
Industry-leading professional service network EY plans on utilizing drones to improve the accuracy and inventory during its audits. They have started a pilot project to test the reliability and efficiency of UAV data collection with EY’s Assurance global audit digital platform.
EY cited examples of drone use for auditing automotive manufacturers, and retail sectors. Drones can be used in the off hours to run inventory counts on vehicles and manufacturing plants, and warehouse stock counts via QR, barcode, and label recognition.
Early positive results in field tests have prompted EY to consider expanding operations already. “We have been testing the use of drones in the audit process for several months and the findings have been compelling. It’s now time to scale our testing globally across multiple sectors, as we know that many audits can benefit from the use of this innovative technology, ? said Hermann Sidhu, EY global assurance digital leader.
The use of drones will be only one part in an Internet of Things sensor-based strategy EY will be putting increasing emphasis on. “We are investing heavily in the development of new technologies that can enhance the quality of our audit process,” said Felice Persico, EY Global Vice Chair ? Assurance.