Monitoring inventories in warehouses is a labor-intensive and time-consuming task that also leaves plenty of room for error. With its latest autonomous drone inventAIRy® X, the Kassel-based start-up Doks. Innovation has found a solution that makes logistics management more efficient and reliable. Inventories in pallet high-bay warehouses will become automated and customers, e.g. in automotive and raw materials logistics, can create a digital picture of their stock.
This makes easy to identify available capacity in the warehouse and to localize lost goods. According to the inventors, inventAIRy® X saves up to 90% of the time and up to 80% of costs. Employees no longer have to worry about inventory and can spend their time on more important tasks. In addition to inventory, the drone also includes other parameters such as storage temperature, packaging conditions and possible damages. The data can be retrieved on the accompanying handheld device.
Innovation Origins spoke to the CEO of Doks. Innovation, Benjamin Federmann, about his company and its goals.
How did you come up with the idea of setting up the start-up?
Due to a connection with a research project, it was possible to conduct intensive customer interviews over three years which became the basis for the strategic planning behind the GmbH. The determined need for automation and digitization in logistics forms the basis of the original business plan and continues to form the orientation of product management to this day.
What makes Doks. Innovation special compared to your competitors? Are there other start-ups dealing with the same topic?
The competitors we know about, usually offer isolated solutions or technologies that are directly linked to a specific system (e.g. WMS). We offer an open standard, fully integrated solutions, and associated workflows and far-reaching data analytics options for e.g. core data enrichment and qualitative questions around intralogistics processes.
What was the biggest hurdle you had to overcome?
Until today, the biggest challenge has to do with the acceptance of drones paired with expectations that are influenced by science fiction films.
What motivates you to go to work every morning?
Our team, the responsibility towards our clients, the ability to develop the best solutions, and the opportunity to learn something new every day.
Was there a moment when you wanted to give up?
We never wanted to give up. There was always another defeat and setback, which – alongside the solutions for our customers – only made us stronger as a team.
And vice versa: What made you particularly proud?
Every cent of turnover makes us proud. In B2B sales, all sales are hard-earned and each time a manifestation of success for everyone – from the idea, through development, on to production, and finally to implementation at the customer level.
What can we look forward to in the coming years, in other words, what can we expect from Doks. Innovation?
We are planning significant further development of the most important solutions – inventAIRy X, summAIRy, and delivAIRy. At the same time, we will aim our marketing significantly more on an international level and continue to grow along with our customers.
What is your vision for Doks. Innovation?
We want to become the largest provider of automated data collection with a focus on warehousing, inventory, inventory recording, and documentation as well as masters in data in Europe.
Interested in more start-ups? Read all of the articles in our series here.
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