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Northern Manufacturing craftsmen in front of a large custom stainless steel fabrication in the Oak Harbor shop

Put your name on something that ships.

We're a stainless and specialty-alloy fabrication shop in Oak Harbor with 60+ AWS-certified welders, a Certified Welding Inspector on staff, and a dedicated stainless-only space. We build custom, low-volume work other shops won't touch. If you take pride in a clean bead and a part built right, you'll fit here.

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Building in Oak Harbor since 1951 Family-owned, still investing every year ASME U & PP code-stamped shop We reply within 1 to 2 business days

Why Northern

A craftsman, not a cog.

The hard jobs other shops turn down land on your bench, because we trust you to solve them. You own the build, not a fixture you run a thousand times.

Real work, not repetition.

Custom and one-of-a-kind builds in stainless, carbon, aluminum, and specialty alloys. No two jobs the same, no thousand-piece runs.

We're built to a standard.

AWS D1.6 procedures, ASME Section IX qualified, ASME U and PP code stamps. The work is held to code, and so is the craft.

Modern iron.

TIG, MIG, K-TIG keyhole welding, and Fronius cold-metal-transfer on the bench, plus robotic cells and laser, seam, and hybrid-laser welding in our automation department. Fiber, tube, and 5-axis laser cutting throughout.

A real ladder.

A trainee can grow into a master fabricator, a lead, a supervisor, a welding inspector (CWI), or into our automation department running laser and robotic cells. We promote on skill you can prove, not time served.

The Work Comes First

Stainless work other shops turn down.

Food-grade vessels, code pressure work, and specialty-alloy fabrication. This is what you would be building.

What's on the floor

Alloys
304, 316, duplex 2205, AL-6XN, and Hastelloy
Equipment
Flat, tube, and 5-axis lasers, a 660-ton press brake, robotic weld cells, K-TIG, and Fronius CMT
Certifications
ASME U & PP stamps, AWS D1.6, ASME Section IX, and a CWI on staff
Shifts
1st shift core, a small 2nd, and a 3rd on four 10-hour nights, overtime paid
Northern Manufacturing welder TIG welding a large stainless steel fabrication on the shop floor

The tools match the work: flat, tube, and 5-axis laser cutting, a 660-ton press brake, robotic welding cells with vision, K-TIG keyhole welding, and an in-house 55-foot pickling and passivation booth. You will not spend a career grinding mild steel brackets here.

Two robotic welding arms running a long stainless steel assembly behind weld screens at Northern Manufacturing

The shop has been in Oak Harbor since 1951, family-owned, and still investing in new equipment and certifications year after year. In 2026 it added the ASME U stamp (Certificate #63199) and PP stamp (Certificate #63198), so it now builds code pressure vessels and pressure piping too. Work stays steady because the customers are diverse, and they rarely slow down at the same time.

Fiber laser system cutting stainless steel sheet at Northern Manufacturing in Oak Harbor, Ohio

Pay & Advancement

We post our pay. Good fabricators shouldn't have to guess.

We build custom, low-volume work, so no two jobs are the same. You start on the arc and grow into a full fabricator. Your rate is tied to the skills you can prove (reading prints, layout, fit-up, forming, welding, assembly), not time served.

Entry Level Welder (in training)

$18 to $21/hr

New to the trade? Start earning at $18 while you learn it. You'll train on real parts in our in-house weld school, run MIG and TIG, and we pay for your certifications. As you qualify, you climb.

Welder / Entry Fabrication

$21 to $24/hr

Welding independently in position on both MIG and TIG, reading weld symbols, and starting to lay out and tack your own work.

Fabricator, General

$24 to $28/hr

Reading prints, laying out and fitting your own work, forming on the brake, and welding to tolerance. You own the build, not a fixture you run a thousand times.

Fabricator, Advanced

$28 to $33/hr

Running stainless and specialty alloys, building one-of-a-kind products start to finish, and solving the problems other shops won't touch. This is the core of the shop.

Master Fabricator, Lead, Supervisor, CWI: the ladder keeps climbing.

The top of the bench isn't the top of the shop. Our best fabricators move into master-level work, lead and supervisor roles, the welding-inspector (CWI) track, and our automation department running laser and robotic cells, with pay to match. Tell us where you want to go.

Overtime is yours when you want it. We run a steady 45-hour week with voluntary overtime at time and a half. Earn more when you want it, keep your evenings when you don't.

The Whole Package

More than the number on your check.

A welder earning $25/hr here is taking home closer to $34/hr in total value once you count everything below. Most of it never shows up on a paycheck, so here it is in the open.

We invest in your skill

  • In-house weld school. Get paid to learn the trade from day one.
  • We pay for your AWS and CWI certifications. Your tickets, on us.
  • 100% tuition reimbursement for outside coursework.
  • A real path from trainee to master fabricator, lead, or inspector.

We share what we earn

  • Quarterly profit bonuses and a year-end profit-share. When the shop wins, you win.
  • 401(k) with company match, plus profit-sharing contributions.

We take care of you and yours

  • Medical with four plans to choose from.
  • Near-free dental and vision.
  • Free physical therapy and mental-health support (Sword Health), built for a welder's body.
  • Specialty prescriptions covered 100% (SHARx), telemedicine, and an employee assistance program.
  • Company-paid short-term disability and life insurance.
  • Paid holidays and paid time off.

See the Shop You'd Work In

A look inside the Oak Harbor floor: the equipment, the alloys, and the crew you'll build alongside.

Play video: inside the Northern Manufacturing shop in Oak Harbor, Ohio
The Sunset Spectacular, a 67-foot stainless steel tower on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, fabricated by Northern Manufacturing in Oak Harbor, Ohio

Leave a Mark

Build monuments, not widgets.

The Sunset Spectacular is a 67-foot stainless steel tower on the Sunset Strip, seen by millions, fabricated right here in Oak Harbor, Ohio. The crew who built it left a mark on the world.

  • A 67-ft architectural tower on the Sunset Strip
  • A 100-ft wastewater trough held straight within 1/8 inch
  • ASME code pressure vessels and food-grade tanks
60+

AWS-Certified Welders

78

Welding Stations

160 +

Craftsmen

1951

Building in Oak Harbor Since

Schedule, Stated Plainly

You'll know the hours before you apply.

1st Shift, Core

6:00am to 3:30pm

Monday through Friday. Typical weeks run 45 to 55 hours, and overtime is paid.

2nd Shift, Small

Evenings

A small second shift for those who would rather work evenings.

3rd Shift

Four 10-hour nights

7:30pm to 6:00am, Monday through Thursday. Three-day weekends, every week.

Flexible schedules are available after the introductory period, and every opening below lists its shift, schedule, and location up front.

Current Openings

Roles open right now.

Apply online for featured roles, or send a quick email for the rest. A photo of a weld you are proud of says more than a resume.

Welder / Fabricator, 1st Shift

$24/hr to $28/hr

1st shift, 6:00am to 3:30pm, Monday through Friday, overtime paid · Oak Harbor, Ohio

GTAW (TIG) and GMAW (MIG) welding on stainless, carbon, and aluminum, from 30-gauge sheet to plate over 1 inch thick. Read customer drawings and weld symbols, hold linear dimensions, squareness, and flatness within tolerance, and build one-of-a-kind products.

Apply for this role

Welder / Fabricator, 3rd Shift (4-10s)

$24/hr to $28/hr

3rd shift, four 10-hour nights, 7:30pm to 6:00am, Monday through Thursday · Oak Harbor, Ohio

Same work as our 1st-shift fabricators on a four-night week: GTAW and GMAW welding on stainless, carbon, and aluminum to tight tolerances, with the build strategy decisions in your hands.

Apply for this role

Press Brake Operator

$24/hr to $28/hr

1st shift, 6:00am to 3:30pm · Oak Harbor, Ohio

Program and run complex bend setups, read blueprints with geometric tolerances, change dies, and inspect finished parts against customer specifications. Press brake or similar machine experience preferred.

Apply for this role

Mechanical Build Technician, 3rd Shift (4-10s)

$24/hr to $28/hr

3rd shift, four 10-hour nights, 7:30pm to 6:00am, Monday through Thursday · Oak Harbor, Ohio

Install and assemble mechanical components (gearboxes, motors, drums) on custom-fabricated projects after the welding phase. Read mechanical blueprints, troubleshoot during the build, and bring one-of-a-kind projects to life. Not an assembly-line role.

Apply for this role

More open roles, apply by email

  • TIG / GTAW Welder

    $26/hr to $33/hr

    Flexible schedules available after the introductory period · Oak Harbor, Ohio

    Apply by Email

  • Entry Level Welder

    Entry level

    $18/hr to $24/hr

    Flexible schedules available after the introductory period · Oak Harbor, Ohio

    Apply by Email

  • Welder / Fabricator

    $24/hr to $28/hr

    Flexible schedules available after the introductory period · Oak Harbor, Ohio

    Apply by Email

View all openings on our Paylocity portal

The Training Path

A real progression, taught in-house.

Not a poster on a breakroom wall. Leads here came up through this exact path, and some went on to engineering and quality.

  1. 01

    Trainee

    Start in our in-house weld school. Learn TIG on stainless with an experienced welder beside you, on real parts.

  2. 02

    Welder

    Move to the floor. Weld stainless, duplex, and specialty alloys across project after project, never the same part twice.

  3. 03

    AWS Certified

    Qualify to AWS D1.6 and ASME Section IX procedures. Your welds are inspected by a Certified Welding Inspector on staff.

  4. 04

    Lead

    Run a crew, a robotic cell, or a code job. Some leads went on to engineering and quality from here.

Read About the Training Program

Apply in Two Minutes

Email careers@northernmfg.com and send a photo of a weld or a part you're proud of. A bead says more than a resume, and no application portal is required to start the conversation.

Email careers@northernmfg.com Call (419) 898-2821

We reply to every applicant within 1 to 2 business days.

What to send

  • Your name and phone number
  • A few lines on your experience or certifications
  • A photo of a weld you are proud of, if you have one
  • No formal resume required

Show the skill, not the customer's job. Please don't send identifiable customer parts.

Welder TIG welding stainless steel in Northern Manufacturing's in-house weld school in Oak Harbor, Ohio

Want to See the Shop First?

Look through the photo gallery and the projects page. That is the work you would be doing, and the people you would be doing it with.

See the Work Read Our Story