This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on December 6, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: Aerodyne Group, the group behind the much touted “flying car” project in Malaysia, has bought a controlling 60% interest in the services business of Measure UAS Inc, an aerial intelligence company in the US.

Subsequently, a new business entity, Aerodyne Measure Inc, which combines the expertise of the two companies in the global drone services industry, has been formed to serve enterprise clients in North America, said Aerodyne, which is headquartered in Malaysia.

“With the drone industry in a consolidation phase where companies which can deliver real value will come out on top, this partnership is a timely move to position us well for the next phase of growth,” said Aerodyne founder and group chief executive officer (CEO) Kamarul A Muhamed in a statement yesterday.

Aerodyne Measure will provide premium, turnkey aerial inspections of infrastructure assets in energy utilities, renewable energy, and oil and gas sectors, as well as roads, bridges and ports, leveraging on Aerodyne’s Vertikaliti solution suite, an end-to-end cloud-based asset management solution that combines smart drones with artificial intelligence.

CEO and co-founder of Measure, Brandon Torres Declet, said Aerodyne Measure will provide high-quality services to asset managers looking to outsource their drone operations.

“By combining our expertise, we have created a business that will be a market leader from Day One,” Declet said.

This acquisition, Aerodyne said, is part of the group’s aggressive

expansion strategy to become the No 1 drone-based solution provider in the world. Declet has also joined the Aerodyne Group’s global leadership team, bringing with him his invaluable experience and expertise, the group added.