Garmin starts Olathe expansion and celebrates sale of 200 million products

Garmin has announced it has sold 200 million GPS navigation units and wearable tech to customers around the world.

The milestone coincides with the commencement of the company’s facility expansion at its headquarters in Olathe, Kansas.

The new 750,000 square-foot manufacturing and distribution centre more than doubles the company’s aviation product manufacturing and distribution capacity. Once completed, the 96-acre Garmin Olathe campus will offer 2.25 million square-feet of space, with room for up to 2,600 additional associates.

Cliff Pemble, Garmin President and CEO, said: “All over the world, one product at a time, we help our customers beat yesterday with products that fuel their passions. Just six years ago, Garmin sold its 100 millionth product. Today, we’ve doubled that number and have significantly expanded our business to become a leader in all markets we serve, including wearable technology which has been a source of remarkable growth in recent years.

“As we celebrate these tremendous milestones, we thank our customers and associates who made these achievements possible, and look forward to many more milestones to come.”

Now that the first phase of its campus expansion is near completion, the second phase of renovating the existing Garmin warehouse and manufacturing space into a state-of-the-art research and development facility is set to begin. The company currently employs more than 12,000 associates in over 30 countries.

Garmin develops its tech for five primary markets: automotive, aviation, fitness, marine and outdoor recreation. The company has seen huge growth in wearable tech, with the fitness category dubbed one of its “star performers” over recent years.