Witsie entrepreneurs

Adam Rosman

Age: 30

Wits degree: BSc Eng 2011

Career: Aeronautical engineer

Adam was one of those kids who build things and take them apart – model rockets, remote-controlled planes and cars … And now he’s building a company, which he started in his parents’ garage.

“What is sorely lacking in an engineering degree is a solid foundation of practical work. I had to spend a lot of time working on my practical skills as well as bringing myself up to speed on advanced manufacturing techniques.”

Aerial Monitoring Solutions, which he launched in 2013, manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles (that’s drones to most of us). They are custom-made for users in mining exploration, land surveying and agriculture, and designed to handle African conditions – and Adam is full of ideas for more applications.

At first, he says, investors and customers “liked the ‘cool’ aspect to the business. Drones weren’t even really a buzzword when I started, so it took a lot of explaining and educating our customers initially as they didn’t always see the potential applications for the systems. But now my customers are coming to me with novel and exciting applications.

“We have been through a quite substantial research and development phase, with our products only rolling out to the market in the past year,” he says. “With the poor economic climate in South Africa, sales have been slow, but we have started to see this change.”

The step from technology to business was more like a leap into the deep end for Adam. “The basics of business and economics are covered during a degree, but much was not covered. Engineering, however, teaches one to think and problem solve, so I did exactly that. I enjoy the business side but my heart will always be with technology and when I can I always get out into the workshop and go and tinker.”

One frustration is the time and cost involved in complying with government regulations for this industry. The technology is developing faster than the regulations can be implemented. But Adam is working to help get the whole industry airborne, as Chairperson of the Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Association of South Africa. “When the regulations were promulgated in July 2015 they were based on full-size aircraft regulations, which have proven to be far too stringent for the drone industry. That being said, as an industry we completely support the mandate of the South African Civil Aviation Authority to ensure safe skies. We are not looking for regulations to be dropped but rather to be more implementable.”

He says the industry has the potential to create thousands of jobs and help solve many of South Africa’s problems – like safely tracking stolen vehicles and protecting wildlife from poachers. It has already had a positive impact on rhino protection.

Adam would still like to travel to space, the dream that drew him to aeronautical engineering in the first place.

But a drone perspective on our own planet is already pretty amazing. “I think the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen is when vultures and bateleurs fly behind the drone in formation,” says Adam. “It always gives me goose-bumps to see.”