Pries Enterprises Major Expansion Underway
(Buchanan County, IA) Pries Enterprises continues its growth with a new 100,000 Sq Ft. expansion underway. In the past three years, Pries has invested $40 Million and doubled their footprint to over 300,000 sq feet. The new expansion comes on the heels of opening their state-of-the-art anodizing line in 2019. This expansion will house the new 44MN/10’ complete extrusion line including a Cometal Extrusion press with Energy saving system technology. The line will be fully automated with Cometal ‘’big baskets’’ design, automatic stacker and destacker system, as well as the innovative multi chambers aging oven technology served by the automatic basket shuttle. This is the largest extrusion press to date for Pries and will increase its capacity by 50%. The line is expected to be fully operational by December 31, 2021.
Matt McMahon, President and Owner of Pries, explains why they chose to do this expansion. “The aluminum extrusion industry continues to see strong growth in auto, building and construction and recreational products due to its advantages in terms of strength to weight and recyclability.” McMahon went on to say that “Our recent expansions show our continued commitment to our customers, community and the aluminum extrusion industry.”
Buchanan County Economic Development (BCEDC) Executive Director Lisa Kremer said of the expansion, “BCEDC is thrilled to see this expansion of Pries Enterprises in Buchanan County and their continued commitment to the community. The out of the box thinking of McMahon and the Pries staff is evident in their unprecedented growth. Buchanan County’s industries have been resilient in the face of COVID and, like Pries, are not only surviving, they are thriving. BCEDC works with our industries and communities to assist as they create an exceptional business climate within the county. This Pries expansion is the latest multi-million dollar expansion that Buchanan County has seen over the last few years.”
Along with the expansion comes the need for additional employees. To this end, Pries is looking at hiring up to 70 additional employees between now and when the new addition is completed. These positions range from management and leadership positions to skilled and general labor positions including CNC operators, maintenance technicians, machine operators, and packers. Currently, Pries has 180 employees with at least 40% of those employees being women. To help aid the effects of the current labor shortage, Pries has increased wages, added monthly attendance bonuses, and revamped benefits. To learn more about their current opportunities and immediate openings, please visit the Pries website at www.priesenterprises.com.
