Prent to Open New Rigid Thermoform Medical Packaging Plant in New Mexico

The latest expansion plans by Janesville, Wisconsin manufacturer Prent Corp. is for a new facility in Santa Theresa , N.M., where the company plans to invest $12.5 million and create 85 new jobs. Just two years ago, this global major designer and manufacturer of custom plastic, rigid thermoform packaging for the medical, electronics, and consumer industries, opened up its new 45,000- sq.ft. Prent Baja facility in Tijuana, Mexico, to meet the growing demand for Prent’s medical packaging regionally while strengthening a global footprint that supports the medical industry from the Americas to the Caribbean, to Europe to Southeast Asia and beyond.

If approved, Prent will build a 62,500-sq.ft. 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 reportedly 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 by Fall of 2021, with construction to start as soon as approvals are in place.

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.

Said Prent’s sr. v.p. of manufacturing Mark Rothlisberger “The Borderplex region makes perfect sense for Prent. It’s an area ripe for innovation and partnership. Said New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan, "Southern New Mexico is brimming with opportunity. 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."

According to Rothlisberger, 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 Economic Development Department (EDD).  Rothlisberger thanks the partnerships that helped bring Prent to New Mexico, including the New Mexico EDD, 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.”

Prent is also receiving economic assistance from Doña Ana County with a proposed IRB ordinance that goes to public hearings in the coming weeks. Said county commission chair Lynn Ellins, “Prent Corporation’s opening will add a substantial number of good-paying jobs to Doña Ana County. 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.”