We began our day by visiting the high technology electronics company, Gentex. They’re based in Zeeland, MI, but have offices for distribution in Germany, Japan, and China. The tour started with a presentation given by their operations and engineering staff, along with food and drinks at our tables to snack on. Of course, for a group of college students this was a great start to our long day.
Gentex makes products in industries like automotive, aerospace, and fire protection. However, I felt our tour and discussions with Gentex evolved around their automotive industry more so. This makes sense as Gentex is the world’s leading supplier of auto-dimming mirrors. I think they’re very excited with the innovative work they have been developing for clients in Germany. These clients consist of automakers like BMW, Mercedes, and Volkswagen.
After the staff’s presentation we split into smaller groups to tour their facility. My group saw how the warehouse was operated by a well trained staff. As a business major, I got plenty of discussion from the engineers in the group on how an automated system would be a more efficient way to run the warehouse, that’s why Calvin students are simply the best.
Next, we got the privilege to see how the cars rear view and side mirrors worked. Gentex employees gave us test drives in prototype cars to show us exactly what their products are capable of. Sadly, none of us were given the chance to take the cars for a spin. The most fascinating part of Gentex’s design was the camera located behind the small blade atena of the car. This allowed you to have better vision when viewing what’s behind you. The camera was helpful if you had someone in the back seat blocking your view or had something piled to high in the trunk. To finish, we watched a video of Gentex’s equipment used in a variety of scenarios along with what can be possible in the future for the company. Overall, I think we had a great visit with Gentex that was beneficial for every person in the group.