Automation providers are moving into cold chain. Last week, Gather AI announced its expansion into freezer and cold storage warehouse environments. The Pittsburgh-based company said its drone inventory system will now be able count temperature-sensitive items.
The U.S. cold storage market size was valued at $40 billion in 2023 and could reach $97 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research. It attributed this growth to technological advances in packaging, processing, and storage of temperature-sensitive items.
At the same time, the rise of e-commerce has accelerated delivery timelines. Now more than ever, inventory accuracy is crucial, noted Gather AI. Traditionally, staffers across food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and chemicals and technology have had to physically cycle count in harsh freezer environments.
Gather AI says drones accelerate inventory taking
Gather AI said it has developed supply chain artificial intelligence to decrease the cost of inventory, improve productivity, and boost revenue. Carnegie Mellon University alumni Sankalp Arora, Ph.D.; Daniel Maturana, Ph.D.; and Geetesh Dubey founded the company in 2017.
“Our automated solutions are designed to enhance both employee experience and operational efficiency, helping businesses achieve greater productivity in their facilities,” stated Arora.
Gather AI said its computer vision technology enables drones to fly autonomously through warehouses with no GPS, Wi-Fi, or infrastructure changes needed. The company added that its machine learning algorithm analyzes inventory pictures and reads and interprets beyond the barcode. This includes lot codes, text, expiration dates, case counts, and occupancy information.
The company raised $17 million in Series A-1 financing in March. It has also added inferred case count and location occupancy capabilities.
Warehouse operators can compare their real-time physical inventory with warehouse management system (WMS) data. Gather AI said its system scans 10 times faster than traditional means in the freezer environment — up to 900 pallets per hour.
In addition, it can improve inventory accuracy by up to 70%, said the company.
“With this technical challenge solved, we’re excited to support businesses in meeting heightened inventory counting and accuracy standards, while enabling employees to spend less time on manual tasks in these demanding conditions,” he added.
How automation can modernize cold storage
Gartner AI claimed that its freezer and cold storage inventory capability is an industry first. With drones doing the counting, employees can comfortably view the results from a dashboard away from the cold, it said.
The company listed potential benefits of its expansion into freezer and cold-storage warehouses:
- Reduce the time staff spends in challenging conditions
- Ensure FIFO (“first in, first out”) compliance to guarantee inventory freshness
- Monitor inventory age and expiration dates to reduce waste
- Prevent shrink and reduce mispicks, fulfillment delays, and partial shipments
- Realize the full benefits of traceability and digital twin visualization
The Gather AI system is currently deployed across third-party logistics (3PL), retail distribution, manufacturing, food and beverage, and air cargo. Its customers include GEODIS, Langham Logistics, NFI Industries, Barrett Distribution, and the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES).
“We use business intelligence solutions like Gather AI to give our life sciences customers total inventory visibility, control, and compliance,” said Cathy Langham, CEO of Langham Logistics. “After engaging Gather AI in 2022, we went from a 97% accuracy rate to over 99% accuracy.”
“With the expansion into cold storage and freezer locations, we expect the same accuracy gains and up to 10X faster cycle counts,” she said. “This will improve results for our clients and ultimately get product into the hands of people who need it most — quickly, accurately, and in peak condition.”