Tiger Manufacturing
Tiger Manufacturing is a student-run machine shop, fully functioning at Newberg High School. Our students machine real parts, for real customers for real paychecks. We educate students while efficiently and effectively manufacturing high quality machined components.
what we do
At Tiger Manufacturing we provide a unique, hands-on educational experience that prepares students for life after high school. Our business is student-driven from the ground up. Students receive customer orders, procure tools and material, manufacture parts, send invoices, and report payroll, among other tasks. Our hours worked are recorded for both class credit and payment at minimum wage. We offer a rare opportunity to get paid while going to school! In our first year of operation, we manufactured over 10,000 parts and successfully turned a profit! Now, Tiger Manufacturing has been up and running for six school years. Our students leave Tiger Manufacturing with a solid set of career-ready skills and increased ambition.
What our students learn
Each student learns a variety of hard skills that can be broken into three categories: business, machining, and management.
BUSINESS
Creating/Placing Product Orders
Invoicing
Using Accounting Software
The Payroll Process
Quoting products
Working With Clients
Marketing
Machining
Programming on Fusion 360
Reading Blueprints
Quality Control
Product Measuring
Setting-up Tooling Blocks
Maintenance of CNC machines
Management
Scheduling
Time Management
Interview/Hiring Process
Training Others
Developing/Applying Standard Procedures
Along with these skills, students are learning soft skills such as responsibility, communication, teamwork, active listening, the importance of initiative, commitment, and much more. They are able to become part of a successful team who accomplishes goals together, preparing them for a realistic work environment.
Tiger Manufacturing Over The Years
Tiger Manufacturing was founded in 2017 with nothing but a used Hardinge GT lathe and possibility. Alvin Elbert, owner of A.R.E. Manufacturing, wanted to bring a unique opportunity to Newberg High School where students could gain on-the-job experience while being at school. It took lots of grit and hard work to be able to have the first classes of Tiger Manufacturing in the spring term of 2018. Even though there were a lot of unknowns when Alvin brought Tiger Manufacturing to life, the students made $9,000 in sales $4000 profit while still paying wages in just the first couple of months of business. This is quite impressive as the class was only made up of four students. The program truly blossomed and has progressed everyday since. Our original four students has quadrupled over the last five years which reflects just how much Tiger Manufacturing has grown.
In recent years, Tiger Manufacturing has faced lots of ups and downs. The business experienced a complete Covid-19 shutdown and having to move twice while the new CTE (Career and Technical Education) building was being constructed at the high school. Although we have a smaller space in the new building, we have a more efficient layout to utilize equipment and make room for the more modern equipment that is being used in the industry currently. Tiger Manufacturing now has great relationships with other CTE programs in the school and partners with them often. One of our goals is to grow and create a better CTE program at Newberg High School all together. In our journey to achieve this we have been fortunate enough to have had the community's and school administration's full support.
Tiger Manufacturing takes a different and refreshing approach to education, and we want to provide this opportunity to as many students as possible. The return on investment for the students, and the community at large, has already proven to be more than anticipated. We are building the next generation of our community's workforce and take pride in the products and futures we are creating. Tiger Manufacturing provides hands-on skills and experience that students can use in all walks of life. Our program has seen students that have gone on to pursue many different post secondary passions including becoming: trades people, aerospace engineers, machinists, biomedical engineers, and systems engineers. Tiger Manufacturing has been successful but we know that there is so much opportunity to grow and become something much greater. At this time we are working closely with community partners and advisors to take advantage of the potential that we know this program has.
