Productivity Solutions: Dermalogica speeds inventory counts with drones
Autonomous inventory scans increased imaging frequency by 600% and freed 120 labor hours each month.
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For Dermalogica, missing inventory can quickly become lost sales. The professional skincare company bases production on specific sales forecasts and keeps little extra inventory on hand, making it important to know exactly what is available inside its primary distribution center.
At Dermalogica’s California headquarters, one employee was responsible for counting inventory. It could take about two months to work through the entire facility.
That approach limited how often Dermalogica could check inventory across a distribution operation serving retail, wholesale and e-commerce customers worldwide. By the time one count was finished, weeks had passed, making it harder to maintain a current view of products and open storage space.
“The biggest financial impact is not having missing inventory. If we can’t find something, we can’t sell it. And it’s really tough to recoup from that kind of lost sales opportunity,” says Jason Brown, director of U.S. logistics at Dermalogica.
Dermalogica turned to an autonomous inventory system (Corvus Robotics) to speed up the work. The Corvus One system uses drones equipped with cameras, computer vision and onboard artificial intelligence to scan inventory locations without the need for a human pilot.
The drones operate between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m., outside the facility’s active picking hours. As the drones move through the warehouse, they capture high-resolution images and inventory data to locate products, check accuracy and report how much storage space is occupied.
Dermalogica didn’t have to make any changes to the warehouse to get the system running. The work was done during regular hours with no downtime, and the drones were in use within two weeks.
The change sharply increased the frequency of inventory checks. Dermalogica now images the warehouse 52 times per year, a 600% increase compared with its previous manual process.
The company also repurposed about 75% of the cycle counter’s time, freeing roughly 120 labor hours each month for other work. Instead of spending most of that time moving through the building and counting products, the employee can focus on other operational tasks.
“Now with Corvus One, we were able to repurpose that person for about 75% of what they’re doing, and that’s freed up about 120 hours for that employee to be doing something else per month,” Brown says.
The more frequent scans also give the company a clearer view of warehouse capacity. Occupancy reports show how much space is available, helping the operation plan inventory and make better use of the building.
For Dermalogica, the drones have turned inventory counting from a two-month manual task into a process that runs throughout the year. The result is more frequent inventory data, fewer hours spent counting, and a better view of the products and space available inside the facility.
“I like the Corvus drone because it makes my job easier. It keeps our inventory accurate,” says Mark Simeon, inventory supervisor at Dermalogica.
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About the Author
Andy GrayAndy Gray is the Editorial Director of Supply Chain 24/7. He oversees coverage of supply chain, logistics, and materials handling news, providing readers with clear and practical insights.
A graduate of Columbia Journalism School, Andy spent 13 years at Sports Illustrated and also worked at lululemon, JP Morgan, and the fitness startup MIRROR. He lives on Cape Cod with his wife, son, and their dog, Larry.
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