Tiger Manufacturing is Back to Work

Tiger Manufacturing is Back in Session

Each fall, when students return to the classroom, something special happens at Newberg High School. The lights click on in Tiger Manufacturing, the hum of machines fills the shop, and the next generation of Oregon’s workforce gets to work.

This year marks the ninth year of Tiger Manufacturing, a student-run machine shop that produces real parts, for real customers, while the students earn real paychecks. In addition to earning a paycheck, each of the 17 students enrolled can receive both high school and college classroom credits. Instead of working through hypotheticals or made-up exercises, these students are solving real-world problems through 100% hands-on experiences.

A.R.E. Manufacturing (ARE) is a proud co-founder of the program and is actively volunteering in the classroom. Each school day, Alvin Elbert, president and owner, heads to “school” to help the students set-up machines, meet production deadlines, and learn how to invoice orders. A core belief for Alvin, and ARE as a whole, is the need for youth work opportunities. Machining and Manufacturing skills are often not taught in today’s schools, but provide vital real-world experiences to students. Tiger Manufacturing allows youth to gain hands-on skills, work experience, and insight into an industry they might otherwise have had no exposure to. For ARE, there is also the bonus of building a pipeline of young, skilled machinists, but more than that we see this as an opportunity to build home-grown talent right in our own community.

Other area organizations have been excited about the program and joined ARE in supporting Tiger Manufacturing. Over the last nine years, students have benefited from grants, donations, manufacturing products, software, and banking support from the community partners listed below, along with many others:

A-dec -  A.R.E. Manufacturing – Asentec - Austin Industries - Austin Family Foundation - Chehalem Chamber of Commerce – DCI - DTE Oregon - First Federal Bank -
Kratos Fly Fitness - Moody Business Solutions  - ProShop ERP -
R-Tec Machine Sales & Service - Rotary Club of Newberg

This year, the students are raising funds to purchase two new CNC lathes that will replace their existing older equipment. The funding goal is $100,000. This money, along with expected profit from the school year, should cover the cost of the new equipment. Along with the new equipment will come the capacity to enroll more students in the program, as well.

If you are interested in supporting Tiger Manufacturing, please reach out by email to tigermfg@newberg.k12.or.us or learn more here.

Whether it’s a donation, a possible work order, or a tour of their facility, we’d love to make the connection.

Go Tigers!

Expanding Our Lathe Capacity and Boosting Productivity

Increased Lathe Capacity to Meet Our Customers’ Needs

Over the summer, A.R.E. Manufacturing added not one, not two, but three DMG Mori Lathes to our capabilities ((2) new DMG Mori NLX2000SY and (1) used NLX2500SY). This investment strengthens our ability to deliver precision, speed, and reliability to our customers.

Seamless Integration

By operating exclusively with DMG Mori machines, we’ve created a seamless production environment where every piece of equipment speaks the same language. This means our new equipment will be fully integrated and operational in under two weeks of delivery, with little to no training needed for our machinists. For our customers, there will be no disruption to existing schedules. Instead, they’ll find a more agile production system that keeps their projects moving at the pace today’s industries demand.

Technology Driving Innovation

DMG Mori designs the best CNC Lathes on the market. With their superior spindles, higher rigidity, and excellent milling power, ARE uses their equipment to produce consistent, high-precision parts for every customer, every order. To further enhance this top-line technology, we’ll be pairing the lathes with a lathe-tending cobot by Productive Robotics. By automating the repetitive aspects of machine tending, the cobot will allow us to maximize spindle uptime, increase efficiency, and better utilize our machinists’ expertise.

What This Means for Our Customers

With the seamless integration of three new DMG Mori lathes and the addition of a lathe-tending cobot, ARE will continue to be an industry-leading supplier. If you’d like to see how we can improve your supply chain needs, please contact us to schedule a tour or submit an RFQ.

At ARE Manufacturing we Simplify the Complex.

Streamlining Production with Our Dedicated Tooling System

At A.R.E. Manufacturing, Inc., we’re constantly focused on delivering the highest precision, the fastest turnarounds, and the most consistent results for our customers. One of the key ways we achieve this is through our Dedicated Tooling System. This system allows us to efficiently and accurately produce parts while minimizing lead times and ensuring quality every time.

What is a Dedicated Tooling System?

Every time we program a new part, we identify and assemble the most efficient and effective tools required for the job. From cutting inserts and end mills to collets, toolholders, and everything in between, we carefully put together each toolset needed to execute the required processes. This attention to detail ensures that we’re using the right tools for every operation, reducing setup times and optimizing production from the very first cut.

Once we’ve completed a run of parts, the real power of our dedicated tooling system comes into play. We keep the tooling assembled after each job. Instead of breaking down and rebuilding the tooling for your parts each time you place an order, we carefully document every component of our setup and catalog the assembled tooling for storage. The result is a fully optimized toolset, ready for the next order.

To keep everything organized, we store these dedicated toolsets in our over 500 sq. ft. vertical storage system, ensuring that each set is easily accessible and can be retrieved quickly.

Fast, Consistent Setup for Every Order

Here’s where it gets even more efficient: when you place a repeat order for a part, we don’t need to waste time searching for the right tools or trying to remember which specific setup was used previously. Instead, we simply retrieve the pre-assembled toolset from our storage system, set it up on the machine, and start producing parts immediately. No reprogramming, no tool hunting, and no setup delays.

 This streamlined process has several key advantages:

•  Reduced Lead Times: With pre-assembled tools ready to go, we can get to work faster and  deliver your parts more quickly. 

• Consistency Across Runs: By using the same tools and setups for each order, we ensure that every part meets the same high-quality standards, with no variation between runs. 

• Improved Efficiency: There’s no need to reinvent the wheel each time we run your job. We eliminate the inefficiencies of reprogramming, reassembling, and searching for tools, so your parts are produced faster and with greater precision. 

• Your Benefit: Faster Delivery and Unmatched Consistency

Our Dedicated Tooling System is designed to give you the best of both worlds: faster lead times and reliable, repeatable results. ARE excels at repeat, recurring orders by delivering precision parts faster, with less downtime, and without sacrificing quality.

 We’ve streamlined our process, ensuring that you can rely on us to get the job done—on time and to your exact specifications—every time.

 Experience the difference in efficiency and consistency. Contact us today to learn how our dedicated tooling system can help speed up your next project.

Nathan Miller 20 year Anniversary

This week we celebrated a long term employee, Nathan Miller. He has made it to his 20 year anniversary and earned himself a "LIFER" T-shirt. Congratulations Nathan! Thank you for all your hard work!