Nine of out ten large infrastructure projects experience a cost overrun. In 2016, U.S. construction spending totaled $1.13 trillion, of which $160 billion was wasted. So, it’s little wonder as to why builders are turning to drones to help them better execute their projects.
By flying drones equipped with an array of visual and advanced sensors, project managers are more frequently and precisely measuring the progress of construction work. Facility managers are gaining deeper insights into the condition of their assets. And workers are replacing dangerous inspection methods, such as roof and ladder climbs, with drones.
To advance the adoption of these construction applications and more, we’ve purchased Uplift Data Partners. Uplift specializes in the delivery of turnkey inspection services for construction, building information management (BIM), and real-estate. They’ve provided drone services for leading national and global firms.
Uplift’s nationwide network of commercially trained drone pilots will join PrecisionHawk’s Droners.io network of more than 15,000 drone pilots, one of the largest networks of its kind. Suzanne El-Moursi, CEO of Uplift, will join PrecisionHawk’s executive leadership team managing the company’s construction line of business.
“This acquisition displays PrecisionHawk’s commitment to strengthening our technology and expertise in high-growth markets. By combining PrecisionHawk’s leading-edge products and services with Uplift’s industry experience and training standards, our customers will receive best-in-class aerial data and analytics for complex construction and facility inspection projects through a simple and easy to procure process.”—Michael Chasen, PrecisionHawk CEO.
Uplift Data Partners was formed in 2015 as a fully integrated subsidiary of Clayco, one of the nation’s largest architecture, engineering, design-build and construction firms, with more than $2 billion in annual revenue. As a result of the acquisition, Clayco will exclusively source its construction projects to PrecisionHawk, and will serve on PrecisionHawk’s Board of Advisors to support the growth of the company’s services and software in the construction industry.
“PrecisionHawk is leading the commercial drone market by combining superior technology with deep expertise in the markets that they serve. Through this acquisition, Clayco customers gain access to a new level of technological sophistication for more scalable and robust operations, while continuing to benefit from Uplift’s deep understanding of the demanding nature of engineering and construction industry drone missions.”—Clayco CEO, Bob Clark.
Similar to the energy industry, construction has experienced a rapid uptake in the adoption of commercial drone technology. Drones are transforming the construction process, decreasing the time required for visual inspections, reducing planning overhead, and improving worker safety.
“Our mission at Uplift is to support the modernization of the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry by creating tools and training that improve the accessibility of drone services, thereby delivering true value to builders. The construction industry is uniquely rugged, yet defined by innovation and intelligence, and we are thrilled to join PrecisionHawk, a company that is both aligned to this mission and committed to the growth and expansion of the industry.”—Uplift CEO, Suzanne El-Moursi
This our fifth acquisition this year. Earlier, we acquired Droners.io and Airvid. In September we purchased both HAZON, Inc. and InspecTools Inc., which specialize in the delivery of inspection services and technology for the energy industry. We’re glad to have these talented teams join us in our mission to deliver aerial intelligence that strengthens the enterprise data value chain.
