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GF Health Products Inc., a medical equipment supplier that has stayed competitive via exports and domestic manufacturing, opened a new headquarters Monday that represents a $10 million investment and 20 new jobs in Gwinnett County.
The nearly 119,000-square-foot facility sits on 7.45 acres and is to house about a third of the company’s overall 325 workers, according to a Partnership Gwinnett news release.
GF, short for Graham-Field, has in recent years refocused on using globalization to its advantage, bringing manufacturing for many products back to the U.S. from Asia, then selling from here to other countries.
That path became clear back in 2011, when the company brought some dialysis seating from Taiwan back to the U.S. Customers far and wide were willing to pay for made-in-the-USA products, Ken Spett, the company’s CEO, said while delivering one of the top-five pitches for an additional Atlanta Metro Export Challenge grant last year (after winning $5,000 and $2,500 in UPS shipping credits).
The U.S.-made products quickly won an $800,000 order from Mexico, as buyers sought American quality from within the NAFTA region.
“It took us six months to make and ship them all,” Mr. Spett said at the time.
Since that sale, the company has been active in the export circuit, attending trade shows in part with the help of grant money from the challenge. Shows like MEDICA in Germany and Arab Health in Kuwait have resulted in major orders. The company last year sought to exhibit at a trade show in Singapore.
GF has also grown through acquisition: Early this year the company acquiring Intensa Inc., which makes exam tables and furniture, bringing about the need for more factory space. With a catalog of some 50,000 products, GF now has facilities in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Missouri, Rhode Island and California to go along with its new Georgia home.
The new headquarters represents an effort to stay on the cusp of innovation, with a design center, showroom and photo studio.
GF is a three-time winner of the state of Georgia’s GLOBE Award, which honors exporters for entering into new markets with their products.
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