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HONG KONG, Nov. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Drone, a term unknown to most of us just a couple of years ago, has found its way into the spotlight. Examples include a Chinese celebrity making headline news by proposing with a drone; drones' widespread use on live television during the World Cup in Brazil; Amazon and SF Express setting up drone express delivery one after another; Baidu Takeout marking the first domestic case of food delivery using drones in Beijing through their collaboration with drone companies, and the competitive bidding of drones between Google and Facebook in their global internet set up, etc.
Nowadays, drones are at the forefront of high tech artificial intelligence. From its early use in the military to its rising popularity in aerial imaging, agriculture, forestry and plant protection, environmental detection, news collection and mapping, today's drones have entered the lives of the average consumers as their "gadgets". According to a study by UBM Market Research, in 2015 approximately 587 thousand drones (of which 97% were civilian and 3% were military) were sold globally. In 2018, the estimated global sales of drones will reach 1.82 million units with a steady growth in annual sales at 40% and above.
Strong Rise of Chinese Drone Industry
The Pre-2010 Chinese drone market was limited in size and growth, mostly confined in the specialized sectors of disaster relief and mapping. The Chinese drone industry post-2012 has experienced exponential growth thanks to the lower costs of core hardware such as the sensor and other technological advancement. According to reports published by UBM Market Research, the size of the Chinese drone market has reached RMB 6.66 billion in 2015. This represents a growth of 48% on a year-on-year basis and 15% of the global drone market. It is estimated that in 2016 the Chinese drone market will exceed RMB 9.6 billion with a steady growth of 40% and above on a year-on-year basis.
iResearch Consulting predicted that by the year 2025, the size of the Chinese drone market will reach more than RMB 70 billion. This includes 30 billion in aerial photography, 20 billion in agriculture, forestry and plant protection, 15 billion in security and 5 billion in electrical inspection. Aerial photography will therefore be the main market segment in the Chinese drone Industry.
Industry Supply Chain of Chinese Drones
In addition to research and development, parts manufacturing, system development, machine assembly, sales and after-sales services, the industrial supply chain of Chinese drones includes services designed for the users such as social networking services and insurance. It also includes data collection, aerial photography and other services depending on the scenario.
In a general overview of the industry supply chain, DJI-Innovations is the company whose presence ranges from research and development to services. Companies such as EWATT, EHANG, YUNEEC and JIYI are also leaders in the Chinese drones industry. JD, TAOBAO and CPIC and other important players have also made their entrance and further enhanced the industry value chain.
5-Year Export Trend of Chinese Drones
According to Chinese Customs, the export value of Chinese drones in 2015 experienced dramatic growth and reached RMB 3.25 billion. It marked a growth of 753% on a year-on-year basis. The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of the export value from 2010 to 2015 reached 129.5%.
According to the total export value from 2010 to 2015, the top 5 export partners for Chinese drones are the US, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the UK. The total export value of these countries combined also represents 28.3% of the total export value of Chinese drones.
Industry Standards Crucial for Development of Drone Industry
As of now there is still a lack of systematic standardization in the drone industry in China in the specification of specialized products and its general requirements, as well as in the instructional documents. Earlier regulations such as GJB 2347-1995 "The General Specification of Drone" was aimed at drones used for military and mapping purposes. In order to adjust to the drastic development of civilian drones in China, the Chinese Drones Association in Shenzhen published "The General Technical Standards of Drones in China" and "The Systematic Technical Standards of Multicopter Drones" in June of 2015. They are by far the two most complete sets of technical regulation in the civilian drone industry in China.
Globally, there are no uniform systems of standardization designed for drones either. To regulate the use of drones in this case, the main components of the drones are taken as a starting point by many countries and regulated by applying its existing mandatory standards. In China, the wireless device of the drone must be authenticated by the SRRC (State Radio Regulatory Commission of the People's Republic of China) mandated by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the charger must be authenticated by CCC (China Compulsory Certification). In the US, the wireless communication product must have a FCC ID Certificate while the battery and the charger must have the EMC related FCC certificates. In addition to the existing standards in electronic security, countries in the European Union stipulate that drone products that might be used by children under the age of 14 have to pass the toy instruction test.
Now the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is drafting a set of rules and regulations specifically for drones. As a global leader in the industry of testing and certification, TUV Rheinland is constantly promoting the standardization of drones internationally. With the unveiling of a system of standards for drones in the near future, the drone industry will reach new heights.
TUV Rheinland Insight
At this moment there are no unified international standards for a developing high tech product like the drone. The manufacturers, the exporters and retailers do however take their product safety very seriously and put the main drone components under rigorous quality control. With 140 years of technical and professional experience, TUV Rheinland has offered multiple testing and certification services to the top drone firms in the world.
From the initial stage of product design, research and development, we will join hands with industry leaders to ensure the quality of the following facets concerning product quality and safety, product performance, data transmission and encryption and anti-hacking.
Media Contact:
Simon Hung
Tel: +852-2192-1948
Email: Simon.Hung@tuv.com
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