There were more than 170 exhibitors in the drone category at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. “The drone has saved us money and reduced human error.” Norman programs it, it flies over the rock piles and within a short period of time, Norman has topographic photos that allow him to count the tonnages. The Kespry drone is larger by drone standards, as it contains a four-propeller machine, but it’s easy for Norman to use, he says. What makes Kespry’s drones more durable than “off-the-shelf” rivals, says the company, is that they can withstand higher-wind conditions and handle longer flight times, which is perfect for the work that Norman does each day. Kespry’s aerial intelligence platform is used in cases such as construction, mining and aggregates, as well as insurance claims. Kespry has an aerial intelligence platform based on the use of industrial drones powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. “I was also traveling to several sites to take the measurements, and that was time consuming and costly, as well.” “We tried using a third party, but that became too expensive,” Norman says. There are also efficiencies in how quickly the work is now done. He’s seen immediate money savings, in addition to a safer work environment. Norman recently employed a drone from Kespry, based in Menlo Park, Calif., to count the tonnage (up to three percent accuracy). And then there are snakes and the Louisiana heat. In addition to inaccuracies created by not being able to see or stand on an entire rock pile, Norman had to navigate dozens of vehicles roaming the property and loading or unloading rock, from pickup trucks to 18 wheelers. “The rock piles are never uniform or square, and counting the tonnage by hand can force you to be inaccurate by thousands of tons and thousands of dollars,” Norman says. The rock piles can’t be climbed upon: they will shift and cascade down and possibly collapse upon anything that’s in the way, including humans and large machinery. In the past, that meant trying to physically measure piles that are 50 feet tall and have 50,000 tons of rock in them. He’s responsible for measuring and reporting inventory of rock piles that will eventually become concrete. Norman is the Scale House Supervisor at Dunham Price, a concrete and aggregates company in Louisiana and Texas. Several times a week, Joe Norman, scale house manager for the Dunham Price Group, has to count the amount of tonnage that’s in a pile of rocks.

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