Antwerp-based transport company ADLC, which offers transportation by drones to companies, has raised 2 million euros in fresh capital. With that additional money, the company plans to further expand its services in the maritime and offshore industry.
From now on, DronePort in Sint-Truiden, at the former air force base in Brustum, Limburg, will also be the start-up’s new base of operations. ADLC aims to revolutionize industrial transportation by making drone logistics the new standard for express delivery in industrial environments.
Six-fold increase in efficiency
ADLC (A Drone Logistics Company) is considered one of the top players in the Belgian drone sector due to its transport performance of (dangerous) goods in industrial, complex environments with very high safety standards.
For example, with two drones and a dozen flights a day, ADLC provides drone delivery services in the port of Antwerp, where it serves clients such as chemical giant BASF, among others.
ADLC’s drones there have significantly reduced transport times (from 40 to 10 minutes) and reduced environmental impact. For example, there has been a six-fold increase in efficiency and a reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 80% for deliveries of petrochemical samples.
Expansion abroad
To fund growth, Galactic Beacon Ventures (GBV), the venture capital arm of the Columbia Group, a Cyprus-based maritime, logistics, leisure, energy, and offshore services platform, has now raised 2 million euros from several investors.
“Our goal is to make industrial drone logistics as reliable and commonplace as traditional forms of transportation,” says Rayan Quintaes, co-founder and CEO of ADLC.
“We are excited to partner with forward-thinking investors such as GBV, LRM, Port of Antwerp-Bruges, and NXT II, who share our vision for a more efficient, sustainable future.”
With the capital raised, ADLC wants to expand further abroad. “We believe the time is ripe for drone logistics to transform the maritime and offshore industry,” says Kyriakos Vlachos, chief investment officer at Galactic Beacon Ventures. “Recent developments in drone technology, combined with new regulatory frameworks, have created a favorable environment for widespread adoption of drone delivery.”
Second branch in Sint-Truiden
The start-up will now also use Droneport, the 30-hectare innovation hub for autonomous mobility on the ground and in the air in Sint-Truiden, as its base of operations.
“With its strategic location central to Europe and state-of-the-art test facilities with segregated airspace, this is the perfect location for ADLC to conquer the world,” says Stijn Claes, investment manager at the Limburg venture capitalist LRM.
At this second location, ADLC plans to mainly maintain the devices, conduct test flights, and develop new techniques. ADLC has four employees today but will expand to ten staff members.
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