GNC Automates Warehouse Audits to Slash Backorders

The transition to Corvus Robotics drones has turned a monthly inventory cycle into a daily routine. For Bill Monk, GNC’s vice president of distribution, the shift was necessary to address the persistent issue of ghost inventory—items missing from shelves despite system records. Since integrating the technology two years ago, nonshipments have dropped from hundreds of units daily to approximately 98. The drones use onboard AI for precise navigation, allowing them to identify misplaced pallets, fallen boxes, and discrepancies that previously required hours of tedious manual labor.

Beyond accuracy, the automation has reshaped the warehouse culture. The inventory team, once tasked with the monotonous grind of counting thousands of pallets, now focuses on auditing drone data and resolving complex discrepancies. Employees like senior inventory specialist Tammy Lacher report higher job satisfaction, as the drones handle the repetitive scanning while humans tackle investigative problem-solving. This change has also served as a tool for retention in a sector often plagued by high turnover.

Technical constraints remain, particularly regarding the plastic-wrapped pallets common in the 70-inch-wide aisles. Flapping plastic can interfere with rotors, requiring staff to maintain a tidy environment before flight. Furthermore, the drones are limited to reserve inventory; they cannot peer into partially picked boxes. Despite these hurdles, the system has proven its worth by catching errors that human operators missed—including a data entry mistake that miscounted 600 boxes as 60. By bridging the gap between raw data and warehouse operations, GNC has turned a maintenance burden into a responsive, high-performance inventory system.