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At Micron, we have seen the quality of young men graduating from Harmel Academy of the Trades firsthand — they’ve worked alongside us on our shop floor. Their skill, work ethic, and character are undeniable. That’s why we are proud to support their mission with a donation of industrial equipment to their training facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Harmel Academy is more than a trade school. It’s a formation program for young men, blending rigorous, hands-on technical training with a rich humanities curriculum and spiritual development. This unique approach resonates deeply with us. Micron President Mike Preston, who serves on Harmel’s board of directors, sees this employer-educator partnership as an extension of Micron’s core purpose: “Their mission, culture, and spirit align with our own. We believe in building up individuals to strengthen our families, our community, and the American Dream.”

A Craftsman’s Playground: Harmel’s Unique Approach

Housed in a newly renovated facility on the Aquinas College campus, Harmel feels less like a classroom and more like a living, breathing workshop. Upstairs, student-built framing and plumbing installations and newly hung sheetrock show hands-on learning alongside facility improvement. Downstairs, advanced milling equipment and robotics stand ready for semester projects. Even when students are out on work placements at local industries, the space hums with purpose.

Named after Léon Harmel, a 19th-century French industrialist who championed just wages and safe working conditions long before they were standard, the school’s ethos is intentional. Founded in 2020, the program has quickly grown to 32 students and will expand to a three-year curriculum next year. Students gain expertise across a wide spectrum — robotics, welding, machining, electrical, plumbing, woodworking, CAD, and hydraulics — creating versatile and knowledgeable tradesmen.

But their education extends far beyond technical proficiency. According to Andy Beach, Harmel’s Director of Manufacturing Services, this is by design.

“Our students engage in humanities studies and faith formation that connect their work to the philosophy and theology behind it,” Beach explains. “They’re assessed not just on their technical output, but on their ability to articulate these ideas. Our goal is to create young men who are not only skilled with their hands but are also thoughtful, effective communicators.”

And they know how to have fun, too. The school year famously culminates in the “24 Minutes of Harmel,” a high-energy, real-life Mario Kart event featuring a timed endurance go-kart race with paintball dogfights.

Tools to Build the Future

To help Harmel students hone their precision and skill, Micron recently supplied two key pieces of equipment:

A Team Effort: Thank You, Erickson’s

A heartfelt thank you is in order. You can’t just “hand over” a surface grinder. Moving heavy industrial machinery requires specialized skill and expertise. That’s where our partners at Erickson’s stepped up.

Not only did their crew expertly handle the complex logistics of the relocation, but they also generously donated their time and resources to move and install the equipment at Harmel. We’ve trusted Erickson’s with our own machinery for years and seeing them share our commitment to supporting the next generation of tradesmen was truly inspiring. Thank you.

Unified in Purpose

Grand Rapids has a proud manufacturing heritage, going back to the detail-oriented work ethic of the furniture industry. That same precision and dedication now power the advanced manufacturing techniques that drive our company and our community forward.

By investing in institutions like Harmel Academy, we are investing in that legacy. While we are always thrilled when a Harmel graduate brings his considerable skills to a career in CNC machining, our support goes far beyond self-interest. We are investing in a way of life, in the character of our community, and in the skilled, well-rounded young men who will build its future.

At Micron, we believe that a stronger community benefits everyone. We are proud to stand with Harmel Academy and look forward to seeing what their students create with these new tools.

Micron’s newest CNC machine, a Miyano BNE-65MYY, allows us to turn larger diameters and machine longer parts. New and existing customers will benefit from our increased capabilities.

This addition balances our growth goals, expanding our production capabilities while increasing capacity within our core niche.

Expanding Shop Capabilities

The Miyano BNE-65MYY delivers the following benefits:

• Diameter Increase: Micron can now turn 65mm (2.5”) diameter parts from bar stock, up from our previous 52mm (2”) maximum.
• Longer Part Ejection: With the ability to eject parts up to 7.5” long, this machine reduces cycle times for longer components by reducing manual unloading on conventional lathes.
• Greater Overall Capacity: Adding this machine directly increases our total available production hours, helping us meet customer demand.

Micron’s Growth Philosophy

This investment reflects our deliberate approach to growth: expanding capacity in step with customer needs while maintaining the specialized focus that defines us as a machining partner.

The Miyano BNE-65MYY aligns with this philosophy because it:

• Extends Our Core Expertise: Rather than diversifying into new processes, it offers greater diameter capacity and longer part machining within our established turning niche.
• Fulfills Existing Customer Needs: We acquired this machine to increase efficiency and reduce costs for a current customer project, ensuring our upgraded capabilities will be put to use right away.
• Complements Our Current, Standardized Fleet: This Miyano integrates seamlessly into our standardized turning fleet, which features Citizens for Swiss-style turning and Miyanos for conventional turning. Standardization has numerous benefits, which we ultimately pass on to the customer.

Quote Micron for Larger Parts

Keep our expanded diameter capacity in mind for your upcoming projects. We can now turn diameters up to 65mm (2.5″) from bar stock, offering greater efficiency and new possibilities for sourcing from Micron.

Ready to see the difference? Submit your drawings today.

Every business has a seemingly obvious function — provide a service and make money. But at Micron, we believe a deeper purpose is what truly drives us forward. That’s why our entire operation starts with a single question: Why?

Inspired by Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why, we discovered our core reason for being extends far beyond the shop floor.

“To impact individual growth so we can, together, strengthen and grow our families and community and promote the American dream.”

— Micron purpose statement

Knowing what really matters to us — family, community, the American way of life — puts the importance of the CNC machining services we provide into focus. It reminds us of the reason for continuous improvement, for staying at the top of our game, and providing the best possible value to our customers.

From “Why” To “How”: Cementing Culture

While initially crafting a purpose statement was a breakthrough, the work we’ve done to bring it to life is arguably even more important. After all, how much value is a mission statement if it’s not kept top of mind?

In Micron fashion, we began to work on systems to strengthen this awareness.

This purpose statement became a springboard for six core values that encapsulate our strengths in working together. When we solve a tough problem or make a breakthrough on improving one of our systems, these values are at work within our team.

Acknowledging examples of the “Why” in action has become a routine part of the way we work. Team members submit their kudos in writing, identifying the core values at work in a coworker’s actions or a cooperative achievement of a team. Then, we review and appreciate the good examples in a monthly all hands meeting.

These values ensure that when you work with Micron, you’re engaging with a team that is not only skilled but also invested in doing the right thing.

A Recent Example

Our last all hands meeting highlighted a process breakthrough that took place thanks to the initiative of a few team members. It’s a mini case study in why culture matters.

• The challenge: a customer’s parts broached at an outside operation need deburring before they can ship to the customer. The deburring process was time consuming and ergonomically uncomfortable for the operators.
• Actions takens:
  • Shipping specialist Scott exercised honesty in the team huddle, pointing out that our process for this part could be a lot better than it currently was.
  • This was a challenge we’d attempted to solve before but struggled to find a better solution that was safe, repeatable, and cost-effective. Regardless, engineers Brandon and Alex showed respect, listening and committing to giving this another shot. The three worked together to come up with an idea.
  • Machinist Andrew and Training Coordinator Andres demonstrated caring, seeking to offer their support. With guidance from the original brainstorm, they created a deburring fixture and process. After some testing and validation, it was clear this was a big improvement.
• Result: A 50% reduction in deburring time spent on this part, shaving off seven man-hours per run.

“What” This Means for You

Our “What” is the tangible result. It’s the precision component you hold in your hands—flawlessly machined, delivered on time, and quality approved.

The part we deliver is more than metal. It’s the result of a team member who has grown their skill, a problem solved with a positive attitude, and a promise kept. It’s how we strengthen our community, one precision machined component at a time.

If you’d like to experience the purpose-driven difference on your next project, submit a request for quote for your upcoming machining needs.

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