Startup Mantra: Using Drones for Industrial Inspections

Identifying the problem

It all started when Niharika was working in a consulting firm and was preparing a report on a company’s merger and acquisition. Here, she saw first-hand that technical due diligence is laborious, time-consuming, and uses inefficient methods.

Imagine sending a human into a 350-foot chimney, large tank or boiler to inspect. Not to mention the hazards of chemical fumes, large confined spaces, and more. In addition to worker safety, there was also the question of efficiency that manual inspections brought. He says: “Heavy and process industries often rely on outdated and inefficient inspection methods, leading to high costs, safety risks and unplanned downtime. Manual inspections in hazardous environments such as confined spaces not only put workers at risk, but also do not provide comprehensive and up-to-date data.

So, during this M&A exercise, the entrepreneur in her had found a problem, and now it was his job to find a solution. And voilà! The solution was to zoom in on the sky. Only now it had to zoom in on the boiler tanks. “Recognizing this gap, I knew that using cutting-edge technology could revolutionize the way inspections and maintenance are performed in these critical sectors.”

Technology to the rescue

So she thought about putting drones in boilers and chimneys. Drones would not only do what humans do, but they could also deliver better results because they could capture detailed images and data. And with AI, we could analyze that imagery and data and give the customer a complete picture.

Instead of waiting for something to break, companies can now spot potential problems before they happen and fix them proactively. This not only keeps employees safe, but also saves companies time and money by preventing unexpected failures and costly repairs. This helps with proactive decision-making. The industry urgently needed a solution that could provide accurate, real-time information while increasing safety and efficiency. And so Volar Alta saw the problem and found the solution.

Niharika says, “This idea quickly evolved into a comprehensive proprietary platform that offered workflow digitization, technical insights, and data visualization tailored specifically for the heavy and process industries. Using drone technology and AI, Niharika was ready to enter boiler tanks and chimneys.”

Initial obstacles

Armed with a solution, Niharika entered the market when the nasty virus put her plan on hold. “In March 2020, the lockdown happened and selling my solution seemed impossible. So I changed direction very quickly. The police were in the security business, so we offered them drones to help them. I hired eight drones for this purpose and manually created behavioral maps of containment zones so they knew which areas in the city needed more patrolling. Covid taught me how to be agile.”

But we saw that Covid also became impotent, and companies returned full steam ahead. Most startups move away from their main concept and then develop in that direction. However, in the case of Volar Alta, it was the opposite. “We turned away from our original idea and returned to it in 2021.”

Acquiring customers

Perhaps the most important challenge any startup faces is finding a customer who will use their product. For a startup, offering a solution to a giant multinational can be quite daunting, even audacious. But Niharika calculated the benefits for her customers and had the numbers on the back of her hand. “It will take 17.5 days to inspect a large chimney in a cement plant. We can do it in just 36 minutes. What’s more, by using our comprehensive solution, customers could save 86% of the money they spend on inspection.” Yes, ACC (a cement company) was ready to eat the palm that held those numbers.

Niharika was lucky. “Since I had some experience working with Big 4 firms like PwC and KPMG, I leveraged my professional network to land our first client.”

Within two years, Niharika has enough clients to fund her operations. ACC, Adani, Deepak Fertilizers and others. “I always believed that I should let my work speak for itself. All the clients I had till now were from my network or referrals from clients. But now I see the need to leverage digital marketing tools to enable a wider reach.”

The proof is in the pudding….

Niharika has helped her clients not only with inspections but also provided them with information that has helped them become more efficient.

“Our solution solves critical problems by not only combining cutting-edge technology but also by augmenting it with industry expertise. Our AI-driven insights and drone-based inspections work because they provide unprecedented accuracy, safety and efficiency. By replacing manual inspections with drones, we eliminate human error and reduce risk, while our AI algorithms analyze massive amounts of data to provide timely situational awareness, preventing equipment failures. This proactive approach reduces downtime and operational costs,” says Niharika.

“Our extensive industry research and field inspections have shown that companies can achieve significant return on investment (ROI) by adopting our platform, giving us confidence in its effectiveness. We have delivered 100% risk elimination, 96% equipment downtime, and >86% cost reduction to our customers.”

Money matters

In the three years since Volar Alta returned to its original idea, it has seen some really good growth. “We’ve seen 100% year-over-year growth. Our profits are now double digits (though he doesn’t want to disclose the numbers yet). Our company is bootstrapping, investing our savings to implement technology and develop industry knowledge.

As our projects gained popularity, we managed to obtain funding of over ₹1 crore from The British High Commission, Alstom, Accenture and IIM Bangalore – who recognised the breakthrough potential of our technology. This funding has allowed us to scale our development, expand our team and provide services across India.

Additionally, we also received a government innovation grant of approx. ₹15 lakh, which further validated our solution and provided additional resources for Research and Development (R&D) through Forge Forward and IIM Bangalore.

Currently, Volar Alta has 12 drone pilots and eight technical staff. They outsource drone production to a company in Bengaluru.

“The inspection drone has different specifications than the ones we hired for protection. It needs to have imaging capabilities (to get photos), thermal capabilities (to track heat), and ultrasonic capabilities (to capture the thickness of metal structures). The cost of such a drone ranges from about ₹60 lakhs to ₹1 crore. Sending a drone into a confined space requires three people.”

Market strategy

“Our go-to-market strategy is focused on key players in the heavy and process industries, starting with sectors where the need for safe and efficient inspections is most urgent, such as oil and gas, chemicals and manufacturing. We are leveraging industry events such as the Smart Manufacturing Research Conclave by Nasscom CoE – IoT & AI, direct sales and partnerships with industry associations to drive awareness,” says Niharika.

“We also offer pilot programs so potential customers can experience the value of our solution firsthand. By demonstrating significant cost savings and operational improvements in these pilots, we aim to build a strong customer base that will advocate for industry-wide adoption of our technology.” Veni, vidi, and soon vici.

Competition

Our primary competitors include established inspection companies and several emerging technology startups offering drone services. While these companies focus on providing basic drone inspections or traditional inspection services, Volar Alta differentiates itself with our proprietary end-to-end platform that integrates AI-based insights with drone technology.

Unlike our competitors, we offer detailed data visualization tailored specifically for heavy industry. To compete with big brands, we emphasize our deep industry knowledge, faster implementation, and cost-effective solutions. Our modular platform also offers flexibility and scalability, allowing us to adapt to changing customer needs more effectively than larger, less agile competitors.

Market value

The global industrial control market is estimated at $35 billion and is growing, driven by increasingly stringent safety regulations and the need to increase operational efficiency.

“Our initial target markets are India and Southeast Asia, where stringent safety standards and a focus on reducing downtime are creating strong demand for our solution. We plan to penetrate these markets through strategic partnerships, targeted marketing campaigns and participation in trade shows. We are focusing on industries like oil and gas, chemicals and manufacturing, where the demand for our technology is the highest. As we gain a foothold, we will expand to other regions and industries,” says Niharika.

Future

Niharika envisions a future in which Volar Alta becomes a world leader in AI-powered industrial inspection.

“We plan to continually enhance our platform by integrating new technologies, such as advanced machine learning, to deliver even more precise and actionable insights. We also want to expand our service offerings to cover a broader range of industries and inspection needs. We are also exploring strategic partnerships with key industry players to co-develop solutions and accelerate adoption,” he says.

Veni, vidi and immediately vici?