Date: 26 Jan 2022
Tokyo (Japan), Singapore, recently Japan UAS Industrial Development Association (JUIDA) and Drone Logistics Ecosystem (DLE) have signed an MoU to collaborate on various fields related to the Drone delivery industry. As one of the world’s largest UAV/drone associations, JUIDA has over 20,000 members across Japan, and it is currently collaborating with other well-established Drone associations around the world, in the field of education, safety management, technology in commercial and industrial Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).
While DLE is a global multidisciplinary “quadruple helix” network of Companies, Universities, the Public and Investors (CUPI) with the aim to stimulate innovations, collaborations, and standardization in the Drone logistic industry on an international level. DLE is considered the first truly global network in drone cargo logistics, and it has created a functioning commercialization model for its members to joint-develop products and to internationally market their products. The parties have agreed to work towards the creation of standardised national and international training programs, technological and industrial development projects, exchange of information, application of technologies with mutual interest. The Japanese government has an ambitious aim to become the driving force behind Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry. Hence, it is supporting all initiatives related to AAM, whether they are passenger and/or mid/last mile cargo delivery using (autonomous) drones. The collaboration between the JUIDA and DLE could lead to further interaction with Japanese companies to introduce their products in the international market.
This arrangement and the necessary introductions between JUIDA and DLE were brought together and facilitated by DroNext, a Japan based AAM sector service provider. The company, among other things, facilitates the introductions of interested parties looking to expand into the Japanese Advanced Aerial Mobility market and vice versa with domestic Japanese groups looking to expand abroad.
JUIDA and DLE are setting up a working group to strategies a long-term goal, in the field of education & training (e.g., online webinars), commercialization business models among its members to stimulate crossed border collaboration, (virtual) expos and panel discussions. DLE is supporting JUIDA in the distribution of promotional material to reach a global audience e.g., call for paper in the JUIDA’s initiative “Technical Journal of Advanced Mobility”.
JUIDA and DLE are supporting their respective members to set up collaboration for joint-product development, co-marketing, consulting, and investment/funding support. The parties are actively looking to expand their collaboration and membership pool.
President of Japan UAS Industrial Development Association (JUIDA), Professor Emeritus Shinji Suzuki said Suggestion: “Efforts of drone logistics have been active in Japan since the government proposed in 2015. In 2022, the implementation of drone logistics is expected to accelerate due to the enforcement of the Aviation Law Amendment to realize BVLOS flight in manned areas. Currently, major aviation and logistics companies are conducting demonstration experiments in cooperation with local governments. We hope that the knowledge and experience gathered at DLE and JUIDA will lead to optimal solutions in all aspects of drone logistics and contribute to the SDGs.”
President of Drone Logistics Ecosystem (DLE), Dr Ali Jahanshahi said “The emerging drone (logistic) industry requires coordination between all the stakeholders, anything from inventors, engineering and software developers, consulting firms, drone manufacturers, national civil aviation regulators, insurance companies, investors, all the way to educators/Universities and public advocacy groups. What we try to achieve at DLE is to interlink all these entities in a network to interact and collaborate on projects, in order to increase the cost/time-efficiency and quality of their work/products/services. The collaboration with JUIDA and DLE is great opportunity for both our organisations to have a larger impact on the emerging drone logistics industry. As for today, the industry is at its early-stage and it would require a standardisation approach to take-off on global scale, which can be achieved by collaboration between various international associations/ecosystems.”
CEO of DRONEXT 株式会社, Asa Quesenberry said “the future of aerial logistics and the overall growth of the Advanced Aerial Mobility sector looks bright despite a number of remaining challenges and hurdles for the industry as a whole. We are seeing the most progress in aeras and arrangements where there is a strong focus on collaboration and pooling of collective resources and knowledge. The agreement between JUIDA and DLE embodies such a situation. JUIDA’s deep industry knowledge and ability to execute combined with the innovative work being done by current DLE member companies has the potential to rally push forward to adoption and implementation of drone logistics systems not only in Japan but also abroad. It will be exciting to see the opportunities and collaborations that come from JUIDA’s enrolment in the ecosystem.”