U.S.-based Banker Wire, reports that it has bought property just two miles from its current location in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, where it will build a new, larger plant.

  A press release said that the company, which manufactures woven and welded wire mesh for architectural and industrial applications, had to take action for its future. “As we’ve grown and evolved, we reached a point where we had to decide whether we should add on to our current facility or build a new one,” said Banker Wire President Dave Stout. “In the end, we decided to push forward into a new facility. My goal is to build the best, most efficient wire mesh manufacturing location in the world.”

  Stout said that the company has gone this route before. In 2009, after acquiring a new building and 20 acres of land, Banker Wire relocated from Muskego to its present location in Mukwonago. In 2012, the company added a 50,000-sq-ft addition that expanded the facility to a total of 152,000 sq ft. The new site, which will be 182,000 sq ft, “will give us the opportunity to gain efficiency and tailor the overall layout in a way that will enhance the work environment for our employees,” he said.

  Banker Wire notes that the company has an extensive history in the greater Milwaukee area. Established by Charles Banker in 1896 as C.I. Banker Wire & Iron Works, the company flourished in Milwaukee as one of many by the mid 1970s, it transitioned from a reselling operation to a manufacturer. Today, it supplies pre-crimped woven or welded wire mesh. The new location will  include a new wire mesh welder that it said “will be the widest wire mesh machine in the United States.”
 
  Banker Wire, which has 135 employees, plans to hire more staff with the addition of the new welder. The new facility is expected to be fully operational by March 2019.