Drones
GE Industrial Drones Conquers the International Microdrones Market
Global market leader GE and global mapping solution provider Microdrones have teamed up to bring GE industrial drones to market.
The global licensing partnership will enable Microdrones to “bring GE’s industrial drone line to the global market and provide professionals with access to powerful airborne survey technology that enables them to be more efficient, accurate, safer and more profitable,” said a press release from Microdrones.
The partnership marks GE’s first entry into the commercial drone market, but the company has been developing its drone solutions for years and announced the creation of GE Aviation in 2017. In 2019, the company announced that it would integrate Auterion’s open source software into its growing line of commercial aircraft. Now the press release says: “GE’s industrial drone line adds an impressive new product to Microdrones’ existing technology portfolio. The mdLiDAR1000LR system helps professionals to collect data from a greater distance (especially helpful when working on steep or treacherous terrain) and at the same time to cover more area per flight. “
GE’s industrial drone line is manufactured at Microdrones’ facility in Siegen, Germany; Systems are sold and supported on six continents. All products that are part of the GE industrial drone line are equipped with improvements in flight efficiency as well as improved safety features.
Vivien Heriard Dubreuil, CEO of Microdrones, said: “GE’s industrial drone line with an industrial focus is modular, expandable, upgradeable and easy to use in the production of high quality geospatial data. This is a win for both GE and Microdrones, and most importantly, our mutual customers. “
Thomas Buccellato, Senior Managing Director of GE Licensing, concluded, “The GE line of industrial drones is a powerful addition and is a global fit for the GE brand. We can offer field-proven inspection, surveying and geomatics technology that complements our key industry segments. This is just the beginning of something very promising as we are working with Microdrones to scale this and offer a very powerful and trustworthy drone survey solution to our industrial customers worldwide. “
GE Industrial drones start with a market advantage: they are designed to meet the needs of one of the largest multinational corporations in the world and are manufactured by a respected European solutions provider. When the drone line hits the market, they could create new competition for market share.
As part of the transaction, GE will invest in the Microdrones parent company and serve as an observer on the board of directors.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional marketplace for drone services, and a passionate observer of the emerging drone industry and regulatory environment for drones. Author of over 3,000 articles focusing on the commercial drone space, Miriam is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam graduated from the University of Chicago and has over 20 years experience in high-tech sales and marketing for emerging technologies.
For advice or writing in the drone industry, email Miriam.
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