UPS and Henry Schein Inc. have signed an agreement to explore and test various UAS delivery use cases. The use cases would examine UAS within business-to-business operating models.

As part of their agreement, the companies will focus on testing the transport of essential healthcare products by UPS to customers of Henry Schein, which provides healthcare items to office-based dental and medical practitioners.

“It is exciting to see Henry Schein come aboard this groundbreaking program,” says Scott Price, UPS chief strategy and transformation officer.

“Healthcare and life science logistics are strategic priorities for UPS, and the testing of this drone program is a testament to the value organizations are seeing in this dynamic technology.”

Under FAA oversight, UPS’ drone airline subsidiary UPS Flight Forward and Henry Schein will look into methods to test final-mile delivery where traditional road transport may be less effective or timely, which could include health campuses, remote communities, or temporarily inaccessible areas due to natural disasters.

In Sept. 2019, UPS Flight Forward was awarded the first full Part 135 Standard certification from the FAA to operate a drone airline. 

“Our customers rely on us to provide an exceptional experience with the ultimate goal of providing patients quality care,” says Gerry Benjamin, Henry Schein executive vice president and chief administrative officer.

“As we scale our current capabilities, we are exploring new solutions to address the unique logistics challenges in healthcare. We are pleased to work with our long-time healthcare partners at UPS to advance the exciting capabilities that drones offer to shorten the time and distance between essential medical supplies and patient care.”