American Crane and Equipment Corp. Gives Back, Teaches Community this Fall

In late September, American Crane and Equipment Corporation hosted two groups of local high school students as part of Berk County's Business Coalition's "Students Interacting with Business" program. This program is designed for students to learn about the culture of business and how businesses assess prospective candidates for employment.

The morning began with a demonstration given by American Crane’s Human Resources department, exhibiting good interview practices and what qualities employers look for in potential employees. Each day also included a tour of the plant’s facility and a description of the processes that occur daily on the manufacturing floor. The students learned about the operation of equipment including CNC vertical machine centers, gear hobbers, drum lathes, horizontal boring mills, hydraulic presses, and also observed areas designated for sandblasting, painting, material prep, and many other activities. These high-schoolers were fascinated to learn about the automation and sophisticated technology the machines use to tool parts. The students also learned how each machine prepares a component that will eventually “live” on a crane or other lifting device.

The tour, given by American Crane employees, helped students to understand the life cycle of a crane and other overhead lifting equipment from inception to installation. In addition, the students were given a model-sized crane kit and asked to construct an overhead bridge crane and appoint a project manager to oversee the assembly. The students worked with accuracy and precision assembling the crane in record time.

American Crane encourages students to learn about careers in manufacturing and is committed to promoting educational endeavors such as STEM, a program that encourages students to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Some school districts and educational programs have even re-coined STEM to include “Manufacturing” considering the strong math aptitude needed for machine operators and other skilled workers. These organizations know that jobs in manufacturing are not only interesting and pay well, but are also rewarding careers.

American Crane also announces a holiday food drive partnership with the Greater Berks Food Bank. For every parts order placed during the month of November, American Crane will be donating a can of food to the Greater Berks Food Bank. For an organization dedicated to feeding over 60,000 people each year, food donations are critical to the Greater Berks Food Bank’s success.

“We truly value the community we call home,” said Karen Norheim, executive vice president at American Crane and Equipment Corporation. “The Greater Berks Food Bank does great work to help those less fortunate, and we’re looking forward to this opportunity to help out.”