As the U.S. looks to nearshore and reshore more manufacturing, automation and robotics are becoming vital to keeping supply chains efficient and competitive.
LAPP USA, a global provider of industrial cables and connectivity solutions, has introduced an autonomous drone system at its 134,000-square-foot facility in Brownsburg, Indiana. The deployment reflects a growing trend in warehousing: the use of drones to streamline inventory management, reduce labor demands, and increase accuracy.
Drones in the Warehouse
Warehouses are often complex environments with thousands of items stored on high shelves and across expansive facilities. Traditional inventory management requires significant labor hours, repetitive manual checks, and, often, overtime shifts to keep pace with demand. By adopting drones that can fly autonomously through aisles and capture real-time data, companies are finding ways to increase both speed and accuracy.
At LAPP USA, drones now complete full inventory counts 26 times per year—up from just twice annually under the old system. The shift has also eliminated weekend cycle counts, improving work-life balance for staff. “Getting the inventory in, in real-time, seeing where it is, and being able to allocate it right away to the customer is a tremendous benefit for us,” said Jason Beltran, Facility Manager at LAPP USA.
Efficiency and Accuracy Gains
The introduction of drones has not only increased coverage but also reduced labor costs by 60 percent, according to LAPP. Staff once dedicated to manual counting have been redeployed to other areas of the business. Automated discrepancy reports and imaging capabilities provide more visibility into stock location, helping the facility respond faster to customer needs.
For companies managing distribution and manufacturing under one roof, as LAPP does, these efficiencies can strengthen supply chain agility and reduce errors that delay shipments.
Broader Industry Implications
The Brownsburg deployment, powered by Corvus Robotics, illustrates how quickly drone systems can deliver measurable results. For the U.S., where policy discussions increasingly focus on reshoring and strengthening domestic production, automation technologies such as warehouse drones provide a way to increase competitiveness while offsetting labor shortages.
As warehouses expand and product demand grows more complex, drones offer a way to close the gap between what traditional processes can handle and what modern supply chains require.
As more companies explore automation, drones are becoming a key tool in transforming warehouse operations. The case of LAPP USA highlights how quickly these systems can deliver measurable benefits, from cost savings to improved accuracy and faster delivery.
For warehouse operators, drones may no longer be experimental technology—they are becoming part of the everyday toolkit for efficient, data-driven inventory management.
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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