As the UK sets about banning petrol and diesel cars, many insurance brokers specialising in classic vehicles will need to look for new product lines in the 2020s, or face gradual bankruptcy. So here’s an idea; talk to underwriters about insuring businesses large and small for drone deliveries. Yes, we know claims handlers and underwriters are already using drones to assess damage after fires, floods and other incidents, but the everyday potential is huge – if the technology can be made safe when 100s of them are flying over cities.
Unilever just showcased a drone delivery of ice cream in NYC, and given that half the population of the UK now seems too lazy to drive to a takeaway, preferring to chant `did somebody say Just Eat?’ instead, this could be the next big thing. Can we get two Greggs Steak Bakes and a Danish swirl to Bolton please?
Terra Drone Europe, a group company of Japan-headquartered Terra Drone Corporation, and the British-Dutch transnational consumer goods giant Unilever have joined forces to explore drone-delivery of ice creams in New York. In a program undertaken at Unilever’s recent annual investor event, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cups were delivered to a pre-decided destination by drone. The demo was conducted as part of Unilever’s ice cream delivery service, ‘Ice Cream Now’.
During the demonstration, a multi-copter drone was fitted with delivery box designed to carry three Ben & Jerry’s mini cups (72 g each). A flight path was set beforehand to allow the drone to carry the ice cream cups inside the Unilever’s US facility.
Watch some hypnotic Terra Drone footage here by the way;
Unilever launched Ice Cream Now, a delivery service for ice creams, in 2017. This service has already grown into a huge business worldwide. With regulations around future drone flights expected to become more flexible, the consumer goods company is preparing for a drone logistics service that will deliver products to more customers faster.
Yuki Ueno, Director of Terra Drone Europe, says, “We want to solve serious problems in the logistics field, such as carbon dioxide emissions, with drones. As deregulation progresses worldwide, drone delivery services will also increase.” Terra Drone and Unilever will continue to cooperate in the field of logistics services.
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