From the business premises of his father, Gerard van der Leegte started Gereedschapmakerij Gerard van der Leegte in 1967. In the first years, the company mainly produces stamps and moulds for the metal industry..
What initially started as a one-man business steadily grew, which meant Gerard moved from Hapert to Valkenswaard in 1969. In 1980, the company has 20 employees and relocates again. At the Croy business park in Eindhoven, the tools workshop moves into a new company building.
The company is constantly developing itself and, apart from producing stamps and mechanical parts, also manufactures moulds for the plastics industry. At the request of Philips PMF, Gerard invests in two injection moulding machines in 1987 in order to do in-house injection moulding batches using manufactured moulds. From 1988 onwards, all activities in the field of plastic is placed under the umbrella of an independent company: GL Plastics was born.
Due to further expansion of the activities, the building once again became too small in 1991. The company leaves for bigger business premises at the nearby business park De Hurk. At Dillenburgstraat, both companies undergo a great development. The total number of employees of the GL Group grows from 50 to 200 employees in the 1991 to 2000 period.
In 2000, there is another relocation. This time, the company stays in the same area: we relocate to a bigger building at the Hurksestraat. The name Gereedschapmakerij Gerard van der Leegte is changed and GL Precision was born. From that moment onwards, stamps and moulds are largely a thing of the past. The focus now lies on high-tech components and modules.
In 2007, we take over Kera Kunststoffen and merge it with GL Plastics at the Ekkersrijt business park in Son. This allows GL Precision to expand further at the current location.
After 48 years, Gerard van der Leegte sells the high-tech company GL Precision to the VDL Group on 3 March 2015. Focus now lies on the further development of GL Plastics.