Cloudline gears up to revolutionise Africa logistics

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Following his graduation from Harvard University in 2014, his stint as a business analyst in Kenya took him to towns across East Africa where he saw the economic impact of poor road access which often proves a logistical challenge to development across the continent. "I realized drones could be the answer where the infrastructure hasn’t been built."

As with any innovation, Horne saw a gap in the Africa logistics market and wanted to deliver aerial transportation network systems to the bottom billion of those in Africa with no access to runways, railway lines or paved roads, to change the social and economic landscapes of these communities.

The method, Horne says, is more energy-efficient than other drone deliveries. This includes aerial access to outlying areas, disaster-hit regions with compromised transport infrastructure and even island-based communities. However, the airship’s application possibilities are not just limited to delivering goods to logistically unreachable areas, but also collecting local products from remote regions for trade purposes.

Horne identified that a number of issues facing rural communities (such as healthcare, trade opportunities and international aid) stem from transportation inaccessibility due to poor or non-existent infrastructure in these areas. He envisioned “lighter-than-air” technology as a possible answer to providing essential (in some cases, life-saving) resources to remote communities. Using data-driven research, he started exploring the viability of unmanned, autonomous airships as an environmentally-friendly and effective way to service hard-to-reach regions.

As a start-up, the company has won awards from both Airbus BizLab and business incubator, LaunchLabs.

Currently, in the technical and regulatory phase of development, Cloudline - first piloted in 2019 - is expecting to introduce its airships to South African markets within the next year.

Horne tells us more...

Can you tell us more about how Cloudline will be revolutionising the transport market?

We are looking specifically at goods transportation to the remotest communities without access to proper roads. That’s a problem faced by more than 1 billion people worldwide, spanning both the last 100 miles and the last mile.

What part can the industry play in spearheading this within their day-to-day

As a general rule, industry and corporate players should be open to backing innovative start-ups and taking risks on disruptive solutions, especially on the African continent. In the aviation space, we seek first to cooperate with existing providers to accelerate our impact and to move fast without breaking things.

What has your experience been regarding Africa’s poor road infrastructure – how can countries thrive?

I have experienced a lack of infrastructure first-hand in several African countries. Most striking has been seeing how economic activity declines the further one gets from major cities and how this has been the case for many decades. In some cases, the necessary infrastructure needs sophisticated financing and good governance, but in many cases, it just is not viable where population density is too low.

Rapid urban growth is underway in Africa as people seek jobs and economic participation, but unlike urban growth in the modern developed world, ours comes with dramatic quality of life sacrifices. We want to bring economic upliftment and participation in rural areas with flexible, scalable infrastructure.

Spencer Horne

Tell us more about Cloudline – what did you initially hope to achieve?

Our initial aim has always been to address the need for delivery of emergency aid. Initially, that started with a concept for much larger aircraft, but our modelling and user engagement has led us to focus on a smaller size of an airship that can be more flexibly deployed in different contexts.

How are they more efficient than drones?

Airships generate their lift from a lifting gas (in our case, helium). This means that they don’t use energy to fly up, only forward. In still too mild wind conditions, this means very little energy is expended for flight. We can use fewer batteries to carry more cargo and we are even able to tap into solar-powered propulsion, thanks to the efficiency.

Why is it so vital to combat logistical development and challenges?

The global supply chain is the invisible artery system that underlies our entire modern economy. We don’t see it or think about it, but it makes possible every aspect of our lives and our economic participation.

Having no access to roads or reliable transportation is one of the largest structural injustices around the world today and its effect is devastating across outcomes in health, education and economy.

Why this model? Where do you see it going in the next 5-10 years?

Our vision is for a more connected world, especially in remote areas where tunmanned flight has the strongest potential and fewest alternatives. To that end, Cloudline seeks to build not just the aircraft, but a network that serve the needs of people across sectors and geographies.

By introducing Cloudline to the South Africa markets – what can we expect?

With our relatively robust infrastructure, South Africa is not the intended launch market of our service. However, as we attain economies of scale with our technology there are many opportunities to improve access to our rural communities and to bring quality of life improvements with that access.

We are excited about the opportunity to develop and manufacture a technology like this in South Africa for deployment across the world.

How can we find out more about Cloudline and get in touch with you?

You can reach us through our website.

Still in its tech development phase, Cloudline has partnered with UNICEF’s Innovation Fund to pilot the solution.