In celebration of national Manufacturing Day on Oct. 5, Stiles Machinery opened its doors to students from three high schools to share with them just how advanced wood manufacturing has become.

“Opening our doors to local students not only exposes Stiles to the next generation of potential manufacturing talent but also exposes the students to a world of opportunities that are made available through a career in our industry,” says Thomas Allott, manager of Stiles Uinversity.

Nearly 100 students visited Stiles’ headquarters and Homag Machinery North America in Grand Rapids, Mich. Participating high schools included Forest Hills Northern, East Kentwood, and Unity Alternative.

At Homag, they saw how flat-table CNC machines are built and assembled. At Stiles, they learned how the machines are programmed and operated. The students rolled up their sleeves and built a children’s table and chair set being donated to a local charity.

For more, visit www.stilesuniversity.com.

This article originally appeared in the December 2018 issue.