Fiat Chrysler Automobiles And Arcadis Use UAVs To Protect Workers From The Dangers Of Aerial Inspections

This report is one in a series of case studies on the adoption of EHS technologies at prominent industrial firms. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), a €108 billion ($126 billion) London-headquartered automobile manufacturer which employs over 200,000 staff across 16 countries, partnered with global services firm Arcadis to adopt UAV technology within its operations. FCA had planned to use worker-controlled manlifts to conduct at-height voltage cable inspections across twenty-six manufacturing facilities across North America. By partnering with Arcadis to us UAV technology for aerial inspections, FCA was able to reduce overall inspection times by half while simultaneously removing workers from a high-risk activity. Additionally, the high levels of efficiency gained from leveraging the UAV allowed FCA to complete additional work within the original project budget.