Athens, Ohio, USA – They may not yet be as in vogue as most drone delivery companies have become, but Chicago, USA based smart drone delivery station start-up Valqari are making quiet but solid plans to have a bumper 2021 where their last inch drone delivery solution will take off in earnest.

Valqari made headlines last year when they premiered their smart Drone Delivery Station, an over two-metre-high automated drone delivery port for small packages that allows for an entirely automated and secure drone package delivery. With a sliding door at the top, the Station offers a convenient landing station with six separate storage units to accommodate multiple drone and traditional deliveries or pickups.

In other words, while other drone logistics companies are worried about getting packages to the last mile, at Valqari, they are grappling with the last inch aspect of the drone delivery value chain.

Also, according to the manufacturers, the station maintains a digital chain of custody throughout the entire delivery process to give users peace of mind knowing their packages are secure until retrieved.

Valqari have been engaged in successful tests of their project, which according to CEO Ryan Walsh, is already being used at select campuses in the USA.

Now, having planned to go global this year, the start-up has teamed up with another logistics disruptor in QuickLoadz, for a smart delivery partnership that is expected to take advantage of the automated delivery value chain.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with QuickLoadz which will allow us to expand our cargo delivery support capabilities,” said Walsh. “Our mission aligns with QuickLoadz to ultimately reshape the global logistics industry with safer, smarter and faster solutions.”

Based in Athens, Ohio (not Greece), QuickLoadz builds smart and game-changing truck beds and trailers that are able to load and unload freight containers on their own. The only thing a truck driver needs to do is stay put on his seat and punch some commands on the app on his phone, and the trailer will start and complete the process of loading and unloading a freight container without the further involvement of cranes or other heavy machinery.

This, the company claims, can be done in three minutes.

According to a statement released by the two companies, QuickLoadz’s system provides a fast, safe, flexible micro-distribution centre which can fit into a parking space allowing Valqari, along with their other partners to solve the final mile delivery problem.

Like the QuickLoadz CEO, Sean Jones said; “Autonomous delivery is here now and expanding quickly. Valqari with their partners are putting together the leading drone package delivery system. We are very excited to be working with them.”

Having made the clarity between the two companies, we have to add the caveat that they have not included the minute details of who will be responsible for what in this partnership, other than that the partnership will involve the use of parking space provided at QuickLoadz distribution centre, and that they are really excited about it.

All told though, given that Valqari specialises in automated last inch delivery for small drone packages, and Quickloadz found a niche in automated loading and unloading haulage trailers, it is interesting that the two companies found common ground in the use QuickLoadz’s micro distribution centre, and not the use of computer technologies to perfect their respective operations.