GS Caltex Demonstrates Drone Delivery: "Fuel Samples Verified by Drone"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] GS Caltex is introducing a plan to deliver fuel samples using drones. Replacing the previously used small vessels with drones will reduce time and costs.

On the afternoon of the 8th, GS Caltex held a drone delivery demonstration event for fuel samples at the Incheon Logistics Center located in Jung-gu, Incheon. About 20 people attended the event, including Son Myung-soo, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Kim Yeon-myeong, President of the Aviation Safety Technology Institute, and Kim Ki-tae, President of GS Caltex.

Until now, GS Caltex's Incheon Logistics Center has transported fuel samples via small vessels before the oil tanker docks at the maritime pier to unload fuel for product verification. This drone delivery demonstration started from an innovative idea proposed by on-site employees at the Incheon Logistics Center, which was selected through an internal contest.

This on-site employee was selected for GS Caltex's Self-designed Business Trip (SBT) program, a self-directed experiential program for employees launched in 2018, and directly experienced excellent drone cases in the United States and China. Based on the cases experienced through the SBT program, the employee conceived the idea of drone delivery for fuel samples and held this demonstration event utilizing the drone traffic and logistics delivery systems of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

This event is also the result of GS Caltex's efforts to enhance efficiency and secure competitiveness in the rapidly changing logistics environment, combined with the government's will to support it promptly.

The K-Drone System used in the drone delivery demonstration is an unmanned aerial vehicle control system being developed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to promote drone delivery and drone taxis. This is the first private demonstration using the K-Drone System, and GS Caltex's demonstration proved that the K-Drone System has moved beyond the research and development stage into the early commercialization phase.

Additionally, the drones, transport containers, and navigation devices showcased at this event were developed through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's drone delivery system, which began as a delivery drone demonstration R&D project in 2019.

GS Caltex plans to continue efforts to commercialize drone delivery within this year following the demonstration at the Incheon Logistics Center and is also considering expanding its use to logistics centers nationwide in the future.

A GS Caltex official stated, "We expect this to be a good case for domestic companies to refer to in improving management efficiency through drones in production and operation processes," adding, "We will start commercialization as soon as possible and strive to utilize drones in various business areas."

Meanwhile, since 2015, GS Caltex has been using drones at the Yeosu plant to inspect corrosion or cracks on equipment tops that are difficult for personnel to access. In the future, GS Caltex plans to explore using its network, including logistics centers, the Yeosu plant, and gas stations, as drone delivery takeoff and landing sites.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.