Gill Industries Opens Sales/Engineering Office in Europe

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Jan. 9, 2006 -- Gill Industries Inc., a leading manufacturer of 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.

"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 Grand Rapids and its 75,000-square-foot plant in Trenton, Ga. The company would consider opening a manufacturing operation somewhere in Europe within the next few years if sales warrant it, he said.

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 about 465 full-time people at its headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Grand Rapids and 265 full-time people at its Trenton facility. Gill Industries posted sales of about $123 million in 2005 through sales of components for automotive, office furniture and utility vehicles such as golf carts and all terrain vehicles. The company is certified as TS16949 and a Women's Business Enterprise.

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 program for new programs that carries the product from prints through customer approval."

For more information about the European sales office, please contact Ewould Westerink, project manager, Gill Industries Europe, Ninaberlaan 83, 7447 AC Hellendoorn, The Netherlands, +31 548 659048, e-mail gillindustries@eurodev.com .

For more information about Gill Industries, visit the Web site at http://www.gill-industries.com/ , or call Mary Gill-Thornton at (616) 559-2700.