Prent Corporation, the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of custom plastic, rigid thermoform packaging for the medical, electronics, and consumer industries, will be opening a new manufacturing facility in Santa Teresa, N.M.
Prent plans to invest $12.5 million and create 85 new jobs. Headquartered in Janesville, WI, Prent’s global footprint is strategically located to supply many of the world’s leading Fortune 100 companies.
"Southern New Mexico is brimming with opportunity," Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said. "The growth potential here is limitless. These good-paying jobs are proof positive that New Mexico is known around the country as business-friendly and a great place to invest right now."
“The Borderplex region makes perfect sense for Prent. It’s an area ripe for innovation and partnership,” Mark Rothlisberger, Sr. Vice President of Manufacturing for Prent, said
The State of New Mexico is supporting the relocation with $500,000 in economic assistance from the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) fund, a job-creation or closing fund administered by the EDD.
“New Mexico’s incentives and our logistical advantages help companies like Prent reposition manufacturing to take advantage of new supply chain realities,” Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes said. “Santa Teresa with its efficient international border crossing and the Union Pacific Intermodal facility will boost Prent as it expands its markets and help the state create better paying manufacturing jobs.”
Rothlisberger thanked the partnerships that helped bring Prent to New Mexico, including the New Mexico Economic Development Department, Borderplex Alliance, Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance, and New Mexico Partnership.
“For over three years we’ve worked closely with partners in the region to make this a reality. Over and over, we heard that the strength of the region is its collaboration across borders. Today’s announcement is a vindication of that model, one integrated region working together towards success,” Rothlisberger said.
Prent is also receiving economic assistance from Doña Ana County with a proposed IRB ordinance that goes to public hearings in the coming weeks.
“Prent Corporation’s opening will add a substantial number of good-paying jobs to Doña Ana County,” County Commission Chair Lynn Ellins said. “Santa Teresa is an excellent location for contributing to Prent’s success. This is especially good news to receive in the midst of a pandemic.”
“We are happy to welcome Prent, a quality and industry-leading manufacturing company, to the Santa Teresa Borderplex region. This area of the state is extremely active with more and more companies taking advantage of the pro-business environment, access to talent, and logistical assets that New Mexico has to offer,” Melinda Allen with the New Mexico Partnership said.
“This is another great team effort," Jon Barela, CEO of The Borderplex Alliance, said. "We brought Prent to our colleagues in New Mexico, and they acted quickly to ensure the company had everything they needed to succeed. My sincerest congratulations to Gov. Lujan Grisham, the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance, and the New Mexico Partnership on their cooperation and success in attracting jobs, talent, and capital to Doña Ana County. "
If approved, Prent will build a 62,500 square-foot facility with the capacity to double its footprint in five years. With almost 600 employees, Prent has opened five greenfield facilities in the last ten years, and has never laid off an employee in its 53-year history.
The New Mexico location, Prent’s 11th manufacturing facility, will be located in the Santa Teresa Industrial Park. Like other Prent sites, the facility will be ISO 13485 certified, have a class 8 certified clean room, and utilize the same Prent designed/built thermoformers used globally. Operations are expected to begin in the Fall of 2021, with construction to start as soon as approvals are in place.
The average wage of full-time employees is expected to be $26.14, and $15.75 for part-timers.
The majority of parts that Prent produces are sterile barrier packages for medical devices. As such, the facility will be required to pass a detailed audit by the companies receiving product from Prent. Passing the audit offers Prent more supply chain certainty because the industry has high regulatory barriers for any new competition.
Prent was founded in 1967 by Jack and Carol Pregont in Janesville, WI. For over 50 years Prent has pioneered thermoforming processes and developed numerous innovations that have helped advance today’s industry standards. They take pride in their outstanding design capabilities, having won more WorldStar Packaging Awards than any other medical or pharmaceutical company in the world. In March, when Prent learned that Mercyhealth Hospital and Trauma Center in Janesville had a shortage of protective equipment due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic, Prent expedited a cut die from Millennium Die and raw material from GOEX Extrusion, in less than 5 days, to manufacture and donate more than 10,000 face shields to Mercyhealth and other local health providers. The company has since provided protective equipment throughout the country.
To learn more about Prent and see job listings, please visit https://www.prent.com.