Last week, Dordan Manufacturing had the privilege of hosting two groups of high school students for an immersive tour of our facility as part of the Manufacturing Pathways Consortium, an initiative coordinated by McHenry County College that connects students with real-world career opportunities in manufacturing.
These students, who are exploring future careers in engineering, tooling, and advanced manufacturing, experienced firsthand the end-to-end process of packaging development—from design to production. Each stop on the tour was structured to mirror the actual flow of a project at Dordan:
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Engineering: Students began in our design department, where they learned how custom thermoform packaging solutions are conceptualized using 3D CAD software. They had the chance to see how ideas take shape through technical drawings, prototypes, and production parts.
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Tooling: From there, students moved into our in-house tool room, home to our 3 CNC machining centers. Here they saw how our tooling engineers and machinists build the aluminum tooling that brings thermoform packaging concepts to life.
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Thermoforming: Next, students watched as designs became physical packaging through our automated thermoforming lines, supported by robotic part handling and end-of-arm tooling made in house.
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Cleanroom Manufacturing: The tour concluded in our ISO Class 8 cleanroom, where students saw how precision, cleanliness, and quality control come together to produce packaging for the medical industry.
At Dordan, we believe it is our responsibility to invest in the future of manufacturing by supporting STEM education, career exploration, and local talent development. As a family-owned manufacturer in McHenry County for over 62 years, we’re proud to support initiatives that connect young people with meaningful, high-tech career paths—right here in their own community.
We extend our sincere thanks to the McHenry County College career placement staff and the Manufacturing Pathways Consortium for including Dordan in this important initiative. We look forward to continuing to support workforce development in McHenry County and beyond.
Take a look at some photos from the tour below, featuring students in our engineering department, tool room, and thermoforming facility.
Above: Dordan's Chandler provides an overview of Dordan Manufacturing to students
Above: First group arrives in Engineering and talks with Dordan's Engineering Manager
Above: Second group meets with Engineering
Above: Chandler explains how thermoform tooling is designed and made 
Above: Some of Dordan's plastics thermoforming machines convert roll-fed plastic to rigid containers
Above: Students observe cleanroom production 
Above: The cleanroom has viewing windows around the perimeter that allow visitors to see production
Above: Dordan's ISO Class 8 cleanroom