Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has begun testing drone inspections at its Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre (EPMC) in Wolverhampton to cut the time needed to check machinery and facilities.
According to the company, the new approach is designed to reduce certain inspection activities from around four hours to about 10 minutes.
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The trial uses the Elios 3 drone from Flyability, which is designed to access elevated and confined areas, enabling maintenance staff to examine equipment from ground level instead of using platforms at height.
The initiative forms part of the carmaker’s planned £18bn investment over five years and sits within its Future Skills programme, which targets training for 29,000 employees.
The drone is fitted with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors that emit laser pulses and measure their return to build detailed 3D models of the surrounding area.
It is also equipped with a thermal camera to highlight overheating components or insulation defects.
Operated via a tablet, it can provide live 3D visualisations to support fault-finding.
Once the Wolverhampton trials are completed, JLR intends to move to a second phase at its Logistics Operations Centre in Solihull, a warehouse of about 91,800m2.
In that setting, the drone will carry barcode scanners to perform automated stock checks, in place of manual inventory inspection.
Nigel Blenkinsop, executive director of industrial operations, said: “As we transform our facilities, we’re rethinking every part of our factories, including how we maintain and operate them.
“Trials like this one with advanced drone technology are helping us improve employee safety, reduce maintenance downtime and operate more efficiently.”
This week, Tata Motors-owned premium carmaker’s chief creative officer, Gerry McGovern, left the company after a long spell in charge of its design strategy.
McGovern was credited with reshaping the Jaguar brand and playing a central role in the design direction of the group’s vehicles.
