The Ongoing Race For Drone Delivery
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are looking for new ways to serve their customers. They’re worried about sending delivery people out since it could cause them to be exposed to the coronavirus. That could lead to a lawsuit too. In addition to this, companies are looking for ways to minimize costs. They suspect that they’ll be able to save money by taking advantage of drones. By using drones, they can deliver packages quicker and more efficiently. Plus, this option will be safer once all of the flaws are remedied.
The ongoing race for drone delivery is heating up. And, the world is getting close to drone delivery becoming a legitimate thing. Within this guide, readers will learn more about drone delivery services and the future of this service.
Amazon’s FAA Approval
There is no doubt that Amazon is working diligently to create a drone delivery network. The company would love nothing more than to layoff workers and replace them with drones. This year, it was announced that Amazon was one step closer to achieving that goal when it obtained a certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. Amazon is now the owner of a Part 135 air carrier certificate which is a must for companies that want to begin using drones to make deliveries.
The company announced it would use the approval to begin testing drone deliveries. It declined to say whether tests had already taken place. To obtain the certificate, the company verified 500 or more safety and efficiency processes. The company has confirmed repeatedly that it would like to use drones to complete deliveries in 30 minutes or less. Consumers who play situs sbobet and enjoy it should bet on Amazon being one of the race’s leaders.
Not Alone
While Amazon is going to be one of the leading companies in this race, it wasn’t the first to get the certificate. In fact, the company was beaten by USP and Wing, which is a subsidiary of Alphabet. These companies obtained certificates in 2019. Since then, UPS has used drones to make two medical deliveries to hospitals in North Carolina. In addition to this, the parcel delivery company has been using drones to make prescription medication delivered in The Villages. As for Wing, it took its drone delivery service public in October of 2019.
Right now, the service is only available in Christiansburg, Virginia. That will likely change in the near future.
Building Drones
It is difficult to say which company will win the drone delivery race. However, there is a good chance that all companies will benefit equally in the long run. One thing to consider is how the drones are manufactured. This could be a key factor because having in-house operations ensures that the company can make rapid changes when something goes awry. With this in mind, consumers should know that Google and Amazon build drones. UPS does not. Building drones is difficult and risky but it could pay dividends in the long run. By building drones, Amazon and Google will benefit from faster innovation.
As for UPS, the company has decided to partner with several startups including Wingcopter, Zipline, and Matternet.
Logistics Networks
Furthermore, these companies will need to develop logistics networks to use delivery drones effectively. This won’t be an issue for two of the companies since they’ve been in the industry for a long time. Amazon and UPS have been in the logistics business but Google hasn’t. This gives the former a big advantage. Google will need to partner with businesses to create a drone delivery network. UPS and Amazon won’t since both have existing logistics networks.
Big Advantages
At the end of the day, each company has a few key advantages. With this being said, it will be difficult to know which company will win the race. Amazon is the best when it comes to e-commerce. It has dominated this industry for many years. Ups is a traditional supply-chain company so it knows logistics better than anyone else. This could give it the advantage and the lead. Google is different because it hasn’t focused on logistics or e-commerce. However, it has something more important. At its core, Google is a tech company.
Therefore, it may excel in the area of drone development and manufacturing. The race is on and it’ll be interesting to see where things will go from here.
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