Esco Moves Into New Manufacturing Facility

Optical component manufacturer Esco Optics Inc. has moved into a new manufacturing facility after suffering debilitating damages from a 2014 fire and being forced into a temporary production location.

“It’s been a journey just to get into this building for sure,” said Lee Steneken, CEO of Esco. “I’m just very thankful for the patience of our employees and help from industry friends, vendors, and even competitors who offered assistance after the fire. It truly made the difference in seeing the path ahead after the loss of our old building.”

Esco currently fabricates and ships more than 50,000 precision optics per month, and goals are set to outpace that production. Custom optics accounts for almost 80 percent of Esco’s annual sales, and the new building is ready to support large-scale manufacturing with aggressive timing.

“We set out on a plan to make our workflow seamless in the new building,” said Ron Schulmerich, business development manager at Esco. “Having the ability to map out this new building from scratch from blank processing to machining, to polishing, to quality control, and then to shipping, it's already dialing in our process.”

With an expanded footprint, Esco will be able to use additional legacy machines that have been in storage, which will immediately have a positive effect on delivery times for customers.

“There’s an energy within the company that you can really feel in the new building," Steneken said. “Our team has been together for a lot of years, and we’ve been working towards this next chapter.”