East Aurora School District 131: East Aurora High School Students Visit Manufacturing And Engineering Plant

Press release from East Aurora School District 131:

November 1, 2021

On October 22, over 70 East High School students enrolled in dual credit Welding Technology I and Engineering took a field trip to Dukane Precast, the largest manufacturing and engineering plant in East Aurora.  

The students’ visit was part of Dukane Precast’s celebration of National Manufacturing Month. It was arranged with the help of East Aurora School District 131 Board of Education member Mr. Bruce Schubert, who serves as risk manager for Dukane Precast.

Students were given safety hard hats, glasses, and earplugs upon arrival, then divided into small groups. A tour guide led each group, walking students from station to station across the plant.  Students visited dedicated carpentry shops, where custom block outs and reveals are built to create window and door openings along with giving the panels their final design detail. Another stop included the steel fabrication areas where hardware is configured to be embedded into the concrete to strengthen and assist in lifting and erecting the precast wall panels. They learned how concrete mixtures are created using aggregates, chemicals and dyes.  Demonstrations were also provided on material conveyance, processing and heavy industrial equipment operation. 

Students learned how quality control testing plays a significant role in the work at Dukane Precast and how their teams of employees implement a great deal of creativity to find solutions to manufacturing as well as commerce challenges.

The stops along the tour included a visit to one of several aircraft hangar sized buildings, where students got an up-close look at the vast precast wall panel fabrication beds. There, teams of employees form, pour, and finish precast components. They also learned that the plant mixes their concrete in-house to ensure the quality and strength of the precast.

Students heard presentations from several knowledgeable Dukane Precast employees throughout the tour, including two employees who graduated from East Aurora High School, one of whom now manages the steel fabrication department. 

Senior Tomcat David Llamas was impressed by it all. “I was amazed by the different types of work and the number of people that go into creating a building,” said Llamas. “The other thing that impressed me was the emphasis on safety and how careful they are with everything that they do.”

Llamas said he is considering welding as a career and plans to attend Waubonsee Community College, “but after seeing this, manufacturing seems like a really good option, too,” he said.

Senior Jaime Patino said he also enjoyed the Dukane Precast visit. “It was a great experience. Everyone was friendly and made us feel welcome,” Patino said. “It was interesting to see the door and window block-outs and how they added a styrofoam layer to the cement,” said Patino.

Patino said he was surprised to learn that Dukane Precast helped build the Aurora Outlet Mall. “I am going to definitely be checking that out now.”

Patino said his post-high school plan is to attend Waubonsee Community College and keep his career options open.  

Mr. Chris Wetzel, who teaches Welding Technology I classes at the high school, reported afterward that the students genuinely enjoyed the trip and wrote thank you notes to be sent to Dukane Precast.

 “Students also learned that there is also some science and math involved with mixing the ingredients of the concrete correctly,” said Wetzel. “Science and math are also used in the quality control process for testing the batches of concrete as well.”

Wetzel was impressed with the design and engineering involved in making the wall sections made at Dukane. “The strength testing of the precast wall sections was interesting. For example, the wall sections can withstand flying object impacts at 200 m.p.h. caused by tornados and hurricanes.”

Amy Martensen, East High School’s division chair of science, FACS and technology, felt the tour was well organized and planned. Martensen said she also appreciated that the plant was so close to where students live.

“We have a goal for all of our students to be college and career ready, and so this was a tremendous opportunity,” said Martenson. “It was great for our kids to see the different aspects of the prefabrication process and the many teams that are a part of the production crew.” 

Following the tour, the students each received a souvenir concrete coaster specifically  manufactured onsite for the event in East Aurora High School colors of red and black. Donald Dardis, a structural engineer who serves as president of Dukane Precast, met the students and gathered with them for a group photo beside a massive crane used to lift prefabricated walls on trucks for delivery.

For Dardis, he was happy to host students for a tour. “We’ve been trying to encourage the field of manufacturing, especially to local kids,” said Dardis.

He said that Dukane Precast was currently hiring for jobs with career growth potential for young people. He also mentioned that his company likes to promote from within.

“It’s a great place to work and grow in a career. My plant superintendent started as a yard crew guy,” said Dardis. “We just have to get the people in, because once they’re in, we provide the training, and once they’re in, they tend to stay.”

Dardis said that he believes young people especially would appreciate their innovative style. “We are very progressive, continually pushing the envelope,” he said.

“From the outside, we look like just a concrete plant, but across the board, there are so many opportunities for students,” said Dardis. “The best part about us is that we are making buildings, and each of our employees can drive by a building in the area and say ‘I worked on that building.'”

Dardis said that student field trips are designed to help generate local interest in the field and get students thinking about their future.

“I hope all our students who visited today make a contribution to society. I just want them to do something good and helpful and make this world a better place to live.” 

This press release was produced by East Aurora School District 131. The views expressed here are the author’s own.