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By Chinenye Anuforo
Zipline International, an American logistics company has disclosed that its plans for Nigerian market is to bridge the supply chain gaps through its drones or “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAV), in providing much-needed access to medicine, medical supplies and vaccines to the last mile.
The company which already has a hub in Nigeria (Kaduna) precisely has set a target to build six more following successes it recorded in Rwanda and Ghana.
With a report of 300,000 commercial deliveries averaging 1,000 per day and over 3.3 million units of products delivered since its launch in Rwanda, Zipline has touched the lives of 40 million people.
Speaking during a media roundtable in Lagos, Catherine Odiase, General Manager, Zipline Nigeria, told journalists of her company’s commitment to replicate successes it witnessed in Rwanda and Ghana in Nigeria.
She stated that, the company has commenced commercial operations in Kaduna State in August 2022, with its distribution centre, located in Pambegua. Adding that, they currently operate three hubs in the state with over 100 deliveries in a day, which she said has supported government’s efforts in sending medical logistics to health facilities within the state.
The hubs, she said has the capacity of delivering medical supplies to over 500 health facilities within an 80km radius at a speed of 110km/hr.
She said Zipline operate an on-demand supply chain service that warehouses and delivers products directly to people when they need it.
“Our current-generation aircraft offer fast and reliable delivery with best-in-class safety standard rooted in design, protocols, and flight experience. Reliable in hurricane force winds, heavy rain, and extreme temperatures. Zero-emission transportation powered by renewable energy. Our service offering range from warehousing and inventory management, on-demand distribution and logistics, management supply chain optimization.”
Odiase noted that Zipline builds and operates strategically located networks of GDP-compliant warehouses, equipped with ULT cold chain storage and a purpose-built fulfilment system that maximizes access to products.
According to her, “globally, someone gets a Zipline delivery every 3 minutes. Our typical order starts with a healthcare provider placing an order via, text, mobile or web app. Zipline receives the order, picks and packs the shipment and immediately ship the order which customers can track live.
“Our autonomous aircraft delivers shipment to target facility or drop location within 40 minutes of order placement, and the drone heads back to the hub to be recovered, recharged, and reloaded.”
She disclosed that Zipline is fine-tuning plans to launch operation in Cross River and Bayelsa State.
The company is currently working with the aviation regulatory authority to finalise the required approvals to operate these autonomous aerial vehicles in both states.
