent company of IKEA stores, has written a blog post where they share some more information about the mini-drones that they have started using to inventory the stock in some of their European stores.
The drones used are from the company Verity, and they are specifically designed to autonomously fly around the warehouse and count items on the shelves when the stores are closed. In the blog post, Ingka writes about their inventory drones:
“We are investing in technology across the board so that our stores can better support customer fulfillment and become true centers for omnichannel retailing. Introducing drones and other advanced tools – such as, for example, robots for picking up goods – is a genuine win-win for everybody. It improves our co-workers’ wellbeing, lowers operational costs, and allows us to become more affordable and convenient for our customers,” says Tolga Öncu, Head of Retail at Ingka Group (IKEA).
As a result, one hundred busy drones are now at work during non-operational hours to improve stock accuracy and secure availability of products for online or physical retailing. This solution supports a more ergonomic workplace for IKEA co-workers as they no longer need to manually confirm each pallet.
IKEA began using Verity’s drones in one of its Swiss stores in 2021. The approximately one hundred drones that are currently used for this purpose are located in IKEA stores in Belgium, Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, and the Netherlands. Below is a short clip where you can take a closer look at Verity’s IKEA drones.
