BRIGHT CLIENT
GENT MACHINE COMPANY
Precision Focus & Strategic Investments Have Big Impact on Small Parts Company
By Michele Linton , practice growth manager , michele . linton @ reacpa . com ( Cleveland office ) hat started in 1927 as a small screw machine company in Rich and Adam Gent ’ s greatgrandfather ’ s barn has evolved and expanded into a go-to supplier of small , custom precise parts utilized by businesses across a variety of industries . Today , brothers Rich and Adam co-own Gent Machine Company , which occupies 64,000 square feet in Cleveland and boasts nearly 60 employees .
“ We ’ re hired as specialists in the industry to make a product for a company ,” explained Rich Gent , vice president and co-owner of Gent Machine . “ In a way , we ’ re a commodity . There are thousands of companies like ours in the United States , and a majority of them are small . We have to stand out to succeed .”
“ We recognized that if we ’ re going be successful , we had to start to modernize this company ,” Rich continued . “ Our father did incredibly well running a very successful small screw machine company and he looked to us to take the next step .”
Diversification
In 2007 , the brothers invested in new machines , Marubeni Citizen CNC lathes , a move that effectively diversified the business . These machines increased the company ’ s size and ability to produce highly complex products . By offering the latest and greatest in machining technology , Gent Machine is able to serve companies that operate in the automotive , housing , firearms , hydraulics , industrial supply and law enforcement industries .
“ The entire world is going to higherprecision products . In order to have things more precise , you need newer and more accurate equipment ,” said Rich . “ We needed to step out from the pack and distinguish ourselves as a fresher , more advanced option .”
Top Tier Certifications
The company recently received its ISO 9001:2008 & TS 16949 certifications . These quality management systems , according to Rich , elevated Gent Machine to an elite manufacturing group of Tier 1 suppliers for the automotive industry . The company also caught the attention of Tesla , which is now one of their largest clients .
Easily Discoverable
Another strategy the company deployed over the last decade to further differentiate itself has been to invest in its website and search engine optimization ( SEO ) – basically , what helps Google find you and move your site to the top of its search results . According to Rich , the company regularly updates its website with news , photos and information about their capabilities in addition to deploying solid SEO practices .
“ We want potential customers to have a really good understanding of our operations and what we do ,” explained Rich . “ People don ’ t always know what exactly the part they need looks like – but they know to “ Google ” ‘ screw machine ’ or ‘ machined products .’ Our goal is to be at the top of those search results .”
Rich said , over the last 10 years , this strategic investment has drastically increased the number of customers who have found them after a Google search .
All of these efforts , along with adding additional services , an HR consultant and a network of manufacturing representatives , have helped Gent Machine Company more than quadruple its sales and staff over the last decade .
To learn more about Gent Machine Company or to browse materials and services , visit www . gentmachine . com .
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