HIGHLIGHTS:
• Garuda’s drones will be among those flown to replenish inventory
• Between seller-run stores and a drop point, according to food tech and delivery company Swiggy
Garuda Aerospace, an Indian drone manufacturer based in Chennai, is in the midst of a flurry of preparations. Drones from the company will be used in a first-of-its-kind, real-world trial in India, where drones will be used to speed up the grocery delivery process (by app-based delivery services).
Overview
Garuda’s drones will be among those flown replenish inventory between seller-run stores and a drop point, according to food tech and delivery company Swiggy. The delivery executive would then transport the products to the customers’ location.
These trails are expected to begin in Bengaluru and then move to Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).
WION spoke with Garuda Aerospace’s Founder and CEO, Agnishwar Jayaprakash, to learn more about the work being done to make this trial possible.
According to him, grocery delivery trials will take place in Bengaluru and Hoskote, a town about 30 kilometers from the former, in the coming weeks. He went on to say that the drone deliveries would be for real customers, not mock orders.
To reduce the number of permissions and approvals required for such a trial, we’re starting in Hoskote, a smaller town with a lower population density. “While 80% of the trials will involve drones transporting groceries from a seller location to a pickup point (where the executive will pick it up), the remaining 20% will involve drones delivering groceries last-mile,” he said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated Garuda’s drone manufacturing facilities
Garuda said it expects to manufacture about 50,000 drones in India next year after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the company’s drone manufacturing facilities in February. “We’ve also received signed confirmation orders for over 8,000 drones from Malaysia, Panama, and the United Arab Emirates,” the company said.
Ocgrow Ventures, based in Canada, also contributed an undisclosed sum to the company’s Pre-Series A funding round. This round of funding is expected to serve as a warm-up for Garuda’s $30 million Series A round, which is set to take place in June 2022.
