The phoenix has landed

Esco Optics begins a new chapter in its 60+ year history by moving into its much anticipated new manufacturing facility. In 2014, Esco’s previous home suffered a significant fire, forcing production into a temporary location. Now, the new Esco facility has more than doubled its capacity and greatly improved work efficiency. 

“It’s been a journey just to get into this building for sure,” states Lee Steneken, Esco’s CEO. “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 former location.”

The company has continued to grow, despite the challenges of working out of a temporary facility. However, with the increased space available at the new location the output will surely increase. “We set out on a plan to make our workflow seamless in the new building,” said Ron Schulmerich, Esco’s Business Development Manager. “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 improved in our process.” With the 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. “It’s like having a full roster of talent for a sports team in terms of our capabilities," says Jason Wickersham, Esco’s Manufacturing Engineer. “Previously, we had to work with the machines that best fit our needs and the space we were in. With the new building we will have some versatility with how we plan and see jobs through to completion.” Esco currently fabricates and ships over 50,000 precision optics per month and goals are set to outpace that production. Custom optics account for almost 80% of Esco’s annual sales, and the new building is ready to support large-scale manufacturing with aggressive timing.  

“There’s an energy within the company that you can really feel in the new building," says Steneken. “Our team has been together for a lot of years and we’ve been working towards this next chapter, it’s very exciting and we’re thrilled for our new headquarters, and finally we have a spot for our bubble hockey table.”  

Esco Optics 95 Chamberlain Road, Oak Ridge, NJ 07438