Dronamics, a middle-mile cargo drone developer and operator, and the global full-service provider Hellmann Worldwide Logistics have announced a partnership to develop a new transport service for the cross-border transportation of time-critical goods. As part of the cooperation, Hellmann plans to offer the first routes with unmanned cargo drones from Dronamics as early as next year.
The partnership will provide customers seeking an on-demand solution for shipping goods with an integrated service, with Dronamics’ next-generation middle-mile service offering speedy delivery at a competitive cost. The two companies will work together to develop the initial routes that they will be piloting for customers early next year. The first operational area of interest will be Europe, where the regulatory environment permits operations across the European Union. Dronamics aims to be the first company to obtain operational authorization for international unmanned flights across Europe, and Hellmann considers the company to be a forerunner among long-range drone developers.
“Partnering with Dronamics allows us to provide our customers with innovative and tailored solutions especially in the growing market segments of spare parts, e-commerce and cool chain. Dronamics enables a same-day middle-mile drone delivery service with an unmatched range of up to 2,500km and an impressive cargo capacity of 350kg. We believe this will be a game-changer in logistics,” said Jan Kleine-Lasthues, COO of airfreight at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.
As part of the agreement, Dronamics will provide equipment and expertise to operate the unmanned drone flights, employing local staff in different technical roles. The first commercial flights of the same-day drone cargo services are expected to begin in 2022.