Sandvik Coromant India Partners with LPF to Encourage Women's Participation in Manufacturing

Sandvik Coromant India, a metal cutting and machine tools expert, has hosted an event in collaboration with the Lila Poonawala Foundation, a non-profit organization helping young women in India fulfill their career aspirations. The company hosted a group of students looking to work in engineering and offered its insight into the industry. Around 21 female students from the Lila Poonawala Foundation visited Sandvik Coromant India for a discovery day.

Lila Poonawala Foundation, a charity that works towards the cause of promoting girls’ education and women's empowerment by offering merit-cum-need-based scholarship and skill-building programs, has been supporting women across India for 27 years.

As part of the event, the group of engineering students participated in two sessions. This included a session on industrial trends and the potential for women in engineering, led by Ajrel Shepherd, Vice President, Round Tools Production, Pune. During the session, Shepherd provided insights into the trends and opportunities for women in the field of engineering. He also shared a video on processing, production, and manufacturing products, giving the participants a glimpse of the company's operations. Similarly, Sarika Ramteke, Customized Product Manager, Pune, conducted a session on breaking barriers, sharing motivational stories and inspiring videos, and inspiring future female engineers.

Later, students received a tour of the shop floor, offering an insight into the day-to-day life of an engineer at Sandvik Coromant. There was also an opportunity to interact with members of the Sandvik Coromant India team while visiting the shop floor. Sandvik Coromant representatives, including Mayur Wagh, Rahul Kashikar, Makarand Pataskar, Nitin Kand, and Shashikant Gaikwad, conducted guided tours of areas of the shop floor so students could learn more about the skills required for a career in metal cutting.

During lunch, students interacted with the other Sandvik Coromant India senior management team members, including Sunil Joshi, President Sales, Sandvik Coromant India, Sonali Mulay, Director and Head of Tools Production, along with CSR team members Vignesh Iyer, Deputy Manager Finance & CSR, and Roshni Acharya, CSR Specialist, providing a more informal setting for discussions and learning.

Sandvik Coromant has established several initiatives to encourage diversity and inclusion at its Pune site. To make commuting to work safer for women, the organization offers a specially hired bus equipped with a GPS tracking system to take workers to and from work. Once female workers reach the facility, they are escorted to their door by the security guard, and they can also register that they have reached home safely through a digital app. Since 2010, the production unit has supported employees with children with an onsite day care center. Open to any employee with a child aged up to six years old, the center acts as a vital support system for working parents. Children are cared for by a partnering childcare organization, have access to onsite catering, and are just moments away should their parents wish to visit them while on a shift break. As part of its commitment to sustainable business, Sandvik Coromant aims to achieve one-third female managers by 2030.

“As a company, we’re highly invested in creating a diverse workforce,” said Kiran Acharya, MD and CFO, Sandvik Coromant India. “Hosting students from LPF helps us showcase the wealth of opportunities women have in manufacturing—whether that’s on the shop floor at our production unit, working with digital tools to design new products, or any other area of our value chain. It’s vital young women can see the possibilities that are out there for themselves, so they know what’s possible for their futures.”

Image Source: Sandvik Coromant