PARIS – Huntsville-based RMCI Inc., a company specializing in helicopter health monitoring technology and analysis, announced plans at the Paris Air Show today to open an office in the United Kingdom to help meet growing demand for its products and services.
RMCI Chief Executive Ken Speaks said the office in Derbyshire, England, will make it easier for the Alabama firm to reach customers in the U.K. and throughout Europe. The office will be staffed by Dr. Lesley Brealey, an acoustics specialist who has vast experience in the aviation industry, both at the technical and board level.
“The demand for the technology that we are on the leading edge of developing is dramatically expanding globally,” Speaks said. “We are able to detect emerging failures in helicopter drive-train systems well in advance of an incident that could cause collateral damage or catastrophic damage. Demand for that type of technology in safety critical systems — saving lives, reducing costs — is rapidly growing.”
To further meet the global demand, Speaks said RMCI will open an office in Asia in 2016.
The Alabama company’s technology and analytical capabilities allow customers including the U.S. military to monitor critical helicopter components such as transmissions, gearboxes, bearings, shafts and rotor systems. Its Expandable Rotorcraft Diagnostic System is designed to be a compact health diagnostic tool for operators of helicopter fleets.
ANALYZING 3,000 HELICOPTERS
RMCI has vast experience in aviation health monitoring.
The firm was founded nine years ago to support the operations of the U.S. Army’s aviation branch with health monitoring and analysis for more than 3,000 helicopters of varying types. Speaks said that has given RMCI advantage in the ability to explore and contribute to the advancement of prognostic health management sciences. RMCI also supports and has contributed to technical papers for the International Helicopter Safety Team, the American Helicopter Society International, and the Society for Machinery Failure Prevention Technology.
“Regarding our electronics hardware development, we have been able to produce a system that is lighter weight, more powerful, more capable and more affordable than legacy HUMS (health and usage monitoring systems),” said Speaks, who is attending this week’s Paris Air Show on a business-development mission.
RMCI’s customers include the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army Aviation Engineering Directorate and Aviation and Missile Command Headquarters, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Missile Defense Agency, NASA, U.S. Air Force and the Aerospace Industries Association. It also has a growing civil aviation customer base.
“We are very excited about RMCI’s international growth. It is wonderful to see a local aerospace company advancing into the global market,” said Rey Almodovar, chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, and CEO of Intuitive Research and Technology Corp., a Huntsville-based aerospace and defense contractor.
On Monday, Almodovar joined other Huntsville leaders at the Made In Alabama booth at the Paris Air Show to announce an exploratory study that could lead to Sierra Nevada Corp.’s Dream Chaser spaceplane landing at Huntsville International Airport.
