Asics America is using autonomous drones from Corvus Robotics to count inventory at its 855,000-square-foot distribution center in Byhalia, Mississippi, Digital Commerce 360 reported, citing a November 10 Corvus announcement. The site holds nearly 3 million units across roughly 44,000 SKUs and serves ecommerce, stores and wholesale from one inventory pool. Drones now count two storage zones monthly, up from twice a year, flying seven scheduled flights a night and scanning UPCs while counting boxes.
Kyle Koestler, senior director of distribution and transportation at Asics America, estimated the company recovers misplaced inventory roughly 60% faster. He said misplaced items previously could go undetected for up to six months. In one three-month period, the drones found 26 misplaced cases holding more than 200 pairs of shoes.
Before the deployment, Asics withheld 12 to 15 of every 100 units from the inventory feeds it gave marketplace partners, according to Corvus. Asics said it now publishes its full availability feed, and Corvus said that lets Asics sell more at full price. The companies did not disclose any added revenue.