Jaguar Land Rover Achieves 95% Efficiency Boost in Factory Drone Inspection Pilot

JLR’s Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre (EPMC) located in Wolverhampton in the UK, has been trialling the use of the Elios 3 drone for inspections. This successful pilot programme is an important step forward in improving operational efficiency and employee safety and aligns with JLR’s vision for factory management in the future. 

During this pilot at EPMC, JLR has seen that projects that use the Elios 3 can cut the inspection time from four hours to 10 minutes – an improvement of 95%. The drone’s ability to reach high and confined spaces, while the maintenance teams remain safely on the floor, eliminates the need for elevated platforms and reduces risk. The drone’s speed of operation and safety improvements result in reduced downtime, also freeing up employee time for additional business-critical tasks. 

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. Just as importantly, they’re helping upskill our people in the latest digital technologies, ensuring our teams are part of our factories of the future.”  

JLR highlighted the Elios 3’s ability to work indoors, the SLAM-based LiDAR, and the thermal camera as features that make it appropriate for this type of application.

This pilot program supports JLR’s Reimagine strategy and Future Skills Program, where they aim to train employees with the latest digital and electrification technologies. Shantnu Mehta, Project Engineer at JLR, said: “I never imagined I’d be learning to fly drones as part of my role. It’s been exciting to learn how to use this technology, and the skills I’ve developed will stay with me throughout my career. Being part of such an innovative project and contributing to how we’re transforming our factories for the future is something I’m genuinely proud of.” 

The initiative is part of JLR’s £18bn investment over the five‑year period from FY24 and is being explored through its Open Innovation programme, which aims to accelerate next-generation technology and sustainability by collaborating with start-ups, scale-ups, and like-minded external organisations. 

Following the success of this pilot program, JLR’s Logistics Operations Centre (LOC) in Solihull will be the next location to trial the Elios 3. The vast warehouse space at LOC is equivalent to thirteen football pitches, around 91,800 square meters. The drone will be equipped with barcode scanners to automate inventory checks, replacing manual processes and enabling faster, more accurate stock updates. This will improve safety, reduce errors, and support better decision-making related to managing space, stock levels, and supply flow. Warehouse management of this nature is a growing use case for the Elios 3, and Flyability looks forward to the continued collaboration with JLR to explore how the Elios 3 can help support their optimization of facility management.

The efforts of both Flyability and JLR have been supported by Flyability’s local partner, Coptrz, who are the official reseller for Flyability in the UK.