The DHL Asia Pacific Innovation Centre was launched in Singapore yesterday, and Matthias Heutger, SVP of strategy marketing and development, spoke to attendees. “We are investing in all divisions in India…The use of drones in the delivering and managing logistics is becoming increasingly important globally, especially in the remote and disaster hit areas,” he told the IndiaTimes.
While India has discussed drone regulation,so far the regulations remain open for commercial applications of drones. With the market booming for delivery and logistics companies like DHL, India seems a natural place to implement the new technologies. DHL reports that the Indian logistics industry is growing at over 10% annually, while DHL is growing its supply chain business at 25 -30% annually.
“With our emerging markets expected to generate 30 per cent of DHL global revenue by 2020, our sustained industry leadership demands that we successfully differentiate our services in these markets through well-calculated forays into new technologies, processes and products,” said Bill Meahl, Chief Commercial Officers.
The announcement that DHL will make significant investments in bringing drones to India comes on the heels of Amazon’s announcement that its drone delivery technology is functioning, although it is currently prevented from any implementation plans due to regulations in the US. Google, Walmart and other major retailers have all developed drone delivery technology, but may have to introduce them overseas before the FAA allows widespread commercial applications in the US.
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.
TWITTER:@spaldingbarker
Subscribe to DroneLife here.