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Stocking shelves at IKEA just got a high-tech twist: drones now buzz through the East Palo Alto warehouse after dark, checking inventory while humans sleep. The store is the 100th in the Scandinavian chain to get the airborne assistants, which promise more accurate stock data and fewer headaches for staff.
For now, the drones will operate only when staff and customers are not in the warehouse. However, they are capable of running night and day. In some IKEA distribution centers, drones already operate all day.
IKEA partnered with Swiss autonomous drone company Verity to create the drones. Verity also works with other companies including e-commerce giant Amazon and American shipping courier United Parcel Service, according to its website.
Before the roll out, Verity mapped the store and created a “digital twin” of the warehouse, according to Verity Customer Success Manager Adam Sloan.
“Verity drones are equipped with cameras and motion sensors that enable them to navigate their environment with near-perfect reliability,” said Sloan. “Any facility co-worker can begin the process by simply clicking a button to unlock the system. The drones then take off, fly to each location they are scheduled to scan, and complete the task. This entire cycle can take place with no dedicated operator on site, including at night or at weekends, without the need for any lighting.”
“It’s really important to make sure that we have good stock accuracy for our customers,” said EPA store manager Natasha Marsh.
The drones won’t replace any of the 300 employees at the East Palo Alto IKEA, according to Marsh. And IKEA said employees would not have reduced hours due to the drones, even if their workload is decreased.
“There aren’t any coworkers whose job is just checking inventory. Currently, it’s just a portion of their shift,” she said. “Now we can allocate that time to other tasks like replenishment, picking online orders.”
The drones fly throughout aisles in the warehouse section of the East Palo Alto store and scan barcodes of products on shelves based on what employees have said needs to be checked. The goal is to improve IKEA’s stock accuracy, employee satisfaction and employee workload.
Verity claims to have a reliability rate of 99.992%.
“IKEA knows we are in an omnichannel environment and the partnership with Verity gives us more time and efficiency,” Marsh added, who explained that IKEA wants customers to have a seamless experience in stories and online.
The drones have been in a trial phase since February and became fully operational in March.
