It’s a potentially lucrative career path with ample room to learn and advance, but the manufacturing industry has consistently failed to attract women to its burgeoning ranks:

Bridging the Gender Gap in Manufacturing
The XX FactorIt’s a potentially lucrative career path with ample room to learn and advance, but the manufacturing industry has consistently failed to attract women to its burgeoning ranks:
How Joining the Manufacturing Sector Aided in the War Effort
Wartime Women“Work should be, for all of us, a word as honourable and appealing as patriotism.” – Dwight Eisenhower
Swiss Automation
At the Forefront for Over 50 YearsIllinois-based machining manufacturer Swiss Automation has over half a century of experience in precision machining for a variety of industries including medical, defense, aerospace, and more. Feeling drawn to the automation behind cam-operated screw machines, Ken Malo decided to start his own business in 1965 and take on the market in his own way. Then located on Ohio Street in Chicago, the new business began manufacturing cam switches for the 1965 Ford Thunderbird, among other projects, before moving to the Barrington area of Illinois in 1970, where the main office has remained to this day.
Anaheim Precision Manufacturing
Meeting the Needs of World-Class ClientsProudly serving clients for the past 35 years, Anaheim Precision Manufacturing (APM) is active in aerospace, defense, technology, medical, communications, commercial, retail and other demanding industries. An approved supplier for some of the biggest names in business, like Boeing, Goodrich Aerospace, Honeywell International, Gulfstream, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Zodiac, Rockwell Collins and Raytheon, APM provides engineering, milling, assembly and other services all in-house.
Rathburn Tool & Manufacturing
Second Generation Leader Helps Guide Family Machine Shop to New LevelsIn a marketplace that has been filled with uncertainty, global upheaval, supply chain issues, inflation, acts of nature and more, strong leadership is needed more than ever. And while that’s true for any size company, it is certainly a necessary element for a second generation machine shop located in the rust belt of Indiana fighting for relevancy and growth.
Virtek Vision
Leading the Way in Laser Manufacturing SolutionsVirtek Vision International is a Canadian manufacturer with international reach. Operating out of Ontario, this company primarily provides solutions to a diverse clientele based around the implementation of lasers and laser-outfitted products. These solutions include 3D laser projection systems, assembled from proprietary software and laser projection units assembled in-house. Virtek’s products are, in turn, used across a number of different industries to enhance the capabilities of manufacturing, projection, vision positioning, and quality assurance processes, among other areas.
Vidir Solutions
Embracing Change: Vidir Solutions Brings More Women, Rural Workers to ManufacturingAs more and more North American manufacturing begins to return from outsourced regions, labour must be drawn from non-traditional sources to fill the demand. Women comprise less than thirty percent of manufacturing jobs in Canada and the United States, but one company is taking strong new steps to bring in this underrepresented demographic.
Brannon Steel
All Hands on Deck: Committed to Customers, Community, and CollaborationAs a company that has experienced steady, impressive growth since 1968, Brannon Steel has not only enjoyed successful expansion, but has managed to maintain its initial goals and focus of caring for its employees, clients and community. Fostering a deep commitment to family and teamwork, this ISO certified manufacturer with three facilities in Brampton, Ontario offers a wide range of services processing carbon steel plate while expertly handling an array of top-level clients.
ProAll
ProAll’s New Spider 2.0 Trucks Pour Concrete and Deliver BusinessProAll International Manufacturing Inc.’s ongoing commitment to pouring concrete in a simpler and more environmentally friendly method has been a goal for more than 50 years, as the company strives to eliminate logistical issues and long wait times for delivery.
Netchem Inc.
Easing Supply Chain StressAs a woman-owned company, specialty chemical distributor Netchem Inc. knows how to raise the bar when it comes to cultivating excellence by embracing diversity. The company has built a reputation for being an expert in diversifying client supply chains across North America. It is also known for solving procurement issues. After nearly thirty-one years in this niche industry, this company is as market-savvy and streamlined for success as one can be.
RD Industries, Inc.
Genius in a Bottle: Solving Problems SustainablyOperating successfully for more than four decades, as RD Industries has, is quite an achievement for any company – but it still takes a bit of genius to become the world’s leader in bottle inserts that create superior closed-loop chemical containment and dispensing systems.
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New Tech to Support a Safety Mindset
Contact with moving machine parts, slips and falls, chemical burns, falling objects, fatigue, overexertion, and vehicles are just a few causes of workplace injuries. Fortunately, technology and smart factories can make manufacturing far safer…
WEX Pharmaceuticals
When physical pain occurs—whether from an injury, surgery, or the ravages of cancer—finding the right product to alleviate symptoms can be a matter of trial and error, and is often fraught with side effects including addiction and overdose. WEX Pharmaceuticals Inc., a late-stage drug development company based in Vancouver, BC, is dedicated to reducing those threats through research, development, and manufacture of Halneuron®, a new non-opioid analgesic considered to be a breakthrough in pain-management technology.
Response Biomedical Corp.
Response Biomedical Corp. (Response) is a market leader in comprehensive acute care testing. It is a well-established, thriving Canadian company with full operations—including all manufacturing—based in Vancouver, B.C. Response competes in the in-vitro Diagnostic (“IVD”) market globally and its RAMP system is a fast diagnostics platform offering lab-quality performance in acute care settings.
StressMarq Biosciences Inc.
StressMarq Biosciences Inc. is a boutique firm that develops high-quality bioreagents for pharmaceutical companies and scientific research organizations around the world. Putting these tools in the hands of the right partners has enabled some ground-breaking discoveries…
The Canadian Tooling & Machining Association (CTMA)
The Canadian Tooling & Machining Association (CTMA) is dedicated to supporting the interests and promotion of the trades and industries of its namesake affiliations. It began operations in 1963 by uniting various trade associations into one organization, with the lasting goal of better representing the tooling industry in Canada. This includes businesses and service providers within the precision metalworking industry, including those that design, manufacture, repair, or assemble tools, dies, moulds, models, patterns, jigs, fixtures, gauges, machinery, machining systems, robotics, automation equipment, machine shop products, and cutting tools.
Black Controls Company Inc.
Known for its industrial and robotic control systems, Black Controls Company Inc. is a young and dynamic company that provides clients, often those with highly complex demands, with custom automation. Celebrating its fourth year in business this month, Black Controls Company Inc.’s team of 24 could not be any prouder.