The world leader in fully automated drones, Israeli-based Airobotics, has expanded into the U.S. with a new presence in Scottsdale, AZ. “Our automated drone solution has been enhancing mining and industrial operations in Israel and Australia for several years, logging more than 40,000 automated flights to date, but in order to scale our operations and provide the proper support for an increasing number of clients in the Americas, we needed to build a headquarters in a great, central location that is supportive of the UAV industry,” Efrat Fenigson, Airobotics’ VP of Marketing, tells DRONELIFE. “The Arizona headquarters will help us bring our drone solution and advanced aerial data to mining and industrial companies across the Americas. ”
The following is from an Airobotics press release.
Leading Israeli automated drone startup Airobotics today launched its North American headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, where they will run all North America, South America and Central America operations. Airobotics has created the only data-driven, fully automated solution enabling a new dimension of data collection and insights. The company is headquartered in Israel and has offices in Australia, as well as additional operations in Chile and New Caledonia. The Scottsdale office is intended to become the company’s global headquarters as Airobotics continues to scale. BHP, the world’s largest mining company, is Airobotics’ first customer in the US.
“When deciding where to launch our first US office, Arizona was the top choice for us as it has a strong mining industry, great weather conditions for drone testing, and potential partners we’re excited to work with. The state and local governments are very supportive of autonomous and aviation technologies and the UAV industry specifically, aligning with our plans to operate UAVs Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) in the US,” said Ran Krauss, CEO and Co-Founder of Airobotics. “The drive for digitalization is vital as companies look for ways to improve productivity and business, which can lead to higher profits that flow back to the state, as well as create new types of jobs related to aerial data, data analysis, development and remote operations. As we continue to grow our services in the mining industry, we’re excited to have talented professionals in Arizona join our team and help us bring mines and other industrial sites into the digital data era.”
The opening ceremony for the Scottsdale office featured speakers including Ran Krauss, CEO and Co-Founder of Airobotics; Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority; Mayor of Scottsdale W.J. “Jim” Lane; and Belle Brown, Principal Technology Business Partner at BHP.
Attendees were invited to tour the facility and observe a demonstration of Airobotics’ automated drone system. Airobotics plans to grow the Scottsdale team to 80 employees by the end of 2019, focusing on recruiting local technology, operations and sales talent.
“We expect Airobotics to be a major player as the AZSkyTech Program continues to make great strides in deployment and usage of UAS,” said Sandra Watson, President & CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “We welcome Airobotics to Arizona and look forward to working with the company on the further development of this cutting-edge technology.”
“We are glad to welcome Airobotics to their new North American headquarters in Scottsdale,” said Scottsdale Mayor W.J. “Jim” Lane. “As an innovative company focused on expanding the boundaries of new technologies and putting them to work, they could not have picked a better base of operations. Here, Airobotics will join similarly passionate and creative companies and benefit from Scottsdale’s positive business climate and world-class quality of life. We appreciate their choice of Scottsdale.”
“When an innovative international company like Airobotics chooses not only to expand here, but also establish its North American headquarters here, that says something about the endless opportunities available here in Arizona,” said Arizona Governor Doug Ducey. “We look forward to the company’s growth and welcome its contributions as we continue to develop Unmanned Aerial Systems technology in our state.”
Airobotics’ automated solution represents the next generation of drone operations, overtaking standard piloted services which are expensive, inaccurate and not always available. They were the first company worldwide to be granted authorization to fly fully automated pilotless drones, certified by Civil Aviation Authority of Israel. The startup has been experiencing a hyper-growth stage, raising $71M in funding to date and growing from 80 to 200 employees in its first year.
Airobotics has recently been honored by The Wall Street Journal as one of Top 25 Tech Companies to Watch in 2018 and as one of the world’s “Most Innovative Companies” by Fast Company. The company received Frost & Sullivan’s 2018 Global New Product Innovation Award and the 2017 Edison Award for innovation and excellence as well.
About Airobotics
Airobotics has developed a pilotless drone solution, the first of its kind in the global market. Airobotics provides an end-to-end, fully automatic solution for collecting aerial data and gaining invaluable insights. The industrial grade platform is available on-site and on-demand, enabling industrial facilities to access premium aerial data in a faster, safer, more efficient way.
The team at Airobotics fuses expertise in aerospace hardware design, robust electronic systems, leading software engineering, and years of experience in commercial drone operations. This varied experience has allowed them to design a solution suited to address the needs of the world’s most complex industrial environments. To learn more, visit: www.airoboticsdrones.com and follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.
About ACA
The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) is the state’s leading economic development organization with a streamlined mission to grow and strengthen Arizona’s economy. The ACA uses a three-pronged approach to advance the overall economy: attract, expand, create – attract out-of-state companies to establish operations in Arizona; work with existing companies to expand their business in Arizona and beyond; and help entrepreneurs create new Arizona businesses in targeted industries. For more information, please visit www.azcommerce.com and follow the ACA on Twitter at @azcommerce.
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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[…] Operations Center in Scottsdale, Ariz. In September, Airobotics launched its North American headquarters in Scottsdale and will operate all North and South American operations from the facility. BHP, […]