BY BEN AMES, SENIOR EDITOR
FACILITY AND YARD SYSTEMS
Technology
WHEN CONTRACT LOGISTICS SPECIALIST
DHL Supply Chain wanted to improve security
at company warehouses in Mexico and Brazil, the
Deutsche Post DHL Group unit deployed flying
drones with surveillance cameras.
When transportation and logistics service provider XPO Logistics Inc. wanted to beef up security in its employee parking lots, the company
rolled out mobile security robots outfitted with
video cameras, heat sensors, two-way speakers,
and alarm sirens.
Both companies are turning to new technologies
to address the age-old problem of safety and security at distribution centers, parking lots, loading
docks, and yards. Drones and sensors are taking
on larger roles in facility and yard systems, providing capabilities like airborne reconnaissance and
24-hour surveillance that previous generations of
systems could not offer.
“Robots offer exciting new capabilities in terms
of productivity and security,” XPO President Troy
Cooper said in an e-mail. During a test beginning
in October 2017 at XPO’s Atlanta facility, the use
of robots reduced the number of security incidents
while cutting costs, Cooper said. (XPO declined to
share specific numbers on the extent of the reduc-
tions.) In addition to cutting down on incidents
like trespassing, car break-ins, and car damage, the
robots ensure a workplace is free of intruders and
that no suspicious vehicles are parked at a facility,
Cooper said.
Drones are becoming an increasingly common
sight in transportation applications, according
to a March survey by the American Association
of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO). The survey found that 35 out of
44 responding state departments of transportation—or 80 percent—are using drones for tasks
including bridge inspections, surveying, photography of highway construction projects, emergency
Warehouses turn
to drones and
sensors to beef up
security in their yards.
There’s a
new (high-tech)
sheriff in town
