Welding Students Explore Local Manufacturing & Fabrication

October 27 – In recognition of Manufacturing Day (Oct 3), 45 students from the COOR CTE Welding class toured two outstanding local employers: Alro Steel and CSI Emergency Apparatus in Grayling.

At Alro Steel, students had the opportunity to see the many types of metals and plastics the company stocks and processes. Alro handles a wide variety of materials including carbon steel bars and plates, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, bronze, copper and cast iron. They also perform in-house processing such as laser cutting, saw cutting, shearing, tube cutting and chamfering. This visit helped students link their welding and fabrication studies with the supply side of metalworking—showing how raw and semi-finished materials feed into the kinds of work they’re doing in class.

Next, at CSI Emergency Apparatus, the students saw first-hand how heavy fabrication, welding and custom vehicle body manufacturing come together. CSI designs and builds custom fire and emergency response trucks and apparatus, with full fabrication capabilities in stainless steel, mild steel and aluminum. Students were able to see the fabrication floor, learn about welding and assembly of vehicle bodies and components, and view how maintenance, repair and customization also play an important role. The staff at CSI emphasized that welding and fabrication skills are highly sought-after in their facility.

This day allowed students to connect their classroom learning with two real world manufacturing environments—one focusing on material supply and processing (Alro Steel) and the other on custom fabrication and finished‐vehicle production (CSI Emergency Apparatus). It reinforced the value of welding, fabrication, attention to detail and readiness to work in a production setting.