Preco Inc. opens laser processing and die-cutting facility in Hudson

• Preco facility

Preco Inc. have moved into the building at 2251 Willis Miller Drive formerly occupied by Eagle Packaging. The building is across the street from the General Motors parts distribution facility in St. Croix Business Park.

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Preco Inc., a leading maker of laser packaging and manufacturing machines, is expanding to a facility in Hudson, a trade magazine reported Wednesday, Jan. 18.

Package Printing magazine said Preco is moving into the building at 2251 Willis Miller Drive in St. Croix Business Park, formerly the home of Eagle Packaging Inc.

Judging from the number of cars in the parking lot on Thursday, the new facility is already operating or preparations are under way for it to open.

The magazine calls Preco “a global leader in providing laser, die-cutting, lamination and screen printing equipment and services.” The company is said to be expanding its production capacity and capabilities.

“The move is part of a continuing effort to respond to steady and strong growth in Preco’s medical and clean converting markets,” Package Printing magazine reported.

The magazine said the new contract manufacturing facility will offer “laser processing and die-cutting services for the medical, packaging and converting industries.”

The facility will have “ISO-certified clean rooms, dozens of laser and die-cutting work stations, and Ph.D.-level application engineers,” according to the magazine.

Preco is said to employ 300 workers at facilities in Somerset, Kansas, England, Sweden and China.

Preco started in 1956 as Gramling Tool and Die Co. The founder, G.T. (Bill) Gramling, was a tool and die maker.

In 2002, the company acquired Laser Machine of Somerset, which is now the center of Preco’s laser operations.

The Somerset plant had roughly 165 employees when the RiverTown Newspaper Group did a story on the company for its 2010 Business Review publication.

Ken Arvey, general manager of the Somerset facility, said there were two parts its operations.

“We’ll either build a system and sell it to the customer or we’ll build the system and contract out the service,” he was quoted as saying in the Business Review story. “It’s a really neat synergy we’ve got going in this business. No one is recession-proof. If one side of our business is doing poorly, the other is doing well.”

The Somerset facility added a clean room in 2009 for the manufacture of medical devices, renewable energy products such as solar panel components, packaging, optical products, electronics and more.

In 2010, the company was adding employees and in need of additional space.

Arvey wasn’t available for comment when the Star-Observer called on Thursday.

This story will be updated when more is known about Preco’s future Hudson operation.

Tags: business, development, hudson