This morning we departed our hotel in Hockenheim around 8 o’clock for a 9 o’clock visit with Gentex at their German distribution/sales center. Construction on the autobahn delayed our arrival by about an hour, regardless the Gentex employees were very welcoming and eager to show us their site. They began with a presentation noting Gentex’s main products and a description of the work they do specifically in Germany. The building we visited is not used for manufacturing rather acts as a distribution/support center for European automotive manufacturers like Mercedes and Audi. They ship out over 300,000 mirrors a day and receive similar amounts from their counterparts at the headquarters in Zeeland, Michigan. They gave us a demonstration of a few of their products including camera-controlled rear view mirrors and self-dimming Boeing airplane windows. We then continued to walk through their large warehouse where all of the storage and shipping/handling takes place. The facility was very clean and it was clear to see they put emphasis on being ergonomically sound.
Many members of our group, including myself, have ties to this company which made it even more interesting to witness their overseas operations. Zeeland controls the most vital parts of Gentex’s business, however, without sites like the one in Germany, they would not be a near 2 billion dollar company like they are today.
