Plowman Craven, a leading international surveying company, has established an inspection division as part of its strategic growth objectives, appointing James Arnott as Commercial Director to lead the new business.

The launch builds on Plowman Craven’s 60-year track record and market-leading geospatial capabilities. Having delivered high-precision surveying and inspection services as part of its work within the UK property, construction, rail, energy and infrastructure sectors, the group saw significant potential to expand its foothold in the inspection market as a complementary next step to offer an end-to-end solution for both new and existing clients.

Heading up the new business unit is James Arnott, a renowned industry expert in drone surveying, remote sensing, and inspection technologies, who joins Plowman Craven following over a decade at a major survey and inspection solution company. James brings extensive experience in business development, strategic leadership, and UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) technology adoption, having been instrumental in advancing aerial solutions across the utilities, oil and gas, nuclear, infrastructure, construction and energy sectors. A key voice in the progression of UAS standards and policies, he also actively contributes to steering committees and special interest groups across the industry.

Plowman Craven’s inspection services offer unparalleled accuracy, efficiency, and safety for asset owners, developers, and infrastructure managers. Easl, the company’s proprietary software platform, will host and display inspection data – providing clients with full visibility of their inspections-related information in a single repository, and generating insights to inform effective asset management.

By integrating UAS technology with advanced thermal, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), photogrammetry, and AI-powered data analytics, the company provides faster, more cost-effective, and highly detailed insights compared with traditional survey and inspection methods. Plowman Craven’s technology enables access into the most confined and inaccessible spaces, removing guesswork and project risk.

James Arnott, Commercial Director – Inspection, Plowman Craven, said: “The launch of a dedicated inspection business marks an exciting new direction and a natural evolution for Plowman Craven, as an adjacent market to where it has focused to date. The company has been known for decades for being at the forefront of industry developments and cutting-edge innovations that solve the biggest challenges faced by clients and add outstanding value.

“Plowman Craven stands apart with its deep technical expertise including the ability to undertake inspections in confined areas, and delivery of a truly end-to-end service. I look forward to extending this same high quality to our inspection business, investing in new equipment and talent to drive growth and industry impact in the coming years.”

David Locker, CEO at Plowman Craven, commented: “I’m delighted to welcome James to the team. With his background of consistently driving industry innovation and operational excellence, I am confident that he is the right choice to head up our new inspection business, a market where we see tremendous growth potential. Having been data experts for years, and capitalising on the inherent links between geospatial and inspection disciplines, this launch builds on Plowman Craven’s existing strengths and proven track record – such as our AI-based rail survey and inspection offering. Establishing a dedicated inspection division opens new avenues for us to add even greater value for clients, from enhanced cost certainty and project efficiency, to better risk and asset management, and an overall more seamless and holistic project delivery with us acting as a single point of contact.”

Fully compliant with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) drone regulations, SORA (Specific Operations Risk Assessment) standards, and industry safety protocols, Plowman Craven’s UAS services are customisable and scalable to meet the unique needs of clients across sectors. Surveys can be conducted without operational disruptions, enhancing safety by eliminating the risk associated with manual inspections and hazardous environments.