Posted July 27, 2016
By Devin Steele (DSteele@eTextileCommunications.com)
GREER, S.C. – If you’ve been in any number of textile, nonwoven or other manufacturing plants in the U.S., Canada or Mexico, chances are, you’ve seen some of Genkinger, Inc.’s orange or yellow material-handling equipment in action.
The U.S. company, which recently changed its name from Genkinger-HUBTEX, Inc. after a structural change at its Germany-based world headquarters, has provided lifting and transporting solutions to the industry since 1981. And, believe it or not, some of that equipment from the 1980s is still in operation today, according to Markus Heinis, President of Genkinger, Inc.
Genkinger, Inc. experienced several name iterations over the past 35 years, but the company long ago established itself as the go-to source for material handling solutions and has never wavered from its mission of meeting customer challenges with effective, individualized results, Heinis said.
One of the primary keys to its success and longevity is the small but effective team that operates the company, he added. Three full-time employees – Heinis, VP/Sales Support Manager Tommy Loftin and Product Engineer Garry Wagner – have worked as a team since 1999, combining for more than 50 years of experience with the company.
“Each one of us knows our role, but are willing to pitch in to help each other whenever the need arises,” Heinis said. “We’re all independent and know what needs to be done. I enjoy working with Garry and Tommy. They’re great guys and great employees."
Loftin affirmed that the trio works well together.
“We trust each other and we know what each other is thinking or doing,” he said. “When you’re around each other for 17 years, there is no guessing what each other’s role is.”
At its facility and warehouse here, Genkinger provides sales, service, overhaul, repairs and spare parts.
“We have lots and lots of spare parts here and we have a spray-painting booth,” Heinis said. “We are able to do everything – mechanically, electrically, hydraulically, physically. So from that standpoint, we are very well equipped to overhaul and repair equipment for our customers.”
The company survived the industry’s deep recession, around 2009-10, around the same time it spun off from another U.S.-based operating unit with a different name. It did so by continuing to provide service to its existing customers and by expanding into other manufacturing areas such as automotive – although textiles still represents about 80 percent of its business, Heinis said.
“It was tough to re-establish ourselves, but it was an interesting period to grow and learn again,” Heinis said. “I’m the president, but I’m also an engineer. I did everything I could to assist, as did all three of us. I helped out in the back when I could, and still do. And we don’t have a secretary.”
Business has rebounded dramatically over the last couple of years, he added, which Heinis attributed in part to manufacturers’ finally reinvesting in production equipment again.
“We provide supporting equipment, and that always comes after the knitting and weaving machines have been sold,” he said. “And some of our equipment has been in the market a long time, so some companies are investing in new material-handling equipment – although some of our equipment has held up for decades.”
50-plus years of experience
Heinis, who has a mechanical engineering degree from a Swiss university, joined the company as vice president of sales in 1996 after working for a pharmaceutical company and then textile capital equipment supplier Sulzer. Sales, of course, remain his primary responsibility with the company.
“When we sell a piece of equipment, we’re not only selling it,” Heinis said. “We deliver it, unload it and make sure everything is there and it works properly. We can provide in-house training equipment or maintenance training. Some people don’t have maintenance departments anymore, so we’re able to train operators to do that, as needed.”
Wagner came aboard in 1999 after the company he was working for in Pennsylvania closed. An electrician by trade, he had already been working on HUBTEX equipment at the closed facility, so he was called for an interview at the South Carolina supplier. He spends much of his time at customer facilities, providing service as needed.
“My truck is four months old, and I already have 18,000 miles on it,” he said recently. “Two weeks ago I was in Texas and last week I was in Canada – but not all of that travel was in the truck. Some flying is required. My schedule is day to day.”
“We’ve had a good time, wouldn’t you say, Garry?” Heinis interjected during the interview.
“Yes, we have,” Wagner said with a grin. “Sometimes I’d like to clone myself, though.”
Genkinger’s equipment has five different electronic systems, Wagner said, and “and you have to know them all, even the ones that were made back in the ’80s.”
The company still stocks parts for 30-year-old equipment, Wagner said.
Prior to Wagner’s being hired in 1999, Loftin was hired after stints with weaving machine providers Pignone and Picanol, starting at Pignone part-time while in high school in 1983. At Pignone, he was tasked with organizing its Spartanburg, S.C., parts department.
At Genkinger, he handles shipping, receiving, invoicing, purchasing, parts sales, machinery sales, daily operations and administrative duties.
“When a customer contacts us, we jump into action,” Loftin said. “We want to solve that problem or satisfy their request in the best and fastest way possible. For a customer with 30-year-old equipment, it doesn’t matter to them that their machine is that old. They want to know, ‘do you have the part?’ or ‘how fast can it be fixed?’ And the same goes for any customer, regardless the age of their equipment.”
Added Heinis: “We are also proud to say that we’ve also developed a parts and service department that enables us to provide our customers with complete maintenance and technical support right here in Greer.”
Genkinger continues to move forward with the industry
