DJI looks to expand in Latin America

DJI Innovations, a world leader with a 70 percent share of the global drone market, is poised to expand in Latin America over the next few years.

Shenzhen- based DJI, already wellknown for its Phantom drone, expects its new range of models designed for the corporate sector to help boost sales growth in the region, the Xinhua News Agency reported over the weekend.

“We have seen notable growth of clients in the market segment for inspections of electrical and telephone lines, and also in agriculture,” said DJI's regional director Manuel Martinez.

Online sales of DJI drones in Latin America began in 2014, but the company had no physical presence in the region until January 2016, so its sales share is still “quite below other markets such as China and the US, which are constantly vying for the first place, followed by Europe,” Martinez said.

The region's “very high tax burden” discourages average citizens from purchasing drones, he said.

“Here, drones are a corporate thing. The only markets where you see more recreational drones are Chile and Mexico, because Chile has free- trade agreements and Mexico borders on the US. In the rest of the Latin American countries, drones are for business, inspections, the agricultural segment and for recordings,” said Martinez.

DJI is catering to that market, “launching products that are in great demand for expeditions and agriculture,” he said, referring to products including drone- equipped cameras used in mining and inspection of buildings for damage.

DJI has formed a “strategic partnership with firefighters” in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, training them to use drones in search and rescue operations, he said.