Competitor Breakdown

1️⃣ Internal Drone Programs (Biggest Competitor)
Most common threat:
“We do this ourselves.”
Typical setup:
Propeller
DroneDeploy
Dedicated employee
Software subscriptions ($10k–$50k+)
Vehicles, labor burden, equipment
Sales Positioning:
They’re not drone experts.
Inconsistency is common.
Total labor + software + overhead is significant.
We deliver consistent, repeatable results.
Simple framing:
If you don’t want to change the toner in your copier, you probably don’t want to manage your own drone program.
2️⃣ Firmatek
Long-standing industry player
Historically truck-mounted LiDAR
Now using drones
Heavy in utilities now
Strong presence with Vulcan, Martin Marietta, etc.
They:
Offer stockpile volumes, cut/fill, ortho, methane, etc.
Are experienced but not dominant everywhere
Still hiring frequently (possible churn or growth)
Sales angle:
We offer the same services.
We can be more responsive and consistent.
3️⃣ Wingfield (Scale Companies)
Primary business:
Truck scales
Belt scale calibration
Secondary:
Truck-mounted LiDAR
Volumetric scanning
Often regional.
Sales angle:
They are scale experts, not drone experts.
Their volumetric methods rely on assumptions.
4️⃣ StockpileReports.com
Approach:
Contract pilots (FlyGuys, etc.)
App-based phone scanning
Fixed camera systems
DOT contracts
Issues:
Phone scanning incomplete (can’t see backs of piles)
Fixed infrastructure expensive and unreliable
Reports may look polished but have blind spots
Customer feedback:
Systems unreliable
Trust issues
Sales angle:
We capture full geometry.
No infrastructure required.
Higher data integrity.