US will unleash 'drone dominance' by fast-tracking production

[mavic3usa]

I'm not even sure the U.S. has the ability to easily manufacture products like this on a large scale, assembly line type basis these days.

I think the only things that are manufactured like that here these days are some automobiles, firearms, and some musical equipment/instrument manufacturers. I can't think of any type of mass produced, consumer oriented electronic item that is made here.

Honestly, there is also this. If U.S. drone manufacturers were interested in manufacturing and marketing a consumer level drone that was on par with DJI, they'd have done so. Skydio certainly isn't, they stopped selling to consumers, and the really surprising thing is that there isn't really a U.S. based company that has even tried setting up a manufacturing line in China or elsewhere and manufacturing DJI style drones intended for consumer use. That last part is what I find puzzling, because the market is certainly there.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[glocke12]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

1) They do not and are not interested in selling to consumers...frankly I dont think they feel consumers should own drones for recreational flying

2) They are part of the problem as their lobbyists are in part responsible for the issues facing DJI here in the states

3) 100 people. that is a small manufacturing facility geared towards small scale production for a small customer base. It's not anywhere near the scale that would be required to provide these things to the consumer market and Im betting it'd be difficult for them to scale up to that level. Even if they did, as someone else said the prices would be astronomical unless other companies stepped up and provided competition.

 

[Dave Pitman]

I'm not even sure the U.S. has the ability to easily manufacture products like this on a large scale, assembly line type basis these days.

3) 100 people. that is a small manufacturing facility geared towards small scale production for a small customer base. It's not anywhere near the scale that would be required to provide these things to the consumer market and Im betting it'd be difficult for them to scale up to that level. Even if they did, as someone else said the prices would be astronomical unless other companies stepped up and provided competition.

Facts.

Folks don't seem to understand the scale at which China, and some other Asian countries, are manufacturing these electronics and other items. I have seen reporting from folks that have visited these manufacturing "plants" in person.

They are blown away. The assembly lines are composed of mostly specialized robots which the potential US manufacturer would also have to develop. It is not just a line of people like the Skydio example. Couple that with the fact that the "plants" are actually self contained communities with both residential and commercial aspects focused on supporting the manufacturing and all of the supply chain elements required by it.

There is a reason why US entrepreneurs can't just pile a bunch of $$ into it and make it happen. The required culture that has developed to manufacture at that scale has taken decades to establish. The idea that the gov't can just stop the import of this gear and the result will be a grass roots manufacturing culture in a few years is just highly unlikely, unfortunately. There is a reason why the notion of restricting Asian made smart phones TACO'd almost instantly.

 

[mavic3usa]

Facts.

Folks don't seem to understand the scale at which China, and some other Asian countries, are manufacturing these electronics and other items. I have seen reporting from folks that have visited these manufacturing "plants" in person.

They are blown away. The assembly lines are composed of mostly specialized robots which the potential US manufacturer would also have to develop. It is not just a line of people like the Skydio example. Couple that with the fact that the "plants" are actually self contained communities with both residential and commercial aspects focused on supporting the manufacturing and all of the supply chain elements required by it.

There is a reason why US entrepreneurs can't just pile a bunch of $$ into it and make it happen. The required culture that has developed to manufacture at that scale has taken decades to establish. The idea that the gov't can just stop the import of this gear and the result will be a grass roots manufacturing culture in a few years is just highly unlikely, unfortunately. There is a reason why the notion of restricting Asian made smart phones TACO'd almost instantly.

I have been to electronics factories in China, Korean, and Japan (not for drones) and I am blown away. No question about it. Not saying America can't get there one day but it's not looking good in so many ways. I took a lot of flack in a post last year when I said America wasn't smart enough to do this but later clarified that I meant pulling together all the resources and the experience and the knowledge and the infrastructure and the logistics to make a superior 100% American product in a timely fashion. We're smart (which is why China is mostly stealing everything they know from us) but maybe we're so smart that we can't see the forest for the trees. As a country we've been paralyzed for quite some time and we still are.

P.S. I've been in US factories in the past and they were pretty impressive, too.