Newton students tour Thombert, Inc. for Manufacturing Day

Thirty-five Newton High School students in three Industrial Technology classes, taught by Todd Lucas, toured Thombert, Inc. on Friday as part of National Manufacturing Day. Newton High School Principal Bill Peters and vice-principal Dave Kalkhoff also participated in the tour.

Manufacturing Day is a national program in which manufacturers host events to showcase what manufacturing is and isn’t. A primary goal is to dispel common misperceptions about modern advanced manufacturing. Iowa is the only state in which at least one Manufacturing Day event was held in every county. More than 2,300 events were held around the United States.

The time at Thombert included both a classroom session and tours of their Newton manufacturing facility.

The students learned that 14 percent of Iowans are employed in manufacturing at more than 3,100 manufacturing companies located throughout the state. Iowa Manufacturing produces more than 17 percent of the Gross State Product, amounting to 28.42 billion dollars of output.

Thombert, Inc. was founded in Newton in 1946 and has grown to become the leading manufacturer of polyurethane wheels and tires for electric forklift trucks and other materials handling equipment. The company has manufacturing facilities in Newton and Brooklyn and produces more than 2 million wheels and tires annually.