Supplying the elevator industry since 1927, GAL is a trusted provider of elevator equipment. ILE shares a unique relationship with this New York-based company, and we caught up with Product Director for Door Equipment, Andrew Goodwin, to talk about ILE and GAL’s journey so far.
With nearly 150 years of elevator experience between them, ILE and GAL’s partnership was founded on a mutual belief in providing quality products, with the first connection made by ILE’s Lycett family, and the Glasers of GAL.
“It was in the mid 1980s that the two founding families met and had the idea of bringing these American operators over to England. We’ve now been partners for almost 40 years, and the connection has always centred around good people working together, building relationships for the benefit of both companies. At the heart of our relationship has always been the combination of two families combining their expertise.”
Built to last
Starting life focusing on making the elevator industry safer, with the manufacture of door locks, GAL developed their offering to include operators before moving into harmonic operators in the 1940s. Building equipment for the American market, their products were created for the heavy and robust elevators installed in buildings.
“GAL operators can pretty much handle anything you throw at them – and they’re built to last. Today we see some of the units we created in the 1940s still running. We understand that the elevator is there for the life of the building, and we would love our products to last almost as long. Nowadays we see a lot of elevator equipment manufacturers looking for a 3 to 5 year life, but we look at 20 to 30 years – we want it to last. We focus on quality, the end user has to be happy with it, and it’s really about being a fair and decent company, building good quality products for our customers who will then continue to come back to us.”
It is this commitment to quality that drew the two companies together and laid the foundation for ILE to start distributing GAL product lines in the UK. Assured of each other’s quality products and services, the relationship has flourished, with ILE now stocking a full range of GAL products.
“ILE stocks pretty much anything related to door equipment, from harmonic operators and clutches to door hangers and rollers – anything related to a door! Keeping a stock of this equipment in ILE’s warehouse means they don’t have to wait for a boat from New York, everything is ready at a moment’s notice to provide customers with the products they need whenever they need them. I’ve had a chance to go over and see, and they really do have everything!
“ILE produces high quality cabs and doors, which allows our equipment to marry up well. This also means that they can configure the equipment using their expertise for whatever situation arises and make an integrated solution for their customer, using products they can rely on and trust. ILE appreciates the longevity and quality of our equipment, which is important to them – to have a superior product that’s going to last.”
A journey to success
Building strong and honest relationships across the company has paved the way for ILE and GAL’s success in the UK, enabling ILE to supply a complete package to customers, using GAL equipment. This, combined with the quality equipment ILE produces, ensures the ongoing success of the partnership.
“We both build reliable products and that’s what we count on – we have something good that both of us are putting out there on the market. We’re big on quality, and ILE is too, they know that if it’s GAL, it’s going to last, so ILE can pitch that name and product with confidence.
“We’ve been connected for a very long time, and that longevity of relationships and friendships is what has driven it. We’ve got a team mentality and we talk plenty, which is important to carry on through the next generation. As the initial connection from the mid-1980s fades further into history, we’re creating our own friendships and carrying on that strong tradition and connection.
“It’s a great partnership. I never would have guessed someone would decide they wanted to import operators from New York City over to England, but it’s worked out well!”
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