Rubber Heart had the opportunity to pay our first visit to Canada to our client GBIE’s brand-new manufacturing and R&D facility in Windsor, Ontario. This visit came six months after the opening of this expansive 64,000 sq ft new build, which is dedicated to the production of GBIE’s innovative SLIP-COAT water-based, Abrasion Resistant Coatings (ARC) for automotive weatherstrips.

Stepping into the facility was like stepping into the future of the coatings industry! Everywhere we looked, we saw cutting-edge technology – from state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment to a large, bustling R&D laboratory where the complex coating chemistry all takes place.

But it wasn’t just the technology that impressed us. We also had the pleasure of meeting the people behind GBIE’s products – a passionate team of experts whose deep industry knowledge and commitment to excellence was evident in every conversation we had. It was clear that GBIE’s success and its reputation for quality and unrivalled technical support services are largely due to this amazing team.

We timed our visit perfectly, as we were fortunate to be part of a farewell lunch for two of GBIE’s Co-op students from the University of Waterloo who had been working as junior R&D Technicians in the R&D lab for four months.

This remarkable family-owned, second-generation business, led by David Bareich and Sandra Zanon (who also gave us a fantastic guided tour across the border from Detroit into Windsor, sharing information about the area’s rich automotive industry history), were wonderful hosts. We left with a deeper appreciation for the hard work and ingenuity that goes into every batch of GBIE’s SLIP-COAT products.

We’re incredibly proud to work with GBIE, and we’re excited to continue supporting them as they redefine the standards in the coatings industry.

GBIE.com