Gill Industries, which makes precision assemblies and stamped metal products for the automotive, office furniture and utility vehicle industries, has opened a sales and engineering office in the Netherlands. The move marks the company’s first presence in Europe.
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“We are very excited about opening this office because Europe holds considerable potential for Gill Industries,” president and chief operating officer Richard Perreault said.
“The European market is roughly the same size as our North American market, and we already have established relationships with several European customers. It’s one step towards our strategy to become a global supplier.”
Perreault said the office will perform sales, engineering and design work for European customers on products that initially will be manufactured in the US at Grand Rapids, Michigan and its 75,000-square-foot plant in Trenton, Georgia. The company would consider opening a manufacturing operation somewhere in Europe within the next few years if sales warrant it, he added.
Founded in 1964, Gill Industries supplies stamped products and welded assemblies to customers such as Johnson Controls, General Motors, Herman Miller, Continental Teves, Steelcase, Magna and Bosch. The company employs 465 at its headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Grand Rapids and 265 at Trenton.
The company posted sales of US$123 million in 2005, supplying components for automotive, office furniture and utility vehicles such as golf carts and all terrain vehicles.
Perreault said the company has weathered the rough times in the automotive industry that have rocked other domestic manufacturers of stamped products and assemblies by implementing lean manufacturing techniques and concentrating on its core competencies of assembly, welding and stamping.
“We have systemized this into our ‘Gill Launch Process’, which is a five-step [system] for new programmes that [takes] the product from prints through [to] customer approval.”
