Gentex Corporation, the Zeeland, Michigan-based manufacturer of automatic-dimming rearview mirrors and camera-based active-safety systems for the automotive industry, commercial fire protection products and dimmable aircraft windows, announced it is to purchase a 108,000-square-foot electronics manufacturing facility at 11768 James Street in Holland. The facility is approximately three miles from the company’s headquarters and other automotive manufacturing facilities in the area.
Enoch Jen, Gentex senior vice president, said the company is pleased that it found the manufacturing plant and that it is cost-effective. The facility, previously occupied by Invensys Controls, was used to manufacture electronic components, thus major renovations are not necessary.
“Our product mix has become increasingly more complex with our new technologies, and the number of manufacturing lines and jobs are increasing,” Jen said. “The recovery of the automotive industry has been faster than expected, so there is less room for flexibility.”
Jen said that Gentex is so large now that a 20 percent increase in production means that acquiring a new facility is the best move as opposed to simply adding a shift, the way they did it in the past.
“Placing Gentex equipment and employees in that building will bring new life to that facility, and we’re happy that we can continue to offer more jobs in the Zeeland/Holland areas.”
– Enoch Jen, Gentex senior vice president
