GRUBER Logistics Optimizes Warehouse Inventory with HoverSpect Drones
Auer / Pavia – In logistics, time is money—more so than in almost any other sector. The same holds true for inventory audits. In the summer of 2026, GRUBER Logistics implemented a project-based rollout of drones for inventory management at its warehouse in Pavia, northern Italy. The key takeaway, cross-checked by the client: a dramatic time savings of up to 75 percent, reducing the audit duration from four days to just one.
The trial at the facility near Milan highlights the potential of GRUBER’s partnership with HoverSpect, a drone solutions provider specializing in automated inventory processes, which the renowned logistics supplier initiated with preliminary tests last year. Building on the insights gained in Pavia, additional test projects are scheduled for the turn of the year 2026/27 across GRUBER Logistics facilities in Verona, Padua, and Cesena.
“The successful completion of the project at our warehouse near Milan demonstrates that drones offer tangible added value for inventory management. The combination of speed, precision, and richer insights into our inventory and floor space is particularly compelling for us,” says Manuel Scaramuzza, Executive Director Logistics Services & Solutions at GRUBER Logistics. “In HoverSpect, we have found a partner capable of driving real value for us and, ultimately, for our customers.”
Lorenzo Rizzello, CEO and Co-Founder of Milan-based LogTech startup HoverSpect, outlines the core requirements of their product and collaboration with GRUBER Logistics: “Together with GRUBER Logistics, we successfully moved drone-based inventory auditing from the trial phase into practical execution. The most significant result isn’t just the time saved, but the proof that this solution seamlessly integrates into real-world warehouse operations while generating verifiable, actionable data.”
“Completing an inventory audit in a single day instead of the usual three or four delivers a massive efficiency boost,” Rizzello adds. “We are currently developing a solution to automate battery swaps—which are still handled manually—to speed up the process even further.”
Once the necessary conditions for the use of drones were established, the HoverSpect system enabled a largely automated inventory count at the GRUBER Logistics facility in Pavia. The warehouse contains approximately 30,000 pallet positions spread across an area of about 22,000 square meters. The project was carried out in three phases, during which the drones captured images of the storage areas using their onboard cameras.
These images were subsequently analyzed using artificial intelligence systems and integrated into the warehouse management software. In addition to inventory data, the solution provided insights into rack occupancy levels and identified potentially unsafe storage conditions, offering further valuable information for managing warehouse operations.
“More accurate data leads to better decision-making,” agree Lorenzo Rizzello and Manuel Scaramuzza at the conclusion of the testing phase.
