Inside RIX

Doug Richmond's journey at RIX Industries is marked by a unique blend of engineering expertise and customer insight. Over his 15 years with the company, Doug has become an expert at bridging technical complexity with practical solutions, particularly across RIX’s medical and industrial markets. From sizing compressors for specialized applications to helping hospitals access more reliable oxygen systems, he has built a career solving problems that don't lend themselves to standard answers. In this Q&A, Doug reflects on his path to RIX, the “lost art” of custom system sizing, and the opportunities he sees as the company expands into new markets.

Q: How did you get your start, and what led you to RIX Industries?

A: My path to RIX is more straightforward than others on the team, but it definitely had its twists. Before I became an engineer, I sold cars to put myself through college; for a while, I stopped school because I was making so much money. But when the 2008 downturn hit, I suddenly wasn’t. That was my wake-up call to finish college and earn my engineering degree.

Initially, I thought I would design engines for Ford or another automotive company, but I soon realized that I wasn’t ready to pick up and leave California. A friend who worked at RIX told me about their reciprocating compressors. They reminded me of engines, only without combustion. It was the closest thing to the work I’d wanted to do while still being near family and friends. I joined the company as a design engineer and soon realized that pure engineering was not the right fit, but the technical sales role was. It gave me the best of both worlds.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your role?

A: I like the 'pre-engineering' phase most: the sizing, the staging, the pressure calculations, and the process of figuring out exactly what a customer needs before it ever reaches formal engineering. For example, when a hospital needed a custom oxygen system, I worked through multiple iterations to ensure the design met their specific requirements. It was like solving a complex puzzle.

I enjoy working directly with customers, answering their questions about rod loads, blowby, volumetric efficiency, ring life, and reliability tradeoffs, and I can usually provide answers on the spot. Customers don’t expect a salesperson to understand the technology this deeply, so when they realize I can walk them through the details, it builds confidence in our engineering team. I love that, and it’s great for business!

Q: What kinds of industrial applications are you involved in today?

A: Historically, RIX has been the go-to company for challenging applications, such as developing a custom compressor for a remote mining operation or creating a specialized system for a cutting-edge research facility. We have been the niche player when options run out. That reputation has led to projects in metal processing, wastewater treatment, and oxygen boosting for refining and extraction, along with a long list of one-off applications.

These varied applications have been eye-opening in terms of market needs. We are now exploring areas where standardization could make sense, such as improved oil recovery, where high-pressure and portable systems could be a good fit. We are also evaluating opportunities in cryogenic systems and high-pressure hydrogen compression, both of which could open doors into future industrial markets.

Q: What advancements in medical or industrial technology are you watching closely?

A: Hydrogen remains very interesting. The hype has cooled compared to a few years ago, but the technical need remains strong. High-pressure hydrogen compression is challenging because diaphragm compressors are expensive and difficult to maintain. If hydrogen could be reliably compressed to very high pressures with a reciprocating piston, it would have major impact.

We are also evaluating opportunities in landfill gas recovery, along with new oxygen and nitrogen storage technologies, to support our existing customers. On the medical side, the biggest breakthrough we are working on is affordability.

Q: What are customers asking for most these days, and how does that shape your priorities?

A: Customers have been clear for years. They love the reliability of our medical compressors, but the cost of units and spare parts limits our reach. At every trade show, the first thing I would hear was that our products perform incredibly well but are simply too expensive for many budgets.

That feedback has reached a tipping point. We are now well into establishing a lower-cost supply chain that could bring our pricing down. If we can reach the mid-tier market without sacrificing quality, we will unlock a significant amount of new opportunities while helping more hospitals gain access to reliable oxygen systems.

On the industrial side, customers want flexibility and speed. They need accurate sizing and fast responses. That is where our experience and long-term technical knowledge really add value.

Q: Talk about the “lost art” of custom sizing. What does that mean?

A: When I joined RIX in 2011, the sales and engineering teams had decades upon decades of compressor experience at a company that had already been around for more than a century. That depth is rare today. People change jobs frequently, making it difficult to accumulate the nuance necessary to size compressors accurately and quickly.

If you cannot size systems efficiently, custom business becomes almost impossible. Customers need answers in days, not weeks. They need budgets, timelines, and a clear sense of feasibility before a project can move forward. Long-term expertise makes that possible, and it is something I value about my role.

Q: Looking ahead, what do you see as the next big shift for your sector?

A: The biggest shift will be finding the middle ground between customization and cost by developing modular designs that offer flexibility and affordability, allowing us to tailor solutions without excessive expense. RIX has always excelled at one-off engineered solutions, and that will not change. We want to grow into new markets by pairing our capability with standardized, affordable products to better compete.

If we get the cost structure right and combine it with the expertise we already have, we open the door to markets that have previously been off-limits on both the medical and industrial sides. That is exciting, and where I see the most opportunity ahead.