Industrial Inspection with DJI Enterprise Drones

Who and where

China Southern Power Grid ran automated drone inspections at a 500 kV substation in Yunnan Province, China.

The problem they had to solve

Substations are dense, high consequence environments where routine inspections are essential, but slow. Teams needed consistent inspection coverage without putting staff near energized equipment for long periods.

The challenge before drones

Traditional inspections required more time on site, more manual documentation, and limited repeatability. That made it harder to compare changes between inspection cycles and harder to scale coverage across many stations.

The challenge when adopting drones

The first hurdle was not "can a drone fly here," it was "can we fly the same way every time and produce data that engineers trust." Substations also have complex geometry, which increases collision risk and complicates path planning.

How they solved it

They combined repeatable waypoint missions with high quality sensing and a post processing workflow that quickly turned flights into inspection ready outputs.

Technical stack

• Aircraft and payload: DJI Matrice class platform with LiDAR and high resolution imaging for dense asset capture
• Software: Waypoint missions for repeatable routes, plus processing software to build usable 3D outputs
• Output: A consistent inspection record and 3D model that engineers can reference without re-visiting the site

Outcome

The program reported a major jump in inspection efficiency compared with traditional approaches, and the workflow made repeatability the default rather than the exception.

Who and where

Alpiq EnerTrans used drones to inspect transmission infrastructure in Switzerland.

The problem they had to solve

Transmission assets are spread across long corridors, often in terrain that makes access expensive and risky. The operator needed high confidence visual evidence of hardware condition without relying on climbing every structure or scheduling helicopter patrols.

The challenge before drones

Ground crews spend time traveling and staging, and they still cannot easily capture consistent angles of insulators, fittings, and attachments. Helicopters are fast but expensive, weather dependent, and do not always produce inspection-grade closeups.

The challenge when adopting drones

Safety and repeatability become the hard constraints. The operator needs a workflow where the pilot can maintain standoff distance, avoid electromagnetic interference issues, and still capture usable detail. Data management also becomes a real job because inspections create a lot of imagery.

How they solved it

They used a zoom plus thermal capable inspection platform, and structured missions around consistent capture targets so that the inspection team could produce comparable outputs across the corridor.

Technical stack

• Zoom imaging for detailed defect checks on fittings and insulators
• Thermal imaging to highlight abnormal heating that can indicate failure risk
• Standardized capture and file naming conventions so evidence flows into maintenance work orders

Outcome

The drone workflow reduced exposure to high risk climbing work and improved the speed at which inspection evidence could be collected and shared.

Who and where

Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) used drones to support pipeline inspection workflows in Pakistan.

The problem they had to solve

Pipeline integrity depends on spotting issues early, but pipelines cross areas where ground access is slow and where a faster situational picture can directly improve safety and response decisions.

The challenge before drones

Ground patrols are labor intensive and cannot always provide rapid, wide area visibility. When something changes along the right-of-way, teams need current visuals to decide whether to dispatch crews, shut down, or escalate.

The challenge when adopting drones

The barriers are operational, not theoretical. You need standard operating procedures, pilot training, and data handling rules so that flights are repeatable and evidence is defensible. You also need the right sensor choice, because a simple wide camera is not enough for many integrity checks.

How they solved it

They integrated drones into inspection routines as a faster method to capture current visuals over long stretches, then routed findings into their operations process.

Technical stack

• Visual inspection imagery, focused on right-of-way conditions and visible hazards
• Zoom capture for localized checks where standoff distance is required
• Optional thermal workflows for facilities and above-ground components

Outcome

The drone workflow improved situational awareness and accelerated the "see, decide, act" loop for inspection teams.

Who and where

Aeroprotechnik performed solar asset inspection work in Brazil using enterprise drone workflows.

The problem they had to solve

Solar farms contain thousands of modules, and small faults can reduce output long before a failure becomes obvious. Operators need a way to find anomalies quickly, then dispatch technicians to the right rows.

The challenge before drones

Manual inspection is slow and inconsistent, and ground based thermal scanning does not scale well across large sites. When the site is large, the cost of missing issues becomes meaningful.

The challenge when adopting drones

Thermal inspections only work when the workflow is controlled. You need correct flight planning, stable capture parameters, and a repeatable method so that hotspots are meaningful and not just artifacts of different capture conditions.

How they solved it

They used thermal capable drones for rapid coverage and combined it with a structured capture approach to produce technician friendly outputs.

Technical stack

• Thermal imaging for anomaly detection at scale
• Visual imagery to confirm what a hotspot corresponds to on the module
• A reporting workflow that ties anomalies to a location so field crews can act

Outcome

The drone approach reduced inspection time and turned inspection into a repeatable routine rather than a disruptive project.

Who and where

PipeChina used drones to support bridge inspection work in Liuzhou, China.

The problem they had to solve

Bridges and transport assets require frequent visual checks, but many critical areas are difficult to access without lane closures, specialty vehicles, or work at height.

The challenge before drones

Traditional bridge inspection can trigger traffic disruption and expose inspectors to risk. Visual evidence is often limited by angle, access, and time on site.

The challenge when adopting drones

The hard part is capturing detailed evidence under and around structures without sacrificing safety. The other hurdle is turning that evidence into a clear maintenance action list.

How they solved it

They used drone based close visual capture as a safer method to document condition, then shared the outputs with engineering teams for assessment.

Technical stack

• Zoom imagery for crack, spalling, corrosion, and connection checks
• Repeatable capture patterns to compare the same areas across inspection cycles
• Optional 3D capture workflows when the inspection team needs measured context

Outcome

The drone approach reduced disruption and improved the speed of evidence collection while reducing exposure for inspectors.