There’s a common misconception that manufacturing facilities are dirty and low-tech and that the people who work there are low-skill employees with dead-end jobs.

But these assumptions couldn’t be further from the truth.

Our Pennsylvania precision machine shop is working hard to dispel the harmful myths that have long plagued the industry we love—an industry we know from first-hand experience is rich with purpose and opportunity.

Manufacturing Is More Than a Job. It’s a Career and a Calling.

Step inside a job shop, and you’ll come face-to-face with problem-solvers and innovators, team players and true leaders, skilled technicians and owner-operators. You’ll encounter passionate people who’ve found not only a job but also a lifelong career and a calling.

The packaging that keeps your food safe? Manufacturers made that. The airplane that just carried you safely to your destination? Manufacturers made that, too. And that medical device that just saved someone’s life? We made the parts for the automation machine that built it.

Manufacturers are behind nearly every aspect of daily life, from your coffeemaker to your car to the smartphone you’re holding in your hand at this very moment. And that’s what drives us: the knowledge that every part we machine joins a lifecycle of products that make everyday life better.

Even for precision machining pros like us who don’t always touch the end product, we’re keenly aware of our role in bringing that product to life. When we do our work well, machines get built, products get made and marketed and sold, companies thrive, people get hired to dream up newer and better products, and the cycle of creation and collaboration continues.

And we think that’s nothing short of amazing. 

We’re Looking for the Next Generation of Manufacturing Professionals

Let’s reset the stage. Visualize spotless facilities, cutting-edge technology, highly skilled employees, and lifelong career paths. Now you’re seeing manufacturing for what it is: a lucrative path to fulfillment and ongoing growth.

But not everyone can make the cut. Manufacturing requires extensive technical training and a masterful skill set, which is why we seek out top talent to educate and inspire.

For example, we partner with our local NTMA chapter to provide tours to students who express interest in precision machining courses. 

Our precision machine shop also participates in Career Day events, speaking to curious middle schoolers in NTMA-sponsored classrooms. We show the students what we make, how we make it, and what their experience could be should they choose a manufacturing path as they move into high school. 

Sometimes, we get the chance to connect with older students looking for their place in the world. We love introducing our industry to smart, creative, hardworking young people who thought their only option was to take on massive debt and go to college for they-don’t-even-know-what.

Manufacturing is satisfying work, we tell them. It pays well. It allows you to MAKE and DO and GROW and INNOVATE.

The Future Is Now, and Manufacturing Is at Its Center

When we look around our well-organized precision machine shop at our state-of-the-art equipment and brilliant manufacturing team, we see an industry without limits. There are no restrictions boxing us in or holding us back. So we keep pushing forward.

Our commitment to perpetual improvement is what enabled us to achieve our shop’s 15-year goals in only seven years. During that time, we implemented countless upgrades to not only make our precision machine shop more efficient but also keep our team engaged and our customers coming back.

Our favorite shop enhancements include:

• Improving quality assurance with a Keyence visual inspection system

• Expanding precision machining capabilities with 5-axis machining

• Elevating CNC machining services with new CNC turning equipment

• Upgrading electrical discharge machining (EDM) services with two new wire EDM machines and a new RAM EDM machine and bringing hole-popping capabilities in-house

• Updating our milling and wire EDM departments with the latest software

• Revising our enterprise resource planning (ERP) system with future-focused additions

• Simplifying quoting with automated software from Paperless Parts 

• Enhancing firewall protection with advanced cybersecurity products

Because our shop was already firmly rooted in foundational manufacturing principles, we had—and have—the solid ground to support bigger solutions, bolder capabilities, and better results for our customers. Refusing to stagnate, we invest in the best people, the smartest technology, and the latest methodologies. 

We could never be content doing the same things the same way over and over and over. And ours is an industry that doesn’t just allow exploration and advancement; it requires it. To keep ourselves fulfilled and our customers satisfied, we stay alert for every opportunity to push our boundaries and ourselves.

So the next time someone suggests that manufacturing is a low-level job, tell them to take a look around. 

Manufacturing is everywhere. And there are many shops like ours that take immense pride in being a part of it. 

Learn the rich history of our precision machine shop or get a quote to start your next project with our team!