Today, warehouses used by Amazon or Zalando are fully automated and digitally integrated. However, when it comes to warehouses storing bulk materials (such as metal ores, rice or fertilizers), the digitalization process is years behind. Inventories, needed for accurate sales and logistics planning must be estimated manually or are heavily affected by measurement errors.
To eliminate these challenges, Tinamu’s co-founders by David Lanter, Daniel Meier, Samuel Oberholzer, and Tobias Nägeli, developed a solution that uses drones as flexible, flying sensors for highly efficient and fast data acquisition, also requires a single person to perform a full warehouse inventory. This enables automating large-scale repetitive inspection workflows. The 2018-founded startup does not produce drones but uses patented software technology, computer vision and AI to turn them into fully automated indoor sensors.
A 12-month pilot phase with Cotecna, which has a presence in 50 countries, confirmed up to 50x faster turnaround times for stock inspection reports and improved inventory data accuracy by up to 99%. As a result, customers benefit from reduced risk, reduced anxiety, and better operational planning thanks to clarity on the stock tonnage and better fraud control.
“Using drones indoors is still a new concept. The biggest challenges are the pilot’s skills. Our system allows everyone to use the benefits of freely placeable sensors. You can compare it with the usage of a home cleaning robot: a complex system, but everyone can use it,” said Samuel Oberholzer, CTO of Tinamu Labs.
The drone takes about 8-10 mins to complete a scan. After landing, it transmits the collected data for processing, and once processed, the data is matched to a box plan created by the client and represented in 3D, graphical and tabular format. These visual representations are available through the Cotecna Digital Twin Portal.
Following the success of their initial collaboration, the companies have entered a long-term partnership to roll out the technology worldwide. “The next strategic milestones are to roll out the system in the Benelux region and to enter into more partnerships to scale our solution globally”, elaborates Tobias Nägeli, CEO of Tinamu Labs.
Cotecna is a leading testing, inspection and certification company with over 45 years of experience helping clients trade safely and securely worldwide. The company is active in over 50 countries.
(RAN)