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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Molecular Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the art of manipulating materials on an extremely small scale to build microscopic machinery.
The Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA)
The Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) is a source of guidance and best practices for companies seeking optimum performance within this highly competitive industry. It is also an advocate for helping North American electronic components manufacturers understand and manage through the regulations and standards needed to serve the wave of companies looking to establish or re-establish facilities in the U.S.
Xymox Technologies
After Xymox Technologies was profiled in Manufacturing in Focus in December 2018, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based firm merged with the RAFI Group of Germany. This corporate collaboration has the potential to dramatically shake up the North American touchscreen and digital display markets.
AB Electronics
AB Electronics’ goal is straightforward: Improving the productivity of clients’ businesses. How does the company do it? By providing top-notch, full-service, flexible manufacturing solutions with unrivalled responsiveness through long-term, strategic collaborations built on trust and mutually beneficial outcomes.
Masline Electronics
As a leader in distributing passive and electromechanical components, Masline Electronics is on a growth trajectory following the COVID-19 pandemic. Helping to drive customers’ bottom lines through effective product distribution, logistics, and custom, value-added services, Masline’s team delivers personalized service on a level uncommon in this industry. That is why loyal customers keep coming back for more.
Spirit Electronics
Spirit Electronics is a value-added supplier of high-reliability components and superior supply-chain solutions for the aerospace and defense sectors. The veteran-owned, woman-owned business has been growing steadily since we profiled the company in December 2019, so we sat down with owner and CEO Marti McCurdy again this month to hear the latest news and developments