Drone Manufacturers in China: A Complete Guide

Suggestion: Watch the 10 minutes video tutorial before reading this article

Chinese companies have become the true market leaders in the Drone industries, with hundreds of Done manufacturers in Shenzhen and nearby cities.

Unlike other industries, that are mainly OEM focused, China is home to domestic brands, launching their products directly in overseas markets – including the United States and the European Union.

But, there are also plenty of OEM and ODM Drone suppliers in the country, accepting orders from Drone Startups around the world.

In this article, we give you a detailed overview of some of China’s leading Drone Manufacturers, including DJI, XIRO and Flypro.

In addition, you will also learn what it takes to get your own custom designed or private label Drone in the air.

DJI

DJI is a Chinese technology company based in Shenzhen, Guangdong. DJI, and also called Da-Jiang Innovations Science and Technology Co., Ltd.

It is best known for its high quality drones, but it also manufactures cameras, flight controllers, camera stabilizers, propulsion systems, flight platforms, and gimbals.

DJI was founded 11 years ago in 2006 by Frank Wang. It is ranked as the leading civilian drone manufacturer for videography and aerial photography.

According to some estimates, the company supplies 50% of the total global consumer drone market.

DJI also won the Emmy for Technology and Engineering annual award this year for its camera drone technology used in Hollywood and other film industries around the world.

Its camera drones are used by popular TV shows like Game of Thrones, American Ninja Warrior, Better Call Saul, and more.

Some of its most popular drone series are Mavic (latest foldable drones), Spark (mini drone), and Phantom (for aerial imaging).

The drones manufactured by DJI are sold directly through their website and authorized dealers under their brand name.

Therefore, you cannot private label or rebrand drones with your company logo if you’re buying drones from DJI.

XIRO

XIRO is also a Shenzhen based drone manufacturer, co-founded by Beijing Zero UAV Tech and Shenzhen Zero UAV Tech Co. LTD. The manufacturer is known as Zero UAV Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd. or Xiro.

The head office and the manufacturing plant, both are situated in Shenzhen, China. In addition, the company also has regional offices located in the Netherlands, Hong Kong, and the United States.

The company was founded in 2007. It is known for its smart drones and advanced UAV technologies. XIRO also manufactures gimbals, flight controllers, binocular, and develop technologies like HD video transmission, electronic image stabilization, etc.

It also designs and develop multiple popular drone brands and series that include E1100, Eagle Eye, E-EPIC, Swift, Xplorer, and Zero series.

You can find a variation in models, that range from very small to bigger drones. Most of their models, like Xplorer and quadcopters, are designed for aerial photography and videography.

Similarly, you can also buy both multirotor and fixed-wing models. Their models are also designed for both commercial and personal use.

In addition, Xiro also manufactures and sells drone accessories. Xiro also sells drones under their own brand names.

Flypro

Flypro is another Shenzhen based drone manufacturer that is known for its high-quality and advanced sports and consumer electronic drones.

It is also known for developing related technologies like obstacle avoidance, visual positioning systems, voice control systems, and advanced flight control systems.

Their most popular product lines include PX400 FPV UAV and XEagle UAV. Some of their models use unique technologies like automatic obstacle avoidance and watch control systems.

The name of the company is Shenzhen FLYPRO Aerospace Technologies, Inc. that was founded in 2012 in Shenzhen, China.

Their latest model, XJaguar, is known as the best extreme sports racing drone model available in the market.

Other than their own branded drones, Flypro also offers application solutions along with offering OEM and ODM drones.

If you are looking for OEM or ODM solutions for your own brand name, you can contact Flypro for their application solutions.

Their most popular application solutions are available for RC selfie toy, racing drones, drones with auto-follow smart-watch control, aerial photography smart drones, drone flight controller, and UAV obstacle avoidance system.

Ehang

Ehang is also a manufacturer of smart aerial vehicle that is based in Guangzhou, China but also has regional offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Dusseldorf, and California.

The company name is Guangzhou Yi-Hang Creation Science & Technology Co., Ltd and was founded in 2014.

Ehang sells a wide range of drones and aerial vehicles that include Ghostdrone 2.0, Ehang 184, and Ehang Flacon.

Ehang 184 was introduced in 2016 that is ranked as the world’s first autonomous aerial vehicle that can carry passengers. Ehang is also providing passenger carrying drones to Dubai for their upcoming flying-taxi service.

Ehang also sells drones under its own brand names and does not offer services for ODM and OEM drones.

YUNEEC

Founded in 1999, Yuneec International is one of the oldest drone manufacturers on our list. The company is owned by Tian Yu and based in Jiangsu, China.

Yuneec also manufacturers passenger-carrying aircrafts along with other types of drones. GreenWing International that sells man-carrying drones in the United States is also owned by Yuneec International.

Yuneec also won Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Price (LEAP) in 2005 for its two-seat electric powered airplane, the E430. It was in 2014, when Yuneec manufactured its first drone, Typhoon Q500.

The popular models by Yuneec are Breeze, Typhoon H, and Typhoon 4K. They also manufacture both hexacopter and quadcopter drones.

In addition, Yuneec also manufactures drone accessories that include batteries, propellers, etc.

Yuneec also sells all their drones and UAVs under their own brand names.

Xiaomi Drone

Xiaomi Inc. was founded in 2010 and based in Beijing. The company is known for its smartphones as it is ranked as the 5th largest smartphone manufacturer in the world but it also produces drones.

The founder of Xiaomi Inc. is Lei Jun who is also ranked as the 23rd richest person in the world.

The company was also ranked second among 50 smartest companies in 2015 by MIT Technology Review.

Xiaomi manufactured and marketed its first drone in 2016, which is known as Xiaomi Mi.

It is one of the most compact quadcopter drones in the market with an impressive 27 minutes of run time.

Xiaomi also sells drones under its brand name. .

SMD Smart Drone

SMD manufactures customized commercial UAVs and drones, which include both ODM and OEM drones.

Shenzhen Smart Drone UAV Company Ltd. was founded in 2014 and based in Shenzhen.

Some of their popular models include V330, Sky Eye, Cloud II Electric Version, Cloud II Gas-Electric Hybrid Version, and Firefighter Firefighting Solution.

In addition, they also offer different solutions like mapping , border defense, drug smuggling investigation, etc.

Their models include both quadcopter and hexacopter drones.

This allows importers to buy a customized version of drone design.

Most of their drone models are used for security, logistics and mapping, and not commonly known for personal use or for aerial videography.

Shenzhen Drones

Shenzhen drones is relatively a small company that is known for its high-quality drones made specifically for agricultural needs.

The company currently manufactures and markets two models, SZD-15A and SZD-10A. Both of these models are used for spraying fertilizers and pesticides.

In addition, the company also manufactures accessories like controllers, spare parts, and tanks.

Shenzhen drones also sells drones under its own brand name.

Is it possible import Private Label (ODM) Drones?

Yes, there are hundreds of Drone assembly manufacturers and component suppliers in Shenzhen, and the other cities in the Pearl River Delta.

Simply search “Drone” on Alibaba.com or Globalsources.com and you’ll see for yourself.

However, keep in mind that major manufacturers such as DJI likely will not accept that their products to be private labeled.

This is only an option when ordering from smaller, less brand focused, Drone manufacturers in China.

That said, many of these suppliers do have ODM Drone products, that can be branded with your logo.

Can we get a Custom Designed (OEM) Drone manufactured in China?

Yes, as mentioned, there are hundreds of smaller Drone manufacturers in southern China that are happy to accept both ODM and OEM orders.

That said, keep in mind that these suppliers don’t offer free product development service.

If you truly intend to develop an OEM Drone, you will need to provide a complete product specification, which may include the following:

• Bill of Materials
• PCB Drawings
• CAD Files

While developing new hardware can be a challenge for Startups, the same can be said for the Software.

What is the MOQ when importing Drones?

MOQ standads for Minimum Order Quantity, and the is the smallest quantity a supplier is willing to sell.

The MOQ for Drones tend to be relatively low, as the unit cost is relatively high. Hence, many suppliers accept orders from 50 to 100 pcs.

Further, most Drone factories also offer product samples, so that you can test the product before placing a larger order.

Which safety standards and regulations apply to Drones?

You must also design both the hardware and software to comply with all applicable regulations.

Drones are subject to various safety regulations, and also general heavy metals (i.e., RoHS) and electrical safety standards (i.e., Low Voltage Directive).

Further, as Drones communicate via radio, you must also ensure compliance with all relevant FCC and R&TTE standards.

Given the complexity of Drones, you should consider joining an accelerator such as Brinc.io, if you’re truly considering to enter this fast moving hardware space.