Two Hungarian companies are driving the drone revolution in the construction industry

As construction journalists, we were also taken aback by the news story stating that Europe’s largest factory for civilian-use work drones is being built in Szentendre. Upon closer inspection, the story became even more interesting: as an up-and-coming Hungarian company, ABZ Innovation Kft. has, within a few years, taken a leading role in the global market for heavy-duty action drones. What’s more, the company’s in-house developed drones have the potential to revolutionise workflows in the construction industry, as well as in agriculture and logistics.

Astounding figures, and what lies behind them

All these interesting facts were more than enough to give us a first-hand insight into the background to the success and future plans of a company that has shown unparalleled growth in the 2020s – notably tripling its turnover year on year. We began our report at the ABZ Drone Kft. office in the Szentendre headquarters, which works in close collaboration with ABZ Innovation. Whilst ABZ Innovation, as the driving force behind manufacturing and development, focuses on the global market, collaborating with hundreds of partners in nearly 30 countries; ABZ Drone operates in the fields of services, maintenance and training, covering the domestic market.

The news is currently dominated by ABZ Innovation’s investment in Szentendre, which will more than quadruple its production area and, in the longer term, enable it to manufacture 2,000 drones a year instead of the current 250–300. The aim is for the company to become the market leader in Europe, whilst also aiming to be among the top three globally. Behind these impressive figures, however, lies a kind of industrial drone revolution, in which the role of ABZ Drone is just as significant.

They drew on their own experience to identify what the market needs

The story began ten years ago with the founding of ABZ Drone. „We set up as a service provider because we saw the potential in innovative tools,” explained Managing Director Máté Keczer, who had previously gained experience as an air traffic controller.

The initial focus was clearly on agriculture: the first spraying and monitoring drones were used to introduce the technology to farmers well before EU regulations came into force.

ABZ Drone remains primarily a service provider: its team of nearly ten remote pilots carries out agricultural, industrial and, to an increasing extent, construction-related tasks. These projects – whether involving monitoring, industrial cleaning or security – have provided experience that has clearly demonstrated what drone technology available on the market is capable of, and where its limitations lie. This led to the idea of developing our own technology.

At European level, there was a shortage of truly heavy-duty, reliable drones designed for industrial use.

This is where one of the two companies’ greatest strengths lies

Following the completion of the first prototypes, development and manufacturing operations were separated around four years ago. The team of specialists behind the ABZ Drone went on to create the ABZ Innovation and Kft., the primary aim of which is production and development for the international market; whilst the ABZ Drone continues to provide domestic distribution, servicing, training and support services.

„A key feature of ABZ Innovation’s in-house products is that their specifications and characteristics are based on practical market experience: the ABZ Drone remote control team works very closely with the ABZ Innovation development team,” explained Máté Keczer, highlighting the importance of this symbiosis.

„We integrate the insights gained from our services into the development team’s work on the very same day: this is one of our companies” greatest strengths. Compared to global drone manufacturers, this gives us tremendous flexibility and speed!”

Anyone who isn't currently developing goes out for a fly

Behind these successes lies a core group of highly skilled professionals who have been working together for several years and who drive development forward. This is underpinned by a strong emotional commitment to the drone industry. „We have plenty of enthusiasts here,” said Barnabás Martinez, head of the construction sector at ABZ Drone, with a smile.

„Anyone who isn’t currently working on development picks up a machine and goes out for a fly, purely for the enjoyment of it. While doing so, they might come up with a new idea to make the device even more efficient – this sense of flow is built into the company’s processes.”

Cleaning with drones? In building management, this is already a reality

One of the most innovative developments of the ABZ Innovation is the C series, designed for industrial cleaning, led by the C10 model, which recently won the AGROmashEXPO special award for domestic product development.

The drone dispenses a cleaning solution at a pressure of 200 bar and can operate at heights of up to 60 metres.

This technology represents a major breakthrough in building maintenance: there is no need for scaffolding, industrial rope access or cherry pickers, making the work faster, safer and more cost-effective. Experience shows that the C10 works up to three times faster than traditional methods.

The fact that this method is already state-of-the-art is demonstrated by the fact that last year, drones operated by the Hungarian company carried out a demonstration cleaning of the MÜPA façade.

They are also becoming increasingly prevalent in the construction industry

The company’s construction sector manager provided an insight into the use of drone technology in the construction industry. „In this sector, monitoring drones are currently the most widespread application,” noted Barnabás Martinez. „These can be used to create two-dimensional surveys, photogrammetry-based 3D models and point clouds, which enable accurate volume, inclination and progress analyses. Data collected by drones can be easily compared with plans, allowing deviations to be identified at an early stage,” he added.

According to him, thermal imaging surveys are also playing an increasingly important role: „The energy performance of solar parks, industrial facilities and buildings can be assessed quickly and accurately – and the information is relayed to decision-makers immediately.”

He also touched on an exciting new direction:

„We have carried out painting work using spraying drones on several occasions in recent years. This application is a hybrid of industrial and agricultural work, as we have mainly been painting polytunnels and greenhouses.”

Without education, there can be no technological change

Both Máté Keczer and Barnabás Martinez emphasised that, in the construction industry, a shift in mindset is needed alongside these revolutionary new tools. That is why ABZ Drone places great emphasis on education, pilot projects, open days and even university partnerships. This is further supported by ABZ Drone’s recently handed-over showroom, where, during the report, we were able to get a close-up look at the spectacular flying machines.

The aim of all this is to engage in as much dialogue as possible with stakeholders in the construction industry, in order to identify the needs and processes they are able to support.

In summary, they emphasised that their aim is for the drone not to be merely a flying camera, but an integral part of digitised workflows. Their message is clear: drone technology is not the future, but a tangible competitive advantage right now.