Gentex Wins 1998 PACE Award
23 February 1998
Gentex Wins 1998 PACE Award
ZEELAND, Mich., Feb. 23 -- For the third time in four years,
Gentex Corporation has won a coveted Automotive News PACE
Award. The award was presented last night in a ceremony at the Henry Ford
Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Gentex has been a finalist in each of the four years since the award's
inception, and is the only company to have received the award three times.
Co-sponsored by Ernst & Young LLP and Automotive News magazine, the PACE
Awards annually recognize premier North American automotive suppliers for
their contributions to innovation, technology and industry leadership.
The 1998 PACE Award was given to Gentex for its development of the world's
first automatic-dimming, aspheric mirror. Aspheric mirrors are exterior
rearview mirrors that provide drivers with an expanded field of view, and,
when combined with Gentex's proprietary electrochromic technology,
simultaneously solve two automotive safety challenges: glare and blind spots.
Gentex pioneered Night Vision Safety(TM) (NVS(R)) Mirrors, which
automatically darken to reduce glare from the headlamps of vehicles
approaching from the rear. The brighter the glare, the darker the mirrors
become, making nighttime driving safer.
"Once again, we're honored to be the recipient of such a prestigious
award," said Gentex Executive Vice President Kenneth La Grand. "Being a
three-time winner is especially meaningful to us because it confirms our
corporate commitment to making innovation purposeful and intentional.
Achieving a technological breakthrough once, takes hard work, but doing it
over and over again means you've been successful at infusing innovation into
your corporate culture. And that's what it takes for long-term success in
this industry."
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