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Gentex Opens U.K. Sales Office

13 December 1999

Gentex Opens U.K. Sales Office

    ZEELAND, Mich., Dec. 10 -- Gentex Corporation ,
the Zeeland, Michigan-based manufacturer of automatic-dimming rearview mirrors
and commercial fire protection products, has opened a new automotive sales and
engineering office in Coventry, England.
    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.
    The newly formed Gentex Mirrors Ltd. will house sales and engineering
operations designed to serve the Company's automotive customers throughout the
United Kingdom and Europe.  Managing Director Robert Steel, who recently
joined Gentex as an employee after working for the Company as an independent
sales representative for the past 10 years, will direct the office.  Steel
graduated from Coventry Technical College and has held a variety of positions
within the automotive industry, including seven years in purchasing at Jaguar.
    "Our sales in Europe have grown significantly over the past five years,
and Rob Steel has led the charge in the U.K. since 1989," said Ken La Grand,
Gentex's executive vice president.  "With growth comes complexity, and with
new mirror programs coming on line at Jaguar, Land Rover and others, the time
was right to establish a permanent U.K. office."
    Gentex NVS Mirror unit shipments to customers outside North America
increased by 18 percent last year, representing approximately 30 percent of
all units shipped in 1998.  For the first nine months of 1999, these shipments
further increased by 21 percent compared with the same period in 1998.
Currently, approximately 25 percent of the Company's revenues come from
customers in Europe.
    Over the years, Gentex has developed a host of automatic-dimming rearview
mirror products with advanced electronic features, such as compass and
temperature displays, remote keyless entry receivers, and light-emitting diode
map lamps.  Soon to be introduced are mirrors that serve as the interface for
a global positioning system, display individual tire pressure, and act as a
remote control for activating garage doors and other electronic devices.
    La Grand believes Europe is poised to take advantage of these advanced,
value-added mirrors.  "Today, nearly all of our interior mirror sales in
Europe come from our base-feature automatic-dimming mirror.  In North America,
however, where the rearview mirror is becoming a preferred location for driver
displays and communication interfaces, about one-third our sales come from
advanced-feature interior mirrors.  We see this trend extending to Europe in
the years to come," he said.
    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, Japan and the U.K.; 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.