As a young Air Force helicopter crew chief, Norman Serrano found that the vibration of a helicopter increased more and more just before it broke down. Serrano concluded that the helicopter rotor blades should be adjusted or repaired as soon as they begin to vibrate.
He focused his efforts on dynamically balancing spinning subsystems within the helicopter platform, including the main rotor and tail rotor systems. It took the average mechanic a few weeks to dynamically balance these systems, but Serrano developed techniques that took him only a few hours and produced much smoother results. He soon discovered that approximately 90 percent of helicopter maintenance issues are the result of vibration. His motto became, “No more vibration-related accidents or deaths.”
Camille Pendleton, director of the Orem Small Business Development Center (SBDC), nominated Serrano for the Utah Small Business Person of the Year. A panel reviewed the submission and selected his business as the SBA Utah Veteran Owned Business of the Year.
After being recruited by an aerospace company and working for six years as their applications engineer, Serrano felt that the helicopter industry was on the wrong path. He soon became an independent consultant to further develop his dynamic balancing technology. After a few more years developing his Vibration Intelligent Balance Solution (VIBS) technology, he was able to apply it to almost anything that spins and has had phenomenal results.
NASCAR, along with the transportation, manufacturing, aerospace and green energy (wind turbine) industries, have successfully used the technology. Serrano said his Native American heritage and service as a military veteran have taught him valuable life lessons. But when it came to starting and growing a business, he was way out of his comfort zone. He said two of the greatest challenges he faced were knowing whom to trust and managing debt and risk.
While an SBA loan was critical in sustaining International Vibration Technology (IVT) several years ago, recently the SBDC has provided the expertise and resources to help the company share both its message and technology.
“In addition to providing amazing resources to small businesses, they are talented, remarkable professionals who sincerely care about helping businesses grow in a sustainable way,” Serrano said of his experience with the SBDC.
Changes in technology and assistance from key individuals have allowed him to hone the technology. VIBS can be used by anyone, anywhere on the globe. IVT is now bringing the vibration reduction technology to the aerospace, manufacturing and clean-energy industries and could go a long way toward accomplishing Serrano’s mission of saving lives and making the world better.
The Utah SBDC Network is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and numerous other local public organizations. SBDC locations are hosted by Utah State University, Davis Applied Technology College, Weber State University, Salt Lake Community College, Utah Valley University and Dixie State University.