Loos Machine and Automation seeks success through innovation
By Neal Hogden
Tribune Phonograph
What do cardboard boxes and state-of-the-art, stainless steel machinery and equipment have in common? Not much. However, Loos Machine and Automation now creates equipment of all sorts for the food and dairy industries at the same site the Packaging Corporation of America used to manufacture boxes in Colby.
After the company acquired the old PCA structure in May of 2022, Loos went right to work demolishing part of the old, rundown structure of the PCA factory and used the north end of the building to create their second plant in Colby. Less than a year after the building was purchased, Loos had fabricators and engineers working inside the structure and creating machinery for customers.
The addition of “Plant 2” was just a part of the recent growth Loos has experienced.
A growing company When E.D. Loos moved to Colby from Brillion in 1902, he created a small shop that serviced farm equipment. As the company steadily grew, more space was needed and in 1908, Loos purchased the N.P. Peterson blacksmith and wagon shop and operated the building as a machine shop and foundry. In 1931, his son took over the operation of the shop until 1943 when the partnership of Sherman, Clinton and Vernon Loos was formed and known as the Loos Machine Shop. The foundry was discontinued in 1940 and seven years later, the group purchased the Northwest Distribution Company building. The steady growth continued and in 1981, the company was sold by the Loos family to Kurt Mertens and Dennis Baumgartner. The duo decided in 2006 to add the automation division and rebranded the company to Loos Machine and Automation.
From 2018 until 2021, Kurt’s son, Eric, along with Brady Hoes, bought into the business while Kurt and Baumgartner gradually sold the compa-
An aerial photo shows the campus of the Loos facility in Bruce. The plant creates and services machinery for fruit and vegetable manufacturers.
Submitted photo ny. The structure of the company is in place today as Hoes and Eric Mertens own and operate the company which sends equipment to domestic cities as well as international locations such as Australia, Barbados, Israel, Switzerland and Brazil. Although there were humble beginnings, machines all over the world now don the Loos brand.
The ability to send equipment all over the globe has helped Loos become one of the premier employers in central Wisconsin.
To meet the growing need for engineers, the company recently added an engineering division at the old Nicolet Bank building on First Street in Colby. The addition came at just the right time as Eric Mertens said the business was growing and needed to expand to meet their customers’ needs.
“The purchase of the First Street building allowed us to expand our rapidly growing engineering team due to market demands, technological advancements, and the need to develop new products and services,” Mertens said. “Expanding the department allowed for the acquisition of new skills and knowledge within the team. We needed immediate space and this building allowed for that.”
Soon after, the PCA acquisition went through and Plant 2 was used to match the engineering division’s growth. The plant gave the company some relief as the building gave the company the opportunity to better serve their existing customers and reach new ones.
“Plant 2 allowed us to expand our capacity and manufacturing operations by investing in state-ofthe- art equipment and technologies that improve production efficiency and enhance product quality,” Mertens said. “Fabricating, laser cutting, parts prep and forming are housed inside this location which allows us to produce and deliver products more efficiently.”
The lot that was purchased gave the company some much needed space which is now used for shipping and receiving. The expansion also allowed for equipment to be taken out of Plant 1 to make room for more production and innovation.
“With the restructuring of production flow, we expanded our machining and robotics departments in Plant 1 allowing us to invest in advanced manufacturing technologies,” Mertens said.
In February, the company announced the acquisition of CPH Enterprises in Bruce. Mertens said the addition of the Bruce location gave the company the flexibility to allocate resources and production capacity to new products, increasing the company’s diversification. The plant is used to make machinery for the fruit and vegetable markets which was a relatively untapped market for Loos. Mertens said the expansion into a different market allows the company to compete with the leaders in a whole different category of machine and automation equipment and technology.
“By expanding operations and adding additional fabrication, machining and waterjet cutting capabilities we can now put additional focus in cap-
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The Engineering Office is the host of a majority of the engineering department and allows for collaboration between departments on projects.
Neal Hogden/The Tribune Phonograph Loos Machine
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turing new market segments while penetrating a new labor market,” Mertens said.
The growth in a whole new labor market has been helpful for the company but Mertens said it didn’t come without its challenges.
“Overall, the addition of our Bruce location has been quite successful,” Mertens said. “There have been certain small challenges in integrating our operations and culture but some are to be expected within any acquisition. We are excited for the opportunities it has brought us.” The hard working culture at Loos A staple of the Midwest has been the region’s hard-working mentality. Loos Machine and Automation is the perfect embodiment of what it means to work hard. The company builds automated systems for manufacturers of all sorts but have made a living creating manufacturing systems for the dairy and food industries.
The hardworking culture of the business has largely been created using a tactic that keeps the company a tight-knit group: find and keep employees from local areas. A good percentage of the company’s employees come from central Wisconsin. High schoolers from Colby and Abbotsford have participated in school-to-work programs that have allowed them to get paid for work done during the school day. The program can lead to opportunities for full-time positions after graduation. Not only do high school students choose to stay and work for their hometown company, but a number of Loos engineers have gone to college to get engineering degrees and have returned home to work for the company. Many of the employees you see working in the shops and offices today grew up and stayed in central Wisconsin.
The culture that Loos has instilled in its walls is part of the reason why the team is able to build on its success.
“Employees who work well together can achieve greater results, generate new ideas and drive our company forward,” Mertens said. “The collective skills of our employees contribute to our overall success. Without them, Loos would not be where we are today.”
Mertens said the company’s employees are not only a family, they are very good at what they do.
“Our employees bring their expertise, skills and knowledge to the organization,” Mertens said. “Their specialized knowledge and abilities are essential for executing tasks, solving problems and driving innovation within their respective roles and departments.”
The company hosts Christmas parties, golf outings, employee appreciation days and more to help show its appreciation to the hard work everyone has put in. Rising with the tide Being a part of the community they grew up in, many Loos employees currently help create a community within the Loos facilities and outside of them as well. The Loos name can be seen on posters, structures and plaques all over Colby as they have promoted and given donations to schools, Colby Community Library and other entities within the community.
Spectators at Colby Cheese Days can often see Loos employees volunteering at the beer tent or walking in the parade. They can also be seen donating time, money and supplies to local schools and organizations.
The company has allowed high school and even middle school classes to come to their facilities to learn about the engineering and precision that goes into each piece of machinery.
Mertens said the investment in the community helps the ship rise with the tide.
“Our communities are important to all of us at Loos - it’s where we all live and where most have grown up,” Mertens said. “Anything that we can do to give back and support those around our communities only further aids in securing our employee base and their families.”
The team has ensured that as long as Loos is around, the communities they serve will be better off because of it.
Loos encourages anyone who is interested in automation, fabricating or any related field to check out their opportunities for employment on their website at www.loosmachine.com/jobs.
The newly completed Plant 2 in Colby houses a plethora of machines and materials used to create manufacturing machinery. The company is expecting to host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the building in late 2023.
Submitted photo
