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MiMfg Magazine
November 2018
2018 MFG Innovation Excellence
Gentex Corporation
Innovation is at the heart of manufacturing.
Ask any manufacturer about innovation and watch
the conversation change. Their eyes light up with
interest and they’ll lean into the conversation,
captivating you with a story only a manufacturer
could tell.
“Manufacturers are born innovators — where
others see problems and unavoidable challenges,
we see new possibilities and new solutions,” says
Neil Boehm, chief technology officer and the vice
president of engineering for Gentex, an innovative
juggernaut located along the coast of Lake Michigan.
“Innovation creates new products, improves processes
and allows for better efficiency. It reduces costs,
improves competitiveness and offers opportunity.
Without innovation, nothing moves forward.”
The secret to innovation, a secret only a select
few Michigan manufacturers know, is it’s about
more than just the ability to bring new ideas to
market; the secret is creating and maintaining a
culture of innovation over time and having a go-to
process capable of analyzing new ideas while
continuing to innovate for operational efficiency.
Gentex knows that secret. Their automatic-
dimming rearview mirror, an active safety device
that detects and eliminates dangerous glare, has
reimagined a once-ignored part of the automobile.
Through their innovation, the simple rearview
mirror has become coveted real estate within the
automobile where new technologies transform a
vehicle from a product you buy to a service you
can engage with throughout your daily routine.
“We’re benefitted by having 6,000 of the world’s
brightest thinkers on our campus,” explains Paul
Flynn, Gentex’s vice president of operation. “The
people here love science and they love technology
and it’s exciting to watch them develop so many
new ways to serve the customer — they’ve turned
countless small puzzles into the foundation for a
multi-billion dollar industry.”
Over the years, Gentex has integrated more than
100 different features into the mirror; everything
from displays, cameras and microphones to driver
interfaces, transceivers, map lights and more. Their
recent acquisition of HomeLink®, the world’s most
widely trusted and used vehicle-based wireless
control system, has added even more potential to
their out-of-the-box thinking.
“When we look for talent, it’s always a challenge
because unemployment in West Michigan is low
and there are so many amazing manufacturers in the
area. I think we’re able to maintain our role as an
employer of choice by stepping back and allowing
people a chance to explore, grow and create,”
Boehm states. “We’re driven to be world class
and that makes job-seekers want to work here
and our current workforce excited to stay here.”
The innovation process at Gentex isn’t clean
and it’s not paint-by-numbers. It’s messy, it’s not
always linear and inspiration can come from
anywhere. When asked how recent products came
to life, the list is almost endless, from asking OEMs
about problems without solutions to reaching out
to automotive new product development or market
research teams to bringing in new engineers
regularly for new ideas and fresh perspectives
Regardless of where it comes from, Gentex never
just ignores an idea. Like any great innovator, the
company meticulously scrutinizes current challenges,
past solutions and potential or unanticipated
consequences in search of the innovations to turn a
simple something into the next industry game-changer.
“The speed of change today is unprecedented,”
Boehm concludes. “The expectations of the market
is changing and you need to be able to quickly adapt
and innovate to provide them the service they demand
while still delivering high quality and low cost. The
culture here at Gentex allows innovation to be at the
center of what we do and our people are given the
freedom to imagine countless possibilities.”
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