According to the US Department of Commerce, women only make up 30% of the 15.8 mil people employed in manufacturing, and only one in four manufacturing leaders are women. To engage and unite these women, in 2011, Allison Grealis founded the Women in Manufacturing (WiM) Association. It is the only US-national and global trade association dedicated to providing support for women in the manufacturing industry. An initiative working to achieve a diverse and inclusive manufacturing sector that offers equitable opportunities and rewarding careers for all people.

Joining the WiM Association might be not as self-explanatory as our Partner Pledge for Women in Dynamics, supporting the UN Development Goals, or being certified as a WBE. However, the manufacturing sector is keeping up with the emerging trends in technology as it relates to the industry, such as machine learning, the use of artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, 3D printing, and predictive maintenance. Thus, as an IT company, we see a path to partner with companies within the manufacturing industry and foster more gender equality.

In our Podcast IT(🍵) Time, we had the opportunity to interview Allison Grealis. We discussed gender issues in manufacturing, how these challenges have evolved over the past several years, and emerging challenges. Listen to the episode below.