Okuma and Chip Ganassi Host High School Students

Okuma America Corp. and Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) gave high school students a behind–the-scenes tour of the race facility in Concord, North Carolina, while discussing CNC machining technologies and careers. The two joined forces to inspire the next generation of manufacturers by hosting a Manufacturing Day event at CGR on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. The event, held in conjunction with the annual national Manufacturing Day celebration, gave local high school students the opportunity to tour CGR’s facility and learn how CNC machining and modern manufacturing play an important role in racing as well as a number of other industries.

Students toured the machine shop, sub assembly, heavy fab and final assembly departments and spoke with several professionals in their respective areas of expertise. They were educated on various roles and careers and the education level and experience needed to obtain those jobs as engineers, machine tool operators, and programmers.

“U.S. manufacturers face a significant shortfall in qualified, skilled workers, and the skills gap increases every year,” says Brittany Russell, Okuma training program manager. “As manufacturing professionals, we feel it’s important to show students the wide variety of career paths in the industry. Partnering with CGR is a step in the right direction to inspire the next generation of manufacturers.”