Solid Reputation
For years, Preco, Inc. has built upon its reputation for setting industry standards in precision, and customers bank on our depth of knowledge in material processing. No matter how unique the requirement, our customers count on us to help them compete in the world market with solutions that:
- Improve accuracy
- Allow closer tolerances
- Maximize yield and throughput
- Minimize scrap
Our Legacy
Preco, Inc. began as Gramling Tool and Die Company. Founded in 1956 by tool and die maker G.T. (Bill) Gramling, the company supplied dies and fixtures primarily to the gasket industry. From this modest beginning in Bill’s basement, the company grew over the next 20 years to be one of the most successful tool and die companies in the Midwest. Projects included providing dies and fixtures for the largest vending machine manufacturer at the time, special machines such as a spiral handrail tubing bender for government projects, and the first “fibrillator,” machine that turned extruded plastic film into fiber that could be spun. This spun fiber resulted in outdoor carpet, first developed by the Gulf Oil Research Center in 1968.
Gramling employees excelled at building machines to keep their customers competitive. They listened to their challenges. They learned about each customer’s unique material handling needs. They developed better methods with their engineering and manufacturing expertise to build the best machines.
Over time, Gramling Tool and Die applied the same processes they used to develop machines in their core markets to other industries. This resulted in the development of the first “Preco-style” press/die, specifically designed to run on presses as an integral part of processing for the printing industry.
The same philosophy that worked then works today – Preco is successful because we continually expand our knowledge of material processing so that we can build machines to customer needs, not the other way around.
Preco Industries, Inc.
Jack Pierson bought Gramling in 1976, changing the name to Preco Industries, Inc. The company was known at that time as a hydraulic die cutting press manufacturer. Then, fiber optic photocell capabilities enabled registration of imaged materials to a die, and CCD machine vision systems soon allowed registration in three axes simultaneously. The company maintained a loyal customer base even in difficult economic times, providing automated die cutting and screen printing equipment for non-metallic materials processing.
A Key Addition — Preco Laser Systems, LLC
Preco Laser Systems, LLC (then Laser Machining, Inc.) was founded in 1978 and later acquired by Preco Industries, Inc. A key player driving advancement of industrial laser technology to solve problems not achievable with conventional processing, the company built expertise in laser systems design, manufacturing, and laser contract manufacturing services benefiting customers worldwide.
Strategic Merger for Enhanced Capabilities
Today, Preco, Inc. is the result of the strategic merger between Preco Industries, Inc., a premier provider of advanced die cutting and screen printing equipment, and Preco Laser Systems, LLC, a proven technology leader in industrial laser systems and contract manufacturing systems (CMS). For our customers, it means even more material handling options and knowledge to help select the best processing options.
Preco is a leading manufacturer of die cutting, screen printing and laser systems for materials processing. With years of technical capability in precision processing systems, the merger resulted in an enhanced and broadened range of material processing services offered, from engineering expertise in freestanding and inline systems, to thoughtful collaboration with our customers for optimal solutions as well as Contract Manufacturing Services.