Gentex Sees Automotive Industry in a Whole New Light
2 December 1999
Gentex Sees Automotive Industry in a Whole New Light GENTEX NEW WHITE-LIGHT LED TECHNOLOGY Move over Thomas Edison, there's a new white light in town. Gentex Scientist John Roberts demonstrates the company's new high-intensity, white-light LED technology, which for the first time allows LED's to be used as illuminators. The Gentex LED's are 10 times brighter than traditional LED's, and stand to change the way the auto industry and others look at lighting and signaling products. Source: Gentex, Craig Piersma, 616.772.1800. (PRNewsFoto)[KI] ZEELAND, MI USA 12/02/1999
Gentex's New High Intensity, White-Light LED Technology
Has Broad Ramifications for Automotive Lighting and Beyond
ZEELAND, Mich., Dec. 2 -- The traditional incandescent light
bulb finally may have met its match. Gentex Corporation, the Zeeland,
Michigan-based developer and manufacturer of automatic-dimming rearview
mirrors and commercial fire protection products, today announced that the
Company has developed a proprietary, revolutionary, high-intensity light-
emitting diode (LED) technology that could change the way automakers and
consumers look at lighting and signaling products.
(Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991202/DETH007 )
The LED technology developed by Gentex represents the first time that
white light for illumination purposes can be achieved cost-effectively using
high-intensity LEDs. Due to the innovative design of this new technology,
these LEDs (including binary/complementary white, amber, red and blue/green)
are about ten times brighter than any others available in the world and could
be used either as signals or for illumination purposes. They also are
designed for high-volume, automated, board-level electronic assembly. The
Company has been using the first generation of this technology as map lamps in
its rearview mirrors for over two years. LEDs as illuminators have many
advantages over incandescent lamps, including extremely long life, low heat
generation, lower current draw, resistance to shock, and lower total cost of
ownership.
"While the initial white-light LED technology Gentex introduced as map
lamps in its mirrors on the Oldsmobile Intrigue GLS represented a cost adder
initially, the total cost of ownership is significantly lower for consumers
because LEDs do not burn out like incandescent lamps and should last the life
of the vehicle," said Gentex Executive Vice President Kenneth La Grand.
"The second and subsequent generations of this new LED technology
significantly reduce costs, dramatically improving the value of the LED system
compared with incandescent lamps, and we believe that there potentially is a
huge market for this new product."
La Grand said that there are numerous potential automotive and non-
automotive applications. Most anywhere there is an incandescent lamp used in
a vehicle or other application is a likely target for LED illuminators,
including interior vehicle lighting; back-up lights; center, high-mounted stop
lamps (CHMSLs); taillamps; license plate illuminators, and interior aircraft
lighting.
"We believe that using these high-intensity LEDs will greatly enhance
customer satisfaction and lower warranty and replacement costs. In addition,
because LEDs generate little heat and do not burn out, there is no need to
design for replacement and designers may be able to use different, less
expensive, non-insulating materials around the LED lamps," said La Grand. "We
hope to have additional product applications using the new LED technology
within the next two years.
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. Revenues from the sale of automatic-dimming
mirrors represent about 92 percent of total Company revenues.
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, Daewoo,
DaimlerChrysler, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Gulf States Toyota Distributors,
Hyundai, Infiniti, Kia Motors, Land Rover, Lexus, Nissan, Opel, Porsche, Rolls
Royce, Samsung, Southeast Toyota Distributors and Toyota.
Founded in 1974, Gentex operates out of three facilities in Zeeland,
Michigan; an automotive sales office in Livonia, Michigan; automotive sales
and engineering subsidiaries in Germany and Japan; and four 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.