Data heralds an opportunity to close the manufacturing gender gap

Young female engineer using digital tablet in an industrial plant, Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Young female engineer using digital tablet in an industrial plant, Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Industry leaders Andrea Thompson (BAE Systems) and Andrea Hough (ATEC Engineering Solutions) say manufacturing SMEs can inspire a generation and close the gender gap, particularly through the Made Smarter programme.

The digital transformation of manufacturing has the potential to kick start a new era for women in the industry, according to manufacturing industry executives Andrea Thompson and Andrea Hough. Both have worked their way up from the shopfloor to the top floor at BAE Systems and ATEC Engineering Solutions respectively.

Now Thompson and Hough are using their experience and insight to support Made Smarter, the government led, and industry backed, programme to encourage manufacturers to use digital tools to fuel growth.

With the number of girls’ participating in STEM subjects at A-level and degree level increasing, feeding a pipeline of engineering talent into manufacturing and an organic rise in women in leadership roles, Thompson and Hough believe Made Smarter and the North West pilot offer a unique opportunity to inspire a generation and close the gender gap.

Andrea Thompson is now managing director for Europe and international programmes at BAE Systems. She is now aiming to inspire the next generation of women to follow suit through her role as chair of the Made Smarter Commission's North West Pilot.

Andrea Thompson, BAE Systems

Ms Thompson has witnessed significant change during her 30-year career in the automotive and aerospace sectors.

“When I started in manufacturing it was another world,” she comments. “I was one of very few women going into the automotive industry – particularly the manufacturing end of it. Women’s interest in the sector just wasn’t there in any large numbers then.

“I worked on the shopfloor, amongst mostly unionised, older, males. The facilities, machinery and processes were so different too. Running a manufacturing business was very labour-intensive, involving Excel spreadsheets, lots of paper, and counting how many pieces had been made or processed. Data analysis was also extremely manual.”

The percentage gain

Today, the manufacturing industry paints a completely different picture according to Ms Thompson, no more so than at BAE Systems. Of the 10,000 people working from its Lancashire site, 20% are women including 500 engineers. Almost a quarter of new starters through BAE’s UK apprenticeship programmes last year were female, while the number of women in senior management positions is rising.

“The amount of progress is incredible,” Ms Thompson continues. “Today, the manufacturing environment has a much higher percentage of females, and in all kinds of ranks. They’re on the shopfloor, working with machinery, in R&D, in management and senior leadership.”

Ms Thompson believes advances in technology and cultural changes in the industry are behind the increase.

“Women bring data analytical skills, along with a forward-thinking, strategic and an innovative approach. I’ve noticed a growing number of amazing and very confident young women coming into the industry. They bring a different perspective. They haven’t grown up in its history. However, not only do they have a new baseline of manufacturing knowledge and skills, they also expect to voice their opinions. They can stand up in front of any audience and make suggestions and challenge those at any level. It’s today’s normal, and it’s thrilling to see.”

Ms Thompson believes Made Smarter and the North West pilot offers a unique opportunity to encourage more women to succeed in manufacturing.

“The biggest problem manufacturing has is its historical image,” she explains. “Manufacturing continues to suffer from outdated misconceptions: that jobs are repetitive and involve working in unsophisticated, dirty factories; and that it doesn't offer fulfilling careers for women. But none of this is true.

“Manufacturing is more innovative than it has ever been. Modern factories are in clean, high-tech buildings rather than dirty environments for metal bashing. Manufacturers are getting things done using advanced technologies like robotics, 3D printing and intelligent machines, and using data, the cloud and analysis to find better ways of doing things.”

Building more balance

Thompson believes by educating women on the true image of modern manufacturing, Made Smarter can play a crucial role in addressing the gender imbalance in the industry.

It is leading by example, positioning women at the top levels of its organisation. The Made Smarter national commission’s leadership team is almost a 50/50 gender mix.

The gender mix can also be seen with the North West Pilot steering group, where Andrea Thompson leads a team including: Andrea Hough of ATEC Engineering Solutions.

Andrea Hough, MD, ATEC Engineering Solutions

Andrea Hough is another example of someone who started on the shopfloor, as an apprentice, and rose through the ranks via IT and production to become MD of ATEC Engineering Solutions. She believes her tech-focussed route through the company has her well-positioned to lead the company’s digital transformation.

“Data has always been at the core of my decision making throughout my career,” Ms Hough says. “That is more important than ever given that data and analytics are central to the 4th Industrial Revolution. I believe we have reached a turning point in manufacturing and that technology has the power to inspire a generation of young women.”

Ms Hough believes that two key elements of the Made Smarter programme can help develop and cement that spark of interest. The fully-funded three-month student placements programme connects education and industry at an earlier stage to make women more aware of the opportunities, while the eight-month leadership and management training programmes, offered in partnership with Lancaster University, offers the chance for women to lead on a company’s digitalisation transformation.

As to the future, BAE Systems’ Andrea Thompson has great optimism.

She concludes: “Ten years from now I expect we’ll see an even higher percentage of women in manufacturing, especially considering that more young females are taking STEM subjects,” she says. “I anticipate that many of these roles will be mid-to-higher levels, as the pipeline becomes more mature. There will be more diverse-thinking conversations too. We’ve made incredible progress, and I’ve no doubt this will accelerate.”

Made Smarter UK www.madesmarter.uk

Company

BAE Systems

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