DDC announces Care by Air project with Halton Healthcare & DSV Canada
This initiative was developed in collaboration with McMaster University through DSV as their current logistics partner
Steve Magirias, CEO, Drone Delivery Canada
Drone Delivery Canada Corp. has recently announced that, with the assistance of its sales agent Air Canada, it has entered into agreements dated June 17, 2022, with each of DSV Air & Sea Inc. Canada and Halton Healthcare Services Corporation to deploy DDC's patented drone delivery solution to establish an additional transportation link for Oakville Hospital.
This initiative was developed in collaboration with McMaster University through DSV as their current logistics partner. MU's expertise, in the medical field, will benefit from the learnings collected throughout the project, and ultimately interested in integrating drones into the nuclear isotope supply chain. The Parties shall cooperate and work in compliance with all applicable civil aviation authorities (i.e., Transport Canada, NAV Canada).
The anticipated route for this revenue-generating pilot project will be between Milton, Ontario (DSV Canada's head office in Milton) and Oakville, Ontario (Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital), relying on DSV's existing DroneSpot takeoff and landing infrastructure and setting up additional infrastructure at the hospital. Operations are expected to commence in Q3 2022 for a project duration of 6 months. DSV's intra-site route will continue to be operational in parallel.
"Healthcare is constantly evolving and so is the technology that supports it. We are excited to be on the forefront of this innovative delivery system and look forward to working with our partners to further develop this technology for healthcare", said Hilary Rodrigues, SVP Corporate Services, Performance & CFO, Halton Healthcare.
"As a leader in global logistics, DSV is continually focused on growth and innovation. The Care by Air Project represents a critical step towards optimizing supply chains that rely on time-sensitive and critical care medical cargo. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the need for urgent healthcare transportation to be innovated further. With new needs come new solutions. We are excited to take this next step in drone logistics by partnering as the hub for deliveries to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. We are proud to play an integral role in developing drone delivery routes that will benefit Halton Region's healthcare system and patient care", said Martin Roos, Managing Director, DSV Air & Sea Inc., Canada.
"Drones are a potentially transformative technology for solving transportation challenges associated with short-lived medical isotope products. We're really excited to be involved in this project", said Andrea Armstrong, Research Scientist at McMaster University.
"The healthcare vertical market is an area of high interest for DDC, with significant potential future opportunities from a perspective of time-critical deliveries, high-value and high-risk cargo utilizing our unique turnkey drone delivery solution. This project is a great fit to demonstrate a new efficient way to transport medical goods from DSV Milton to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. It will also allow us to explore additional connecting air routes, through DSV, in the future", said Steve Magirias, CEO of Drone Delivery Canada.
