an outstanding reputation of higher quality products for the medical and commercial markets . The effort was so successful , it eventually led to the formation of a separate corporation known as Vadnais Technologies Corporation ( VTC ) in 1994 . VTC was eventually sold to a German precious metals company .
By the early 1990s , almost half of Reell ’ s sales came from Europe , and some customers pressed the company for local sourcing . In an effort to better serve its global customers , Reell established Reell Precision Manufacturing B . V ., a wholly owned subsidiary in the Netherlands in 1993 .
In early 1995 , the company aggressively developed a new friction hinge technology for the laptop manufacturers , particularly in Asia .
All the growth led to the opportunity to expand the company ’ s St . Paul headquarters up to almost 80,000 square feet in the spring of 2001 . As the company moved into the 21st century , it found its customer base increasingly moving away from the United States to Europe and Asia , and started looking into expansion overseas , and then the pandemic struck .
“ There were plenty of signs and indicators . I think it ’ s always hard to judge the magnitude of how unreliable things are going to be , and how to buffer that and serve customers ,” said Smith , who added that the company did take steps to protect itself early on . “ We can ’ t change it , so we ’ re adapting , moving some of our supply chain .”
“ We ’ re also addressing challenges relating to talent shortage . We have
done , I think , a real good job of being able to attract and retain people through a crisis such as COVID . It just speaks to who we are , how we treat people , the
Shari Erdman fact that we value relationships and we work hard to grow and develop our people ,” said Shari Erdman , Reell Precision Manufacturing ’ s Vice President of Global Human Resources .
Erdman pointed out that in everything they do , Reell is focused on living up to its name and the reputation that has been built over the years . “ Reell stands for wanting to do honest , trustworthy type business , and being a business of integrity and that has been in place for well over 50 years , and will be for the next 50 too ,” she said .
The company currently has about 130 employees in St . Paul , 35 in the Netherlands , and six others working in Europe .
More information about Reell Precision Manufacturing can be found on the company website : Reell . com .
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