Gentex Corporation
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Gentex focuses on the manufacture of U.S. and international military, special forces, commercial, law enforcement, Emergency Medical Services and First Responder Personal Protective Equipment products, as well as materials and technologies, including Dual Mirror and Flexir Aluminized Fabrics, Lifetex Fabrics, Clearweld, Filtron and Precision Polymer Processors.
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[edit] Gentex Products, Materials and Technologies
Gentex Corporation makes products and materials designed to protect the armed forces, law enforcement units and departments, and first responders. Many of the technologies used to manufacture the personal protective products and materials for the U.S. Department of Defense, including the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, United States Coast Guard, United States National Guard, and the military branches’ special operations/forces teams, are the result of years of collaborative research, development and testing within the walls of the company’s multiple facilities by its wide array of human factors engineers, industrial engineers, mechanical engineers, chemical engineers, textile engineers, electrical engineers, composite engineers, plastics engineers, metallurgists, laser technicians, International Organization for Standardization or ISO/Quality Assurance professionals, and scientists holding Ph.Ds.
Gentex is an integrated life support systems company for human protection and enhanced human performance during periods of intense environmental exposures. Its four operating units — Helmet Systems, Respiratory Products, Electro-Acoustic Products and Performance Materials — are backed by extensive research and development capabilities, making Gentex a world leader in both military and commercial markets.
[edit] Scope of Work
As a well-known defense contractor, Gentex Corporation crosses paths with such distinguished military testing facilities as the U.S. Army’s Natick Lab, U.S. Navy’s NAVAIR and U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. Gentex’s pilot personal protective equipment domination in the areas of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft – F-16, F-14, F/A-18, F-22, F-35, AH-64 Apache, Commanche – result in interaction with other defense contractors, such as Lockheed-Martin, Sikorsky, General Dynamics and BAE Systems.
Gentex Corporation also works closely with international distributors, such as Transaero, Woodbury, New York, to provide products to international armed forces, and U.S. commercial distributors, including Flight Suits/Gibson-Barnes, El Cajon, California. Plus, the company is called upon for specialized projects that require customization of personal protective products for NASA programs, such as the early Space Shuttle missions, and commercial projects, such as Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites and SpaceShipOne repeated launch as part of the race for the Ansari X Prize.
The company holds active industry memberships in such organizations the U.S. Navy League; SAFE Association; National Defense Industrial Manufacturers Association; and Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), which features such distinguished members as Buzz Aldrin, John Glenn and Wally Schirra, and where Gentex presents the annual Tony LeVier Flight Test Safety Award.
The corporation is also past recipient awards from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and the Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP) Innovation Award, Harrisburg and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
[edit] Daily Influences
Daily people can see the products, materials and technologies the company offers in action. News accounts of military, national guard, and other federal and state emergency responders contained images of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma victims being lifted from precarious, life-threatening environments by personnel donning Gentex aircrew helmets.
Wildland firefighters and airport aircraft rescue and crash operations personnel don garments made from aluminized fabrics. Public appearances by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S Navy’s Blue Angels, Canadian Snowbirds and Northern Lights Flight Teams, Italian Aerobatic/Flight Demonstration team – Frecce Tricolori, and blockbuster movies, including Flight of the Intruder, Top Gun, Men In Black film, X-Men film, The Guardian, The Perfect Storm, True Lies and Independence Day, and television programs, such as JAG and 24, often feature Gentex helmets – HGU-55/P, HGU-68/P, HGU-84/P and HGU-56/P, high-altitude oxygen masks, oxygen mask microphones and laser visors. Several famous action film actors, who are pilots themselves, purchase Gentex aircrew helmets that are then customized with artwork by Flight Suits/Gibson-Barnes.
Scenes from the Iraq War of U.S. Army ground troops often include the capture of Gentex products in action, such as the U.S. Army Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH), U.S. Marine Corps Lightweight Helmet, Tactical Ballistic Helmet-II (TBH-II™), Ballistic Optical Armor (BOA™) and EPS-21™ goggles, X Harness™, Helmet Retention and Suspension Upgrade Kits, Night Vision Goggle Brackets and Strap Assemblies, General Duty Headsets, GenComm III™ Communications Headsets, and LVIS® combat vehicle and maritime watercraft intercom systems.
[edit] Community Involvement
Gentex is also a member of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, Scranton, Pennsylvania; Greater Carbondale Chamber of Commerce, Carbondale, Pennsylvania; Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Manchester, New Hampshire; Greater Derry Chamber of Commerce, Derry, New Hampshire; Inland Empire Economic Partnership, Rancho Cucamonga, California; and Rancho Cucamonga Chamber of Commerce, Rancho Cucamonga, California.
The workforce of approximately 850 employees, also is focused on the pride and support of local, regional and national community organizations and programs. Gentex Corporation annually recognizes and supports the exceptional work of the charities and non-profit organizations prevalent in the communities where its employees live, work and play. Support includes volunteer efforts by employees and in-kind and monetary contributions. The American Red Cross, United Way, YMCA, Pennsylvania Special Olympics, Ronald McDonald House of Scranton and Pennsylvania’s Adopt-A-Highway Program are just a few of the organizations which continually benefit.
