Ford U.K. Plant’s Innards Under Drones’ Scrutiny

Ford employees are using cameras mounted on drones to inspect high-rise gantries, machinery, ductwork and roof areas at the automaker’s Dagenham Engine Plant in the U.K.

Maintenance workers previously used automated extendable platforms and scaffolding to check 131-ft.-long (40-m) gantries that support the plant’s heavy machinery.

Each inspection area used to take a laborious 12 hours to complete. Now, controlling drones equipped with GoPro cameras, maintenance staff can thoroughly inspect each area in just 12 minutes from the ground.

The entire plant is covered in a day, zoning in on hard-to-reach areas to ensure they are well-maintained and compliant with safety standards. With the time saved, the Dagenham team can conduct more frequent inspections without having to shut down facilities to construct the scaffolding that now is no longer necessary.

Pat Manning, machining manager at the engine plant, says Ford is evaluating the use of drones in other regions.

“We used to have to scale heights of up to 50 m (164 ft.) to do the necessary checks on the roof and machining areas,” Manning says in a statement. “Now we can cover the entire plant in one day and without the risk of team members having to work at dangerous heights.

“We’d joked about having a robot do the work when there was a lightbulb moment – use drones instead.”