Red Deer & Central Alberta Economic Outlook 2003

Two Minutes with GenTex Oilfield Manufacturing,    Red Deer
 

With 18 employees, GenTex designs, builds and services hot oil and pressure units and provides on-site training for customers. A family company founded in 1968, GenTex recently acquired the assets of a Houston-based competitor to become a multinational player. Export orders – often to exotic places such as China, India and Brazil – make up about 70 percent of the total value of units sold.

What markets are especially important to GenTex?
“A lot of times when people see that companies are selling internationally, they might not be cognizant of what the company is doing domestically. We’re still very interested in Canada. We’re not forgetting our roots and where we came from,” says owner Garett Cupples.

What is the biggest challenge about operating internationally?
“Patience,” Cupples says. “Marketing and selling internationally is not for the faint of heart. It’s almost a completely different business on its own. There’s so much involved in it. For the people who have not been involved in exporting, it can be overwhelming.”

What do you mean when you say that GenTex is a full service company?
“In November we finished a six-month training period in Kazakhstan,” says Cupples. We sat down and designed the truck for the customer, shipped it and then when it arrived we went over there and instructed the locals on how to operate the equipment. We did classroom training and hands-on training in the field.”

What are your plans for the future?
“We’re just going to keep doing what’s working for us, and that’s being a full service manufacturing company. We have no plans for acquisitions, but one of our focuses is to get into Mexico and some more Asian companies.” Cupples says.

 
GenTex Oilfield Equipment Manufacturing

Thriving on the Challenges of Remaining “Number One” to our Customers

At GenTex, we specialize in the manufacture of skid, trailer or truck-mounted hot oil units, and pressure units & steamers for oilfield, industrial or refinery applications. We are the only company in Canada that can design and fabricate a unit as well as provide on-site training and support. GenTex has earned a worldwide reputation for excellence in research, development, manufacturing and training.

Through extensive research and development and our recent acquisition of Texsteam Heating Division from Dresser in Houston, Texas, we have created what we believe is the best all round line of heaters and steamers, which includes the TEX-STEAMER©, the TEXHEATER©, and the Thermo Gen Heater©.

With clients in markets around the world, we are proud to have been part of the Red Deer community for 35 years.
 

-Written by Christopher Spencer, special to The Journal