FROM SHOP FLOOR TO SMART FACTORY: FIND OUT HOW WOMEN ARE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING

Published 1 October 2024 at 10:11am

At Made Smarter Yorkshire and Humber, we heard from the women leading the way in bringing digital innovation to manufacturing across the region, as a part of Leeds Digital Festival.

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) are responsible for the delivery of the Made Smarter programme in the Yorkshire and Humber region, which helps manufacturers to leverage the power of digital adoption to increase productivity and secure a competitive edge.

Leeds Digital Festival ran from Monday 16 September until Friday 27 September, and celebrated digital culture in all its forms, openly and collaboratively. As the largest ‘open’ tech event in the UK it is continuing to grow its voice and reach, so the team at Made Smarter Yorkshire and Humber identified it as an ideal platform to discuss the digitalisation of manufacturing, and the place of women within that.

As part of this, Made Smarter organised a Women in Digital Manufacturing panel event which took place at Schneider Electric.

Chairing the panel was Mandy Ridyard, Financial Director for Produmax, who comes with a background in chemistry and manufacturing. Mandy moved to West Yorkshire in 1994 and has previously worked for CarnaudMetalbox, Mars Inc and Rank Hovis McDougall, jointly leading a buyout of Produmax in 1997.

She is also Chair of the West Yorkshire Innovation Network as well as the West Yorkshire Business Board, and is an advocate for our region, innovation, manufacturing, productivity, and women in engineering and skills.

Mandy said: “Our region is proud of our manufacturing heritage and committed to our manufacturing future. From our textile companies supplying fabrics to leading fashion houses, to our space sector making critical components for the satellites in orbit, we are the supply chain to the world.

“By building on our strengths to grow and innovate, we can secure more talent to the sector. Attracting more women to engineering and manufacturing is key.

“By listening to the needs of business and using our devolved powers, we will support businesses and help to build the diverse skills pipelines they need to succeed and grow.”

The event featured female industry experts as they shared their insights on how digital technology is revolutionising the industry, the challenges they have faced, and how they have successfully navigated their careers in the manufacturing sector.

Other members of the panel were: · Angela Graham, Operations Director at HMI Elements · Catherine Darby-Roberts, Associate Director at ARUP · Trudy Youngs, Director of Operations at Beverley Leisure Homes · Ahlem Kamoua, Smart Factory Project Lead at Schneider Electric

Based at Schneider Electric’s Innovation Hub in Leeds, there were also opportunities for guided tours around the site, where attendees discovered all their latest digital innovations complete with engaging ways to experience them.

As it stands, women make up around 29 percent of the manufacturing workforce. By raising this to 35 percent, there could be 800,000 more female employees in this industry. This could fill almost every open job in the manufacturing sector today.

This is why it is so important to reflect on existing female experiences, as well as how digital innovation has changed the way everyday working looks for employees in the industry.

As Ahlem Kamoua, Smart Factory Project Lead at Schneider Electric, said during the panel: “One of the best ways that employers can inspire the next generation of female professionals is by sharing stories.”