This Week in Logistics News (March 16-20, 2015)

As you read this, I’ll be flying back home from Mexico City where I presented at the Logistic Summit & Expo 2015, arguably the largest supply chain and logistics event in Mexico. lt was a very informative and productive event with thousands of attendees overall (stay tuned for my takeaways from the summit in a future post). Since it’s late and I have a 3 a.m. wake up call to go to the airport, I’ll be quick with this week’s news and commentary:

When the FAA issued its much-awaited new rules for small unmanned aircraft systems (aka drones) last month, it was seen as a step back for Amazon’s drone development and testing efforts. “[These new rules] wouldn’t allow Prime Air to operate in the United States,” stated Paul Misener, Amazon’s vice president for global policy, at the time. “The FAA needs to begin and expeditiously complete the formal process to address the needs of our business, and ultimately our customers. We are committed to realizing our vision for Prime Air and are prepared to deploy where we have the regulatory support we need.”

Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, “the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday said Amazon could test its drones in open spaces, though only during the day, no more than 400 feet up and within the pilot’s site.” The article goes on to state that “under the new drone authority, the FAA will require Amazon to report monthly on the number of flights it has conducted, software malfunctions and other data, all common requirements with airworthiness certificates.”

Speaking of drones, have you seen the great Audi television commercial titled The Drones? According to the video description on YouTube, “Hi-tech advancements like drones are becoming frighteningly common. But Audi wants to remind us that technology doesn’t have to be scary. Inspired by Hitchcock’s The Birds, Audi shows how the available advanced technology in the new Audi A6 is the opposite of intimidating.”

Audi’s vision of the future with drones is intimidating indeed — and it’s what many people envision too when they think about Amazon and others delivering packages via drones. I’m willing to bet that more people would rate Audi’s commercial as being more aligned with their vision of the future with drones than Amazon’s original video for Amazon Prime Air. Watch both videos and take the poll.

[yop_poll id=”14″]

And with that, I’m ready to head home. Have a happy weekend!

Song of the Week: “Mess is Mine” by Vance Joy

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