On what California-based 3DR calls a “historic day,” the company announced that it has made a deal with one-time competitor DJI.
In a further move towards creating an end-to-end drone solution for the enterprise, 3DR announced that it will integrate its Site Scan software platform with DJI drones. This move may help sales of Site Scan, allowing customers a choice of hardware: “This integration marks a significant expansion of the Site Scan platform, giving you another option for your workflow: now you’re free to use whatever drone that’s best for you and your team,” says the company announcement.
“With this integration, now our customers can get the best of both worlds: DJI’s drones, and 3DR’s software for managing and analyzing the data that these drones collect.”
3DR started out as a drone manufacturer; but stopped selling the well-known recreational Solo drone in 2015, after a poor holiday season left them with a surplus of drones and a shortage of revenue. Saying that they could no longer compete with Chinese manufacturing giant DJI’s price cuts, 3DR’s CEO Chris Anderson announced a shift of direction. In the last two years, the company has changed orientation entirely from recreational drone operators to selling an enterprise software platform for construction, mapping and engineering to commercial customers.
The new partnership offers benefits for both sides. DJI has been working to expand their presence in the commercial segment, upgrading many of their prosumer drones to offer more features for professionals. Integration with SiteScan offers an opportunity for DJI to be an integrated part of an industrial solution. For 3DR, the partnership will allow them to expand their offering. Previously, SiteScan was sold with an upgraded version of 3DR’s Solo drone: the new partnership will offer clients a choice of 3DR’s drone or a DJI drone.
“This integration is a significant milestone for the AEC industry,” said Michael Perry, Director of Strategic Partnerships at DJI. “We’re excited that 3DR Site Scan users can now use DJI drones to convert images into actionable data that helps project stakeholders save time and manage costs.”
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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