How UAV/Drones Are Making Asset Inspections Safer & More Cost Effective

UAV Drones has completely changed the way major assets are inspected, monitored and managed. Asset Inspections have always been a task that was arduous, difficult to plan, involved a lot of red tape and preparation and it was a timely task that often costs the company hundreds if not thousands to accomplish. 

VERTICAL: Asset Inspections

CLIENT: Asset Manager for Energy Company (Co. name protected by NDA – Unavailable)

Eric S. is an asset manager for an Energy Company. His number 1 priority when it comes to his position is to provide his stakeholders with monthly reporting on the asset’s inspection, monitoring, operational costs, maintenance and management. It is a difficult task especially when those same stakeholders are constantly pushing Eric to produce more timely reporting at a much lower cost.

Here were some of Eric’s challenges:

• The traditional way of completing the asset inspections always involved health risks to the workers tasked with the inspection.
• The organizing of the actual inspection itself was time-consuming and involved a lot of paperwork to be completed with insurance companies and other bureaucratic organizations.
• The quality of the data collected by the workers was sometimes incomplete because of the angles needed to capture the entire asset would cause the worker to be placed in undue danger and therefore not completed.

So, we met with Eric and took the time to review his challenges and high-level requirements. We designed a monthly action plan that gave him a full view of the asset in HD video and image form as well as data that showed Eric the asset’s wearability health and where the asset had a potential for future failure and the maintenance needed to get the most efficient management and operation of the asset. 

Here are the top 5 ways we were able to make Eric’s Asset Management task more profitable & efficient :

1) MINIMIZING RISK

Our UAV/Drones made it easy and safe to complete detailed and thorough inspections of our client’s complex structures which had hard to reach areas. They eliminated the need to endanger their workforce and the need for costly insurance coverage.

2) QUICK DEPLOYMENT

Our licensed drone pilots were able to quickly and easily launch a drone inspection within days of our meeting and each asset took between 25 and 45 minutes to complete. (the client has since purchased a monthly plan that has us doing weekly inspections as well as keeping us “on call” for emergency inspections when necessary). 

3) COLLECTION OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY

Using the drone’s camera capabilities, we were able to gather aerial photography & videography of each asset. We compiled the images and videography to easily shareable data that our client could manage, manipulate and share with his stakeholders. Our client was then in a much better position to operate the management of the assets in a more efficient way. The images of assets that needed repairs and maintenance were easily shared with the maintenance department and a more cost-effective approach to maintenance could be developed by setting priorities and schedules.

4) FLEXIBILITY

Using our UAV/Drones to complete the inspections gave the company more flexibility. There was no downtime of equipment or workforce to deal with, no need to rent or schedule additional equipment to use for inspections, no time allotment to be scheduled for paperwork and no need for additional security to be made available. All that was needed was for the company to approve our presence on site and the rest was completed within a few hours.

5) COST & TIME SAVINGS

Using our UAV/Drones, we were able to save Eric’s Energy Company thousands of dollars every month and increase their reporting on a weekly basis instead of monthly. We were also able to decrease their inspection time allotment from 10 days per month to 2 days a month (we send our certified pilot for a half day every week which brings their total inspection time to 2 days per month). The quality of the data provided have also improved the efficiency of the management of the assets as repairs are getting done on a more timely basis which improves the asset’s lifetime and therefore increases the company’s bottom line.

Overall, the time and money we saved Eric’s business by using our drones to complete his asset inspections has provided him with a more profitable management of the assets and has greatly facilitated his job deliverables for his stakeholders. Our success on this mission solidified an annual contract where we deliver weekly inspections and reporting.

Here’s what Eric had to say about his experience with Drone Services Canada:

“Working with Drone Services Canada has been a great experience. Their team of certified pilots has made the inspection of my assets a very lean and easily manageable task. Where it often took days, sometimes weeks to plan, now is a simple and quick phone call. They have managed to increase my bottom and help me bring more efficiency to my work. I highly recommend this team to anyone who is considering using drones to inspect their assets on a regular basis. I promise that if you do, you’ll never go without again.”