Gorbel(R) headquarters in Fishers, NY


to function, along with his employees, in a respected, low- stress business environment. An expert in the field of material-handling equipment


sales, Reh had grown frustrated and underwhelmed by many of his vendors. So he set out to start his own company, with better service and faster delivery—a business that could serve markets beyond the Rochester area and provide opportunities for other people to succeed. “Dave Reh was frustrated with vendors being unreliable, and I think in terms of our evolution since the beginning, this shows up in our products and service today—the reliability,” explained Jeff McNeil, a 25-year company veteran and current Marketing & Innovation Vice President. “It’s first and foremost with us. Once we knew we were reliable, the emphasis shifted to being fast. And if we’re both fast and reliable, we’ll be a competitive force. So, a lot of that early frustration for Dave centered around communication and vendor performance.” Under Reh’s watchful leadership, Gorbel quickly built a


reputation for quality products and excellent customer service. In 1986, they expanded their product line to include enclosed track work-station cranes, first importing and private labeling them from European manufacturers, and eventually making them in the U.S. Growth being what it is, in 1990, the company moved into its current location. By 1996, Gorbel was manufacturing both manual and motorized jib cranes, enclosed track work- station cranes, gantry cranes, and work-station jib cranes in the New York plant. Eventually, as needs emerged to better


“DAVE REH WAS FRUSTRATED WITH VENDORS BEING UNRELIABLE, AND I THINK IN TERMS OF OUR EVOLUTION SINCE THE BEGINNING, THIS SHOWS UP IN OUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TODAY - THE RELIABILITY.”


serve customers in other parts of the country, an additional manufacturing facility in Pell City, Alabama, was developed. “Stable processes that yield a consistent result,”


underscored McNeil. “Once you have that, then you can automate that process—and automating that process turns into speed. When you look at our product, most of the advantages we’ve had is in automating the order processing— the paper work, the engineering, the scheduling. Tose are the things that we created in order to be reliable, and then automated those processes so that we’re fast. Add to it the innovation piece, and it distinguishes us in the industry.” Innovation has always been a key component to Gorbel’s success. Te company’s website went live in 1997, and now sees more than 135,000 yearly users from over 175 countries. In 1998, they built a new R&D department to facilitate their testing needs. In 1999, Gorbel launched its G-Force® Intelligent Lifting Device. Operators were able to lift loads up to 165 pounds with only three pounds of force. Te G-Force® is now available in capacities up to 1,320 pounds.


INDUSTRIAL LIFTING EXCHANGE SUMMER 2018 19


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