Making an Impact

The manufacturing ecosystem is undergoing a massive transformation, with more women stepping up to make huge strides and help the industry reap big rewards with their potential.

“If women in factories stopped work for 20 minutes, the Allies would lose the war,” Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre, the commander-in-chief of the French forces during World War I, once famously remarked. Joffre’s now popular words had back then drawn European women in large numbers to factory premises to work as welders, machinists, technicians, etc.

The need of the hour had perhaps triggered the entry of the female workforce into what predominantly used to be a male bastion. However, the percentage of women globally is still a far cry from what it should have been in more than a century since World War I.

Participants at the IMTMA - FEdream Women Empowerment Initiative Inaugural

Current scenario

The experience of the global pandemic taught us that a challenged world is an ‘alert world’ and often challenges pave the way for ‘changes’. We have lived through unprecedented times in the last two years, battling and overcoming challenges related to lives and livelihoods. The uncertainty has brought more women to the fore where they can take charge and choose to challenge what has been traditionally holding them back.
Companies, in recent years, have warmed up to hiring women with the requisite skills in various sectors, such as Automobile, Heavy Engineering, Mines, Earthmoving Equipment Handling, etc. In addition, organizations are establishing factories with a higher percentage of females than males, and there are numerous new initiatives to encourage women to enter the workforce.

Women are holding top positions in various industries overall, and have been doing excellent work in their respective fields. Similarly, among the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) member companies, we have women holding prominent positions. The positive outcome of this has been that they are encouraging other women to join the Manufacturing industry.

To aid this positive change, IMTMA conducts women’s exclusive training programs to make women industry-ready. Presently, over 20 female candidates are undergoing comprehensive training on ‘Design and Manufacturing of Special Purpose Machines’. More such programs are on the anvil.

Towards inclusive culture

Manufacturing has undergone significant changes from what it was in the 1980s to how it’s being done now, and engineers need to acquaint themselves with the new ways of manufacturing. The mindset of co-workers and that of the top management is a significant challenge. However, this is changing fast, with women getting the same opportunities as men.

Industry analysts see this change already happening in a big way. For example, most electronic units have more than 60 percent women workforce. Metrology, inspection, and design departments are increasingly dominated by women workers. IT and various other sectors deploy a large number of the fair gender, and as automation takes over routine jobs such as the handling of heavy materials along with the use of artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital manufacturing, we will see more women workers in industrial units as well.

Industries believe that encouraging diversity, gender-neutral growth, training, competence building, and having women in managerial roles will pay rich dividends. As more women get educated and financially empowered, the societal barriers will diminish. Moreover, Section 66 of the Factories Act of 1948 was amended in 2005, permitting women to do night shifts provided all safety precautions are enforced, which also bodes well for organizations looking to hire women workforce.

By breaking the barriers, they can perhaps share equal space with men in whichever field they may be – in exhibitions, manufacturing, policymaking, services, or any other sphere. The male-female divide in industries can be bridged when females have a say in the decision-making process, positively affecting the system.

To aid this positive change, IMTMA conducts women’s exclusive training programs to make women industry-ready. Presently, over 20 female candidates are undergoing comprehensive training on ‘Design and Manufacturing of Special Purpose Machines’. More such programs are on the anvil.

Women Engineers attending a session on International Women's Day at IMTMA

Source: IMTMA

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