Post by eldertree on Sept 2, 2017 8:25:04 GMT
In the past year, the West has suffered heavy losses in a new form of global air conflict.
Berkeley-based 3DR has downsized and ceased manufacturing drones. GoPro's Karma drones lost power mid-air and had to be recalled, though they are now back on the market. Paris-based Parrot slashed 35 percent of its drone team. San Francisco-headquartered Lily Robotics shuttered its doors.
But with Western drone manufacturers floundering and shifting business models, one company's fortunes are soaring: China's DJI Technology. Today the Shenzhen-based company dominates the global drone hardware market, which is forecast to surpass $11 billion by 2020.
"DJI has done everything right," said Chris Anderson, co-founder of 3DR, which had been the No. 2 drone maker but has transitioned into an aerial software company, helping companies precisely capture images and data. "They've innovated. They have globally branded and distributed, which is unusual for a Chinese company."
DJI's design expertise, vertical integration and declining retail prices have allowed the company to corner three-fourths of the consumer market share.
"I don't see a way to compete with DJI on consumer [hardware]," Anderson said.
DJI has a reported $10 billion valuation but no plans to go public as its evolution continues.
In May, DJI introduced its smallest and lightest drone ever, the $499 Spark quadcopter, a four-rotor drone that can be controlled with hand gestures. Behind this launch were years of evolution in a field previously overrun by clunky drone models.
Beyond the mass market, enterprises are deploying drones for various reasons.
On the commercial side, DJI emphasizes five categories: cinematography; agriculture; energy-sector inspection; infrastructure and construction; and emergency response.
Other commercial applications include delivering packages and transporting humans, but these aren't currently strategic priorities. On said logistics is exciting, but given dense populations, tall buildings and competing airspace needs, delivering purchases door-to-door in metropolises is difficult today. Delivering supplies to rural areas or remote islands, however, is possible
Read more: www.cnbc.com/2017/09/01/in-race-to-dominate-drone-space-west-is-no-match-for-chinas-dji.html
Berkeley-based 3DR has downsized and ceased manufacturing drones. GoPro's Karma drones lost power mid-air and had to be recalled, though they are now back on the market. Paris-based Parrot slashed 35 percent of its drone team. San Francisco-headquartered Lily Robotics shuttered its doors.
But with Western drone manufacturers floundering and shifting business models, one company's fortunes are soaring: China's DJI Technology. Today the Shenzhen-based company dominates the global drone hardware market, which is forecast to surpass $11 billion by 2020.
"DJI has done everything right," said Chris Anderson, co-founder of 3DR, which had been the No. 2 drone maker but has transitioned into an aerial software company, helping companies precisely capture images and data. "They've innovated. They have globally branded and distributed, which is unusual for a Chinese company."
DJI's design expertise, vertical integration and declining retail prices have allowed the company to corner three-fourths of the consumer market share.
"I don't see a way to compete with DJI on consumer [hardware]," Anderson said.
DJI has a reported $10 billion valuation but no plans to go public as its evolution continues.
In May, DJI introduced its smallest and lightest drone ever, the $499 Spark quadcopter, a four-rotor drone that can be controlled with hand gestures. Behind this launch were years of evolution in a field previously overrun by clunky drone models.
Beyond the mass market, enterprises are deploying drones for various reasons.
On the commercial side, DJI emphasizes five categories: cinematography; agriculture; energy-sector inspection; infrastructure and construction; and emergency response.
Other commercial applications include delivering packages and transporting humans, but these aren't currently strategic priorities. On said logistics is exciting, but given dense populations, tall buildings and competing airspace needs, delivering purchases door-to-door in metropolises is difficult today. Delivering supplies to rural areas or remote islands, however, is possible
Read more: www.cnbc.com/2017/09/01/in-race-to-dominate-drone-space-west-is-no-match-for-chinas-dji.html