Buoyed by strong demand for its forward-fit systems from OEM customers, aircraft lighting and electrical systems provider Emteq (Booth No. C7012) has weathered the global economic downturn better than many. In the past two years alone, the New Berlin, Wis.-based company has opened a new production facility in Montana, expanded its existing offices in Montreal and Brazil to be closer to its OEM clients, and established a European customer-service base in Switzerland.
Established in 1996, the company is also on track in 2013 to exceed $100 million in annual revenue for the first time in its relatively short history, according to Emteq president Jerry Jendusa. “We are fortunate to offer a diverse range of products to support new aircraft programs, as well as modernization of existing aircraft, he told AIN. “In particular, we’ve grown the availability of Emteq systems on various production offerings from Bombardier, Embraer and Gulfstream to name a few, thanks to our commitment to new product development and service enhancements.
“We are fortunate to be working on both aftermarket and production programs,” he added. “If a segment happens to be down, chances are the other is on an upward trend.”
Emteq’s product line ranges from coaxial cables, electrical trays and avionics support kits to cabin comfort and connectivity solutions and power management systems. The company was also among the first to introduce LED lighting to aircraft cabins, an area that Jendusa says has comprised Emteq’s biggest growth-driver in recent years.
“We also moved into LED exterior lighting in 2007 and expect that to add to our growth,” he added. “We are also growing in cabin connectivity and power products to compliment, enhance or add on to traditional cabin management and inflight entertainment systems, while also allowing for the use of personal electronic devices in business aircraft.”
Emteq has also seen its business from new production programs grow in recent years. “Today our product breakdown runs approximately 55 percent forward-fit systems, [to] 45 percent aftermarket,” Jendusa noted. “We enter at the initial design phase and work with the OEM on joint-development programs to better manage risk. As we increase content on the OEM side, we expect that ratio to skew between 65 to 70 percent forward-fit in the next three to five years.”
Among the items Emteq will demonstrate at NBAA 2013 are two recent product offerings. Introduced last year, the Quasar II Full Spectrum Mood Lighting System operates on 115 V AC and interfaces with other Emteq cabin systems to eliminate the need for a separate control unit.
“This level of connectivity reduces component count, and that saves weight while minimizing complexity,” Jendusa said. “Along those lines, our newly-introduced eConnect solution offers in-cabin Internet connectivity, satcom interface control and full [cabin management system] functionality in one box. It’s a strong backbone, which also compliments the full range of inflight entertainment solutions on the market.”
Jendusa termed the annual NBAA convention “a beautiful show” that allows Emteq to meet with members of its highly diverse customer base. “Here we can introduce new products and speak with OEMs and owner/operators about new projects with the latest technologies,” he stated.
