During the month of October, Rotochopper spotlighted the innovations, processes, and stories that make Rotochopper stand out for Manufacturing Month.
People were invited to see manufacturing advancements by participating in a virtual manufacturing tour hosted by the Central Minnesota Manufacturers Association (CMMA). The tour gave attendees an inside look into the rise of automation and robotics in Rotochopper's manufacturing facility, and the equipment built there.
Several area student groups took the time to tour Rotochopper's manufacturing facility and see firsthand the opportunities available in the manufacturing industry. This included the West Stearns Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) group, the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (BBE) high school welding class, and the Kimball high school small engines class.
The West Stearns CEO class visited Rotochopper as part of their year-long course designed to utilize partnerships that provide an overview of business development and processes. This year two of the students involved in the program have parents that work at Rotochopper and presented their badge fundraising project prior to the tour. While they were here they asked questions about many areas of the business, but Rotochopper says that their top takeaways were: the wood recycling industry is growing and saves tons of waste headed for landfills each year, focus on what you're good at, and be consistent in everything you do.
In mid-October, the BBE welding class visited Rotochopper. They were attentive during the tour and had lots of questions about the equipment-building processes. The students were also curious about employment opportunities while still attending school, working hours, wages, and benefits.
Rounding out the student tours was the Kimball small engines class. The students found the panel/electrical shop most interesting during their visit. The students learned that it takes 30 hours to put a panel together for one Rotochopper machine. They also had questions about the telematics used on Rotochopper equipment and how it is used to check settings and monitor the performance of the horizontal grinder.
At the end of October Rotochopper participated in an EPIC (exploring potential interest and careers) event where Rotochopper employees Keith Burg, Wyatt Ritter, Alex Bromenschenkel, and Vickie Zierden had the opportunity to meet with students to talk to them about careers in welding and manufacturing. Rotochopper donated the steel state of Minnesota cutouts and platforms used for the hands-on welding project. Both Wyatt and Alex helped teach students in the welding shop how to use a welder to complete their project.
