For.El. has announced that it expects its first wholly-owned subsidiary outside of Europe – Forel North America – to be operational in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area by January 2014. General manager of operations will be Mike Schmidt.
Italian-based insulating glass machinery manufacturer For.El. is starting up operations in North America, and has chosen Mike Schmidt as general manager. Schmidt has been in the glass industry for 12 years, with previous positions at Lisec and IGE Glass Technologies.
Forel North America, the company’s first wholly-owned subsidiary outside of Europe, will focus on service, sales and support, and is expected to be operational in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area by January 2014.
For.El. will continue to manufacture its products in Italy, and expects to have a 5,000-square foot warehouse from which to operate in the US.
Schmidt will be at an exclusive company booth in Atlanta during Glassbuild America to both showcase all of Forel’s new products and pass the word about the company’s new North American enterprise.
“We have to support the market,” he says, “and that means being at the biggest glass show in North America. We’re going to be there consistently, showing our products and our innovative technologies.”