In any warehouse, inventory accuracy is everything. It affects how quickly orders get filled, how often errors happen, and how much trust your customers have in your operation. At Taylor, we’ve always taken that seriously. But even the most experienced operators know that traditional cycle counting can be time-consuming and disruptive.
That’s precisely why we made a change!
After months of testing and research, we introduced autonomous drones into several of our facilities to automate one of the most repetitive and resource-intensive tasks in warehousing: inventory cycle counting.
The Problem With Traditional Cycle Counting
Before drones, our teams used lifts to scan barcodes on high racks manually. That often meant pausing forklift traffic, reassigning labor, and hoping no errors slipped through. Even with a solid process, it was hard to get real-time visibility without disrupting operations.
We knew there had to be a better way to improve speed, accuracy, and safety.
Bringing Drone Technology Into the Warehouse
Through our partnership with Gather AI, we deployed autonomous drones that fly through the aisles, scan pallet barcodes, and instantly compare what they find to what’s recorded in our WMS. The drones are equipped with cameras and computer vision, so they don’t need any special infrastructure or changes to our existing racking.
The best part? Operations never have to stop. Forklifts keep moving. Orders keep flowing. And our teams stay focused on what they do best.
Real Results From Real Facilities
Within the first few weeks, the impact was clear:
- Inventory cycle counting times dropped by more than half
- Count accuracy improved due to real-time barcode validation
- Teams saved hours each week by not having to climb lifts or stop operations to scan
It’s a solution that works because it fits into how warehouses actually run. No heavy setup. No long training curve. Just better visibility and smarter data.
Why This Matters for Our Customers
As a 3PL, we’re responsible for delivering inventory accuracy every day. Drones give us faster, more consistent scans, which translates into better data, better reporting, and fewer surprises. Whether we’re working with consumer goods, food and beverage, or retail fulfillment, our customers benefit from cleaner insights and smoother operations.
And because our WMS is fully integrated, customers get real-time access to updated inventory counts and images from drone scans through their customer portal.
What’s Next
This is just one of many steps we’re taking to bring automation into the warehouse in a meaningful way. As we expand drone technology across more Taylor facilities, we’re also exploring how to layer in AI-driven insights for storage optimization, audit compliance, and even predictive inventory trends.
We’re not here to chase flashy tech. We’re here to solve real problems with real tools that work.
And in this case, the solution flies.
