Aerodyne in dronetech deal with Japan Infrastucture Waymark

• Will provide inspection, data processing services, comprehensive reporting platform
• To offer services within Japan and on behalf of overseas-based Japanese companies

AERODYNE Group (Aerodyne), a Malaysia-based Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) service provider announced on July 8 a milestone collaboration with Japan Infrastructure Waymark (JIW) on drone-based services for infrastructure management, both within Japan and on behalf of overseas-based Japanese companies.

Aerodyne is a member of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Global Acceleration and Innovation Network (GAIN) programme which helps high-potential Malaysian tech companies to scale up regionally and globally via four strategic pillars – market access, access to scaleup capital, mentorship and visibility.

Japan Infrastructure Waymark (JIW) is a wholly owned subsidiary of NTT West.

Aerodyne will provide inspection, data processing services as well as a comprehensive reporting platform for infrastructure assets in sectors which include the power and construction.

As a drone-based solution provider, Aerodyne combines Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to deliver enterprise-integrated managed solutions to the Oil & Gas, Power, Telecoms, Renewables, Construction, Agriculture and Infrastructure industries.

"The government of Malaysia is very pleased that Japanese corporations are collaborating with Malaysian tech companies that are fast scaling globally," said Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo.

"Business ties between Malaysia and Japan are trending positively, moving up to a new level that will clearly benefit the people and economies of both nations. Malaysia looks forward to continuing our close partnership with Japan to chart a course that will generate sustainable and inclusive growth by transforming both our nations to fully tap the potential of Industry 4.0."

“Aerodyne is honoured and excited to enter into this collaboration with JIW. Our aim is not just to help develop and deliver drone-based enterprise solutions in Japan but also for the global market - especially for Japanese companies operating outside Japan - working closely with JIW,” said Aerodyne chief executive officer Kamarul A Muhamad.

Today, Aerodyne is a global AI-driven drone solutions provider with a presence in 25 countries and growing.

Kamarul added, “Our technology is being used globally to help drive digital transformation for management and inspections of key infrastructure assets ranging from national grids to solar, wind installations and more. We offer solutions that provide a clear business value, which translates to being faster, better, cheaper and safer than the one that we will replace. Our strategy is to build upon this success and develop effective turnkey solutions for the Japanese market.

“This signing today is just the beginning of what we hope will be a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship between us. It started in 2017 when we first met members from the NTT Group in London. Our Japan CEO, Itoh-san has been working hand-in-glove with Shibata-san from JIW since November 2018, to evangelise the benefits of drone technology here in Japan.”

Welcoming the move, MDEC chief executive officer Surina Shukri said, "The collaboration between Aerodyne and JIW will seek to tap significant dronetech related opportunities in Japan. MDEC sees a huge potential in local companies leading in various global markets such as the UAS sector and the application of drone technologies to impact various industries globally.

"GAIN's objectives supports MDEC's key mission to nurture global tech champions. We are on track to help many more home-grown companies scale up and commercialise to become global icons. MDEC will continue our role to connect and facilitate the matching and introduction of local and international companies."

MDEC vice president Gopi Ganesalingam, who was present at the announcement ceremony in Japan added, “MDEC is proud that our support of Aerodyne has culminated in this ground-breaking collaboration between two innovative companies and countries. We will continue to work hard to achieve more of such outcomes that will benefit all parties greatly.”

Recent Malaysia-Japan collaborations include Softspace and SMCC, N2N and SBI Japannext, ipay88 andNTT Data, Macrokiosk and GMO-Payment Gateway Inc and now, Aerodyne and JIW.