Grote Electronics, a division of Grote Industries, on Thursday, Oct. 18, officially dedicated its new 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Waterloo, Ontario, marking the third time the electronics assembly plant has grown since it opened in 1991.
Grote says the state-of-the-art, high-volume manufacturing facility is where its light emitting diode (LED) circuit boards and electronic-based specialty products are assembled. It also houses the Grote Electronics’ team of electrical, mechanical and manufacturing engineers who work closely with Grote’s supply chain and end users.
Eric Morris, Grote Industries president and chief operating officer, says the division’s growth is due to the vision of Bill Grote, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer, who anticipated the future of LED technology in the late 1980s.
“Bill Grote accurately predicted how LEDs — which are more energy-efficient, last longer and could better withstand vibration — would improve safety, worker productivity and simply save money on the bottom line,” Morris says. “Grote is taking LED technology a step further. Our engineers add value by applying LEDs in practical applications. Grote Electronics’ new capabilities in reliability and cost-effective manufacturing enable us to deliver the best-performing LED solution for the trucking industry.”
Using linearized surface mount and through-hole assembly technology, the facility manufactures LED circuit board products for military, passenger car and heavy-duty trucking applications. “The quality products delivered by our engineering and assembly teams are giving not only Grote, but our business partners, a sharp competitive edge in the global marketplace,” says Dominic Grote, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing.
Grote Electronics, an ISO/TS16949:2002 facility, joins other Grote Industries’ North American operations in the United States and Monterey, Mexico.