I have always been an avid fan of technology, and over the years I have seen how fast and vast technology has transformed our lives. We see and experience new innovations almost every day, from big to small, they all make our lives easier and better. As an entrepreneur and investor, I am always on the lookout for new technologies, especially in the ABCD-i (AI, Blockchain, Cloud, Data Analytics, and IoT) fields.
One of the technologies that I am very interested in is drone and robotics technology. When we mention “drone”, our thoughts would instantly fly to battle zones in movies and TV series we had watched or are fans of. This is because the military use of drones has made it a big part of the robotics revolution. The drone technology, after all, records the highest rate of deployment by the military in many countries.
We should note that drone and robotics technologies are also widely used in industrial manufacturing. A survey as far back as 2017 indicated that the sensors for drones and robots market are expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.4% reaching total revenue of $709 million by this year.
One of the world’s leading players in this field is Japan’s Terra Drone Corporation (TDJP), which topped the 2020 rankings of the world’s top remote sensing drone service providers. In the past years or so, TDJP has been instrumental in providing inspection and survey services as well as delivery and security services using drones to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In early 2020, Terra Drone officially opened its Malaysian office in Technology Park, Bukit Jalil. The opening of Terra Drone Technology Malaysia Sdn Bhd (TDMY) solidifies the company’s presence in South East Asia, after having a real physical offices presence in more than 15 countries and market presence in more than 60 countries worldwide.
TDMY hopes to provide drone survey, inspection, and industrial services for multiple industries such as oil & gas, telecommunications, power, construction, agriculture, and government agencies, among others.
I had the pleasure of being a guest at TDMY two weeks ago. TDMY’s Managing Director/CEO, Izwan Zainal Abidin spoke to me at length about the aspirations that the company holds for the Malaysia and South East Asia markets. The company’s main objective is to bring the TDJP global and industrial technologies to spur our country’s own drone Industrial Revolution while at the same time develop Made in Malaysia DroneTech for global deployment via Terra Drone Group’s global network.
In achieving this, TDMY is looking forward to collaborating with Malaysian authorities such as Technology Park Malaysia (TPM), Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Civil Aviation Authority Malaysia (CAAM), as well as existing drone service providers in Malaysia and the region. Izwan said he is happy to work with all parties for the betterment of drone industries in general, and for the benefits of Malaysians in particular.
With Terra Drone’s stellar recognition worldwide and its manufacturing capabilities that span across Asia and Europe, TDMY hopes to be able to leverage on TDJP’s strength in producing various types of drones, primarily the specialized grades drones such as military, LiDAR, Ultrasonic (UT), VTOL, mapping, GIS underground mining, and others.
Our country’s growth in the drone economy has been quite impressive. MDEC has played a key role in being a platform for tech companies to form ecosystems. With MDEC’s on-going MyDroneTech initiative, which aims to fast-track the growth of Malaysia’s DroneTech industry and high potential companies, things are looking pretty good ahead!
I thank Izwan Zainal Abidin and the TDMY team for their hospitality and passion. Hope to see you guys again soon.