Gentex Corporation Honored as a 1998 Automotive News PACE Award Finalist
3 December 1997
Gentex Corporation Honored as a 1998 Automotive News PACE Award Finalist
ZEELAND, Mich., Dec. 3 -- For the fourth consecutive year,
Gentex Corporation was selected as a finalist in the 1998 PACE
(Premier Automotive suppliers' Contribution to Excellence) Awards program by
Ernst & Young LLP and Automotive News. The PACE Awards recognize standout
automotive suppliers who have excelled in adapting and reinventing their
companies or their products to meet the growing service and quality demands of
their customers--- the world's major automotive manufacturers. Gentex
previously was a PACE Award winner in 1997 and 1995.
"It is an honor to be part of this distinguished group of finalists for
the 1998 PACE Awards," said Gentex Executive Vice President Kenneth La Grand.
"Our employees deserve this recognition. Their ingenuity, hard work and
dedicated efforts have delivered unprecedented levels of value to our
customers and, ultimately, the automotive consumer."
Gentex was honored for its development of the world's first auto-dimming
"aspheric" mirror, an exterior wide-angle mirror that virtually eliminates the
vehicle's blind spots. These auto-dimming mirrors allow automakers to offer
their customers cost-effective, value-added features that also have
significant potential to reduce crashes and ultimately help save lives.
Fourteen finalists and eight semifinalists were selected from a record-
setting 65 applicants. Gentex has moved on to the second stage in the
application process, which included a visit to evaluate both the innovation
and the management team. An independent panel of distinguished judges,
consisting of industry, academic and civil leaders, will determine the winners
of the 1998 PACE Award. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at
the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., on Sunday, February 22, 1998.
For the fourth consecutive year, Automotive News and Ernst & Young are co-
sponsors of this annual awards program dedicated to promoting product,
manufacturing and service achievement by automotive suppliers of all sizes.
For profiles of previous PACE winners, visit the PACE Web site at
http://www.ey.com/US/PACE.
Gentex Corporation is an international company that provides high-quality
products to the worldwide automotive industry and North American fire
protection market. The Company develops, manufactures and markets proprietary
electro-optic products, including interior and exterior electrochromic,
automatic-dimming Night Vision Safety(TM) (NVS(R)) automotive rearview mirrors
that dim in proportion to the amount of headlight glare from trailing vehicle
headlamps, and an extensive line of fire protection products for commercial
applications.
Gentex was the first company in the world to successfully develop and
produce a commercial electrochromic mirror for the motor vehicle industry.
The Company is the leading supplier of these mirrors to the worldwide
automotive industry. Gentex customers include Audi, Bentley, BMW, Chrysler,
Daewoo, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Gulf States Toyota, Honda, Hyundai,
Infiniti, Kia Motors, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Porsche,
Rolls Royce and Southeast Toyota Distributors.
Founded in 1974, Gentex operates out of three facilities in Zeeland,
Michigan; an automotive sales and marketing office in Livonia, Michigan; an
automotive sales and engineering subsidiary in Germany; and five regional U.S.
sales offices for the Fire Protection Products Group. The Company is
recognized for its quality products, its application of world class
manufacturing principles, for its commitment to developing and maintaining a
highly skilled workforce, and for encouraging employee ownership of the
Company's stock.
SOURCE Gentex Corporation
