Strix Drones intends to establish manufacturing of the docking stations in the Dayton region.
The company’s new facility in Washington Twp. off Yankee Street in the RAM Precision complex will house U.S. production of the docking stations that Montgomery County officials say will extend the reach of drone technology.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Asked why he chose the Dayton area, Aharoni motioned around him during a press conference at Sinclair’s UAS (unmanned aerial systems) training facility.
“Look at the people here,” he said.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
The Dayton region is perfect for marshalling the resources he believes will be needed for production of a docking station that can securely charge and store unmanned aerial systems before and after flights.
“Dayton is the ideal environment,” he said.
The military-grade systems can be deployed near national borders for border control work, automatically drawing, securely storing and re-charging the drones between flights, according to Strix. The device requires a combination of proprietary hardware and software.
Aharoni expects to have about 10 to 12 Dayton-area employees in the first year of local operations, perhaps rising to 50 or more in the second year. “That’s what we’re aiming for.”
Erik Collins, Montgomery County development director, said key regional organizations played an important role in drawing Strix to the area, singling out the Dayton Region Israel Trade Alliance (DRITA), the Dayton Development Coalition and the county.
As far as Collins is concerned, Monday’s announcement is only the beginning.
“The seed was planted,” he said. “Now we’re starting to get attention from people all over the world,” he said.
In Washington Twp., RAM Precision, a family owned manufacturer, is seeking $500,000 in Montgomery County ED/GE (Economic Development/Government Equity) funds to build a 40,000 square foot addition. This project would create 20 jobs and retain 74, the county said in announcing the application for ED/GE funds last week.
Uses for the Strix docking stations include emergency response, security, mapping, mining, inspection, gas and oil lines and sensitive infrastructure.
The other U.S. StrixDrones office is in Miami, Fla., focused on business development nationally and internationally. The StrixDrones corporate base is Hod Hasharon, Israel, not far from Tel Aviv, with 12 full-time employees there.
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