Gannett plans to close its West Milwaukee production facility and move the printing of its Wisconsin newspapers to central Illinois, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on Monday.
The plant, which has been operating since 2003, employs about 180 people full-time and part-time. It will continue regular operations through its last printing day on May 15.
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The move to printing in Peoria, Ill., is not expected to impact home delivery times, said Rob Schafman, director of distribution for the Journal Sentinel.
For Gannett, the decision marks the third major printing facility closure in Wisconsin over the last five years. In February 2017, it closed the Wausau facility that had printed all of its central Wisconsin newspapers. Less than a year later, it closed the Appleton facility and shifted all Wisconsin printing to the West Milwaukee location.
The closures reflect the company’s continued focus on being a digital-first news organization, Gannett representatives said.
