The drone strategy by Walmart on automated warehouse inventory is by far the most achievable due to the harmless nature of indoor drones. Indoor drones are considered harmless since they do not pose a threat to airlines or contravene the air safety. According to an article by Quintana in The Telegraph on 18 April 2016, an automated drone crashed on an Airbus A320 when it was approaching the Heathrow Airport. Such an incident might pose a major disaster and deaths had the drone crashed at the aircraft engines. The article also states that more than 100 drone incidences are reported to the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) every month. Apart from air safety, less equipment and human resources will be required for automated warehouse inventory. The reduction of material and human resources improves the overall warehouse productivity. Errors such as storage errors can be identified and corrected by the automated warehouse inventory drones thereby improving the stock reliability and quality of services.
On the other hand, the Amazon’s drone strategy will not work unless various policies regarding drones are set in place. The current outdoor airspace is full of private drones, some for commercial purposes while others just fly about for fun. The increasing number of uncoordinated drones increases the chances of the drones bumping into each other. Transportation may also be a challenge since drones can only carry limited weight objects. The strategy, therefore, locks out bulky shoppers, who contribute higher revenues to the company. In a mischievous society, Amazon drones might be prone to hacking through penetrating and interfering with the systems coordinating the drones and thereby leading to loss of goods and revenue. Drones can also be brought down by traditional approaches such as BB guns and slingshots. These factors combined work against the success of drones in home delivery, and the expected efficiency and quality may not be achieved.
- Quintana, Elizabeth. “Drones Are Not Toys – They’Re Dangerous, And They Must Be Regulated.” The Telegraph, 2016, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/04/18/drones-are-not-toys–theyre-dangerous-and-they-must-be-regulated/.
