1990 · Precision Metrology
The VersaGage
A measuring instrument Quintin Smith invented on our own floor, precise enough to help earn Ford Q1 certification and become a product in its own right.
Read the VersaGage story
Fabricating in Oak Harbor, Ohio since 1951
The Northern Manufacturing Story
Stainless steel fabricators in Oak Harbor, Ohio since 1951: 160,000 sq ft under one roof, 60+ AWS-certified welders, ISO 9001:2015 certified.
160,000 sq ft
Indoor Facility
60+
AWS-Certified Welders
75 +
Years in Oak Harbor
1951
Fabricating Since
The work is the story.
Northern Manufacturing has fabricated stainless steel in Oak Harbor, Ohio since 1951. Engineering companies bring us the fabrications other shops turn down: specialty alloys, tight tolerances, oversized assemblies.
Everything from laser cutting and forming through certified welding, pickling, and passivation happens under one roof, an unbroken chain of custody from raw plate to finished, passivated component.
Our History
We started as a small sheet metal shop and grew by reinvesting in capability, decade after decade.
- 1951
Founded as a sheet metal fabrication shop in Oak Harbor, Ohio.
- 1975
J.D. Smith purchases the company: 8 employees, $250,000 in revenue.
- 1982
US Department of Defense CAP Award for Excellent Quality Assurance.
- 1990 VersaGage
Quintin Smith invents the VersaGage measuring instrument, instrumental in earning Ford Q1 certification.
- 1997
3D CAD modeling adopted across engineering.
- 1998
Laser welding services added.
- 2015
Hybrid laser welding combines laser and arc for faster, more precise joints.
- 2019
Tyson Smith and Haley Lonero acquire the company, continuing the family legacy.
- 2026
Indoor facility expands to 160,000 sq ft; ASME U stamp (Certificate #63199) and PP stamp (Certificate #63198) authorized.
Milestones Worth Reading
Two Inventions That Defined Us
One Roof, Every Process
Our 160,000 square foot facility in Oak Harbor is purpose-built for stainless steel fabrication. No transportation between vendors, no handoffs between shops, and an unbroken chain of custody on material traceability.
Stainless-Only Production
A dedicated ~40,000 sq ft room that keeps carbon-steel contamination off corrosion-critical assemblies.
55-Foot Passivation Booth
In-house pickling and passivation per ASTM A380 and A967, large enough for complete assemblies.
Laser Cutting Bay
Flat, tube, and 5-axis laser cutting for complex geometries in stainless plate, sheet, and tube.
Robotic Welding Cells
Programmed off CAD for production runs with bead-to-bead consistency.
Heavy Forming Equipment
Press brakes and plate rolls rated for stainless thicknesses.
Raw Plate to Finished
Every stage produced in-house, so material traceability is never broken between vendors.
Have a stainless project on your desk? Send the drawing to our engineering team.
The Workforce Is the Advantage
Northern employs over 60 AWS-certified welders with experience across the full range of stainless and specialty-alloy grades, qualified per ASME BPVC Section IX and AWS D1.6.
Beyond welding, the team includes engineers who work with customers on design-for-manufacturability, quality inspectors trained in NDE methods (RT, UT, MT, PT), and production planners who manage complex multi-stage fabrication. A Certified Welding Inspector is on staff, and welder training runs in our own weld school.
60+ AWS-certified weldersCWI on staffNDE: RT · UT · MT · PTIn-house weld school
How We Work
Four commitments show up on every job, whether it is a single prototype or a production run.
01
Quality Management
An ISO 9001:2015 certified system governs every process, from incoming material verification through final inspection and documentation.
02
Customer Collaboration
We review drawings with your engineering team before fabrication starts. Catching a challenge at the design stage prevents costly changes downstream.
03
Prototype to Production
The same welding procedures, inspection protocols, and quality standards apply at quantity one and at quantity one thousand.
04
Engineering Support
We give input on material selection, weld joint design, forming feasibility, and tolerance achievability. Fabrication engineers, not just vendors.
Want to build what others can't?
Send us a drawing. Our engineering team will tell you what it takes.