Spectacular drone footage of the Galaxus warehouse
Moritz Werffeli flies drones at ski races and rallies, through canyons and factory halls. For Galaxus, he spent a day at the Wohlen warehouse, where he got through five batteries, had one crash and a realisation you wouldn’t expect.
Moritz, you’re always on the go: at sporting events, for companies, out in nature. What makes the Galaxus warehouse in Wohlen a special project?
The density. I’ve flown through many places, but here, you have robotics, conveyor belts, fully automated sorting systems and humans all together in a very confined space. This isn’t just a big hall; it’s a living organism.
Have you ever done anything similar?
Yes, BMW Munich. We also recorded some very challenging one shots in large production halls at the car manufacturer. But Galaxus is complex in a different way. It’s not just the size, but the incredible density. Everything’s in motion – conveyor belts, robots, sorting machines, humans, goods. All of that makes for very exciting flying that requires a great deal of precision.
What surprised you the most when you walked through the warehouse?
That it looks like total chaos at first glance. But once you understand how everything works together, it all makes perfect sense. Seeing a can of Coke next to a box of detergent makes you think: what kind of system is this? But it’s definitely a system. One you need to understand before you see it.
Today you flew past robots, boxes, conveyor belts and people at work. What was the biggest challenge?
It’s always the people. They’re the number one priority. When there’s a person in the frame, I fly completely differently – calmer, more mindful and with more distance. The tricky part today was the combination: moving objects and people at the same time. I was constantly juggling several variables in my head while making sure to fly close to the ground and dynamically at that. That was pretty challenging.
Speaking of flying close to things. You crashed your drone today.
I did (laughs). Thanks for being so direct about that. I wanted to fly a power loop close to the ceiling in the hall with all the moving robots – it would’ve looked incredible on film. But there was a pole I overlooked when I was preparing for the flight. Then there was a loud bang. My first worry was that someone might have got hurt. Once I knew that wasn’t the case, I was so relieved. It was embarrassing, mind you, as the crash made the whole system with its 260 robots come to a standstill for a quarter of an hour. We went round picking up the drone’s parts and looking for the broken camera and found it wedged under a robot. (Pause) The looping has been on my mind as the «what if» moment.
How do you mentally prepare for a flight? Especially after an incident like the crash?
I have a ritual for that. I put on my goggles, grab the controller and place my thumbs where I adjust the motors. That’s when something clicks. My mind becomes empty. All the planning, stress and obstacles that could get in the way – it all washes away. There’s just the flight. From the moment I’m in the air, I’m in the zone.
What happens before you reach that point?
I’m usually quite nervous. All the permits, coordination, equipment and planning stress me out. But as soon as I’m flying the drone, it’s gone.
You were on the job for almost twelve hours today, used up over 35 batteries and shot about 80 gigabytes worth of footage. How much of that was planned and how much improvisation?
Both are essential but it does happen in that order. If I hadn’t thoroughly prepared the flight, we’d still be at it now. For a shoot of this magnitude, you need to plan. You have to know what shots you want and how you’re going to move through the space. But at the same time, no plan survives its first reality check. You have to be willing to throw everything overboard if you realise on-site that it doesn’t work. You get the best shots when you decide on a flying route and then keep working on perfecting your technique.
What was your favourite moment today?
The narrow gaps. I love it when the drone’s flying fast, manages to squeeze through really narrow places and everything just falls into place. That feeling’s unbeatable.
And what was today’s lowlight?
The first flight of the day. Our newest camera, which was working perfectly just yesterday, simply wouldn’t switch on. Just like that, no reason. We immediately switched to the backup and continued filming. I don’t think you guys even noticed. That’s a key takeaway: In the drone business, something always goes wrong. That’s why you always need two of everything, and that’s why you figure out beforehand what you’ll do if something goes wrong.
Final question: How would you describe your day in one sentence to someone who’s never seen our warehouse?
Total chaos that leads to perfection.
At Digitec and Galaxus, I’m in charge of communication with journalists and bloggers. Good stories are my passion – I am always up to date.
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