Drone Inventory Checks Win Industry Award as Logistics Automation Accelerates Across Europe
27.06.2026 - 01:20:47 | boerse-global.de
The Verity AG has been awarded the IERA Award on June 26 for its GPS-free drone system that performs daily inventory checks in warehouses. The system processes up to 500,000 images each day to spot shortages in logistics centers, reducing stockouts without requiring human navigation.
The technology won the prize just as a Prologis study released on June 25 confirmed that 30% of modern logistics properties in Europe are now partially or fully automated. That figure stood between 20% and 25% five years ago. Fully automated facilities account for only 3–5% of total warehouse space today.
Premium rents and longer leases for automated sites
High-automation warehouses command roughly 10% higher rents and enjoy contract terms that average one year longer than conventional spaces. Industry analysts project that by 2035, every second logistics property could be automated. In Germany, 42% of executives have made automation their top priority for the current year.
AI slashes border crossing times
The technology’s impact is already visible at physical checkpoints. Westwell, a company operating at crossings between China and Mongolia, uses AI-controlled vehicles and a management platform to cut clearance times by about 40%. At the Mandula Port, vehicles clear customs in under 30 seconds — a nearly 60% reduction in transport time.
Similar efficiency gains are emerging in security. A major US airport recently installed Liberty Defense’s HEXWAVE system, which combines millimeter-wave technology with artificial intelligence to automatically detect weapons and explosives while speeding up passenger throughput.
Daimler Truck opens vast automated center
In Halberstadt, Daimler Truck has launched a global logistics hub spanning 260,000 square meters. The facility stores roughly 300,000 different spare parts using a 40-meter-tall automated high-bay warehouse and a robotic Autostore system with 56 units. Near Lüdenscheid, toolmaker Hasco expanded its automated small-parts warehouse to more than 35,000 bins, enabling same-day order processing.
Digital twins for virtual testing
Alongside physical automation, companies are investing in digital simulation. NavVis, NVIDIA, and the KION Group have announced a partnership to use digital twins for optimizing material flows and robot coordination. The aim is to test processes virtually before deploying them in real operations.
