Gresco Welcomes New USA Drone Partner – Skydio

Article Courtesy of Tim Wiley, Sales Director – UAS

Gresco’s UAS team was recently selected by SKYDIO, America’s leading drone manufacturer, as their FIRST top-tier national Solution Provider serving the Electric Utility, Industrial, & Transportation sectors! Skydio designs, assembles, and supports its products in the USA. They also develop software in-house and source processors from U.S. companies resulting in a secure supply chain and trusted partner to enterprise customers. Skydio represents a homegrown UAS that reflects the best of American innovation, trustworthiness, and craftsmanship.

As Gresco Technology Solution’s-UAS division continues to traverse the unpaved landscape of the unmanned technology industry and its evolving federal regulatory mandates, Gresco has distinguished itself from its competitors. In doing so, GTS embraces its commitment to remain agnostic among leading manufactures and vendors so that customers can be provided with the most effective and efficient unmanned solutions that address their complex inspection challenges. Over the past year, GTS has continued to remain agile in response to industry and regulatory changes by advancing strategic relationships to develop its diverse product offerings more fully with an emphasis on high-quality American drone solutions specifically benefiting our electric utility members and customers. 

The ability to now offer an American drone technology solution to our members, locally and nationally, is an accomplishment that we’re proud to announce. The success the UAS team continues to experience has been made possible through the vision and support of Gresco’s executive leadership, cooperative members, and board of directors. As we continue to integrate the Gresco Technology Solutions brand more fully among our greater Gresco Utility Supply enterprise, we build industry knowledge that focuses on identifying inspection methods that provide cost effective, time efficient, and heightened safety standards.

Included below are just a few examples of deliverables that Skydio drones provide our Utility, Industrial, and Transportation partners.

Utilities

Enable individual pilots to do more scans in less time with reduced inspection costs, lower risk of crashing, and faster data capture. Skydio drones can fly in high electromagnetic interference (EMI) environments thanks to their vision-based navigation systems.

Telecommunications

Complete tower inspections in just a third of the time while saving lives and injury by reducing tower climbs. Operate a Skydio confidently with 360-degree obstacle avoidance, even near metal structures and through electromagnetic interference.

Transportation

Reduce inspection time by up to 80% and eliminate the need for snooper trucks and lane closures. Skydio drones can navigate under structures that block GPS signals and see 90 degrees up and down, making them the ideal solution for bridge inspections.

Construction

Save time and money by surveying construction sites from up close while autonomously dodging common obstacles like cranes. Drone-generated 3D models can assist with as-built assessments and Building Information Management.

Earthworks

Use Skydio’s advanced mapping capabilities for more efficient, higher-quality volumetric analysis, and for greater speed and accountability, even on complex job sites.

Drone Service Providers

Unlock more business by enabling operators to capture and process data more efficiently, allowing them to complete more jobs in less time with fewer re-inspection flights.

Breaking Regulatory Barriers for BVLOS Operations

Beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations are critical to enable workers to inspect wider areas, larger structures, and dangerous or difficult-to-reach environments while reducing visual observer and surveillance costs.

Skydio’s groundbreaking autonomy is the key to unlocking safe and routine BVLOS. North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) received the first-of-its-kind, state-wide FAA BVLOS approval to inspect bridges using Skydio drones.

Advanced AI Pilot Assistance

For pilots inspecting complex structures, Skydio Autonomy Enterprise Foundation unlocks enhanced functionality to help get the job done, with features designed to facilitate flight in more obstacle-dense environments and capture more precise data.

Autonomous Asset Inspection

Skydio 3D Scan fully automates drone data capture of any structure. The adaptive scanning solution uses AI to make flawless inspections of complex structures effortless for any pilot.

For more information on Skydio or how Gresco can assist with your next operation, contact us at [email protected] or 478-315-0812.