It’s always interesting to hear from different generations of women who work in manufacturing, as we can’t help but wonder how much has changed over the years?
Well, according toresearch from the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), not much has changed when it comes to the numbers. Specifically, the number of women in engineering professions in the U.S. has not increased since the early 2000s. So, it’s no surprise that over 32 percent of women switch out of STEM degree programs in college and only 30 percent of women who earn bachelor’s degrees in engineering are still working in engineering 20 years later. In the current workforce, only 13 percent of engineers are women.
Wait, there’s more. SWE reports that female engineers earn 10 percent less than male engineers and 61 percent of women engineers report that they have to prove themselves repeatedly to get the same level of respect and recognition as their colleagues.
有人知道是课堂上唯一一个女人的唯一女性，也是戴安狼，他们在消费者包装商品（CPG）行业拥有超过35年的经验，在工程，制造业中担任重点全球职位，产品开发与牛皮纸食品的资本采购。沃尔夫在克拉夫的最新作用是作为高级运营主管，现在她作为食品和饮料行业的顾问工作。
It’s not been an easy road, Wolf admits, as the male-dominated manufacturing industry is not a very welcoming place for young women coming out of engineering school—or even in school.
“When I graduated from engineering school there were seven of us [women],” Wolf recalls, noting that there weren’t even any women’s bathrooms in the engineering department at the college at the time, so they had to convert a faculty bathroom. “The world has changed, yes it has, but we still have a long way to go.”
Wolf was speaking to an audience of over 120 women (and men) at thePMMI包装与加工妇女领导网络（PPWLN）breakfast which took place during theProFood Techevent in March. The theme of the interactive networking breakfast was “leading change,” and featured two speakers, Wolf and Karen Norheim, the executive vice president ofAmerican Crane & Equipment Corp., a manufacturer of cranes, hoists and material handling equipment.
Norheim, who has 16 years of experience in the manufacturing industry, is a second generation leader at the company, recruited by her father into the family business. She now oversees the day-to-day operations of a 180-person manufacturing facility, but she’s struggled, too, with being the only woman in the room, she said, as well as with the “boss’s daughter” complex.
但她甚至曾经努力发展该公司，以努力重振员工士气，多样化和加强团队，并与新客户联系。她正在“重新启动”公司文化，以新的特派团和核心价值观封装在新公司Mantra“Grite事项：坚持不懈，心脏和完整性。”
While Norheim has made progress at her own company, she agrees with Wolf that there’s a long road ahead for women in manufacturing as “we are still in the trailblazing phase,” she said.
但这两位发言者对刚刚开始职业生涯的妇女提供了一些指导，或者在包装和制造业中的中生。关键消息：它从您开始。
狼的智慧
任何人进入时要做的第一件事workforce is to “know and be known in your industry.” Do your research, understand who your competitors are and the issues in the industry. And then “be known” by engaging with committees or volunteering to speak or present at industry meetings, for example.
Her second point is to pay it forward by doing things that will make it a more welcoming place for women coming out of STEM programs and into your company. “You pay it forward by helping them, because we are here on the shoulders of the women who came before us.”
Lastly, network, network, network. “We all have the tendancy to think, do a job well and the rest will happen naturally. That’s all true, but sometimes you need a little help when you are the one and only,” Wolf said.
在一个人的职业生涯中，有些人犯了错误，让他们的头脑下降并专注于工作。而且还专注于公司的内部方面。建立对人民和文化的事情的理解。中生，你可能有一个家庭，你可能会太多，工作太辛苦，但这是时候开始网络的时间。找到将您暴露给其他公司的群体，寻找脱颖而出的机会，因为它可以让您为您的下一个职业生涯移动准备。“举手并开始练习领导技能，”她说。
Once you are in your late career, this is the time to lead external organizations, such as being on the Board of a not for profit organization. Establish a broader sense of yourself, which could set you up for a second or third career.
And, it’s all worth the effort. Wolf said she was recently asked if, as she looks back on her 35 plus years in the business, she would do it again. “Absolutely,” she said. “It’s been an awesome ride.”
Norheim’s knowledge
It’s only been a year since the launch of “Grit Matters” and American Crane & Equipment is already seeing real results with less than a one percent employee turnover. The culture change included lean initiatives to increase efficiency and better communication between departments. “We’ve tapped into more of the human potential,” Norheim said. “Bottom line, this translates into a better customer experience…and increased revenue and increased profitability.”
But it’s still a work in progress. So she proactively takes on roles that will help attract more women to the company and the industry. “I go out and spread the word of why our industry is a great place to work.”
她这样做 - 与狼的网络与外部的网络相关 - 是承担额外的责任。例如，Norheim是当前的主席制造业的妇女, a 2,000 plus member organization with a mission to support, inspire and promote women in the manufacturing industry.
What she’s uncovered along the way is that women can bring a different perspective and can help add to a company’s cognitive diversity. “We all have these things that make us who we are; family, upbringing, relationships, gender…all of these things come together to give us a unique perspective. If we leverage that we can create an environment of cognitive diversity so that we can solve problems better, we can have a competitive advantage and we can see more. Women are a great way for a company to add to their cognitive diversity,” Norheim said.
最后，Norheim要求我们都创造了“涟漪效应”。在会议的小组上的一个女人，她在她的职业生涯中受到影响。“她不知道我是谁，她不知道她所拥有的影响，而是通过作为一个榜样，她创造了触及我的涟漪效果。”
角色模型激发了我们，让我们了解可能的事情。“成为一个榜样，”诺尔海姆说。“我认为你已经是......无论你走到哪里都要留下一点点闪光。你永远不知道你可能会触摸谁。“
