For international Women’s day, on March 8th we take a look at the women that are working here at MPM and how they add value to the dynamics of all our teams.
Manufacturing is a growing industry experiencing a shortage of skilled professionals, particularly women in this sector. Here at MPM we can see the benefit that women bring to our teams and have taken a closer look at 2 of our women employed on the shop floor.
Apprenticeships are a fantastic way to enter any business and here at MPM we have had a great experience with our most recent apprentice, Jessica Sugden who has just completed her apprenticeship and is now Purchasing Coordinator.
Unfortunately, manufacturing is not attracting enough women and the gender split is very heavily male. However, at MPM we have a strong female presence in the team on both shop-floor and top-floor roles, which we are proud to say, are predominantly in leadership roles.
On the shop-floor we have Kaylie Mitchell, Section leader in Pattern Shop and Beka Hayley, Section Leader in Finishing. As Leaders, Kaylie and Beka are at the forefront of all aspects of shop-floor activities in their areas.
The office is very balanced with a 60/40 split of men to women. There are four women in the office: Sue Godden is our Financial Coordinator, Lorna Wilson is Purchasing Leader, Sarah Turnbull is the Health and Safety Leader and Marketing support at MPM and Jessica Sugden is Purchasing Coordinator.
For international Women’s day, on March 8th, we thought we would specifically look at our shop-floor leadership roles filled by Beka and Kaylie and celebrate women in manufacturing here at MPM.
Beka - Section Leader (Finishing)
Beka has been with MPM since 2013 when she joined as a laminator. She has switched successfully from one role to another while, at the same time, accepting and overcoming new challenges in her leadership role.
“Beka always ensures that MPM’s quality and product traceability standard are maintained in her Finishing. She assists in the planning and execution of work and is always very willing to go the extra mile.”
Dylan, Operations Leader
Beka plays a key role in assisting and supporting ‘Right First Time’ results which now has an improving trend. She is responsible for a team of Operators finishing a range of GRP products and ensures compliance to set finishing area targets, quality assurance requirements and other performance and productivity measures.
She takes a lead in the training of new starters, and of established Operators who are learning new skills. Impressively she has a 100% attendance record so far this year.
Beka really does ensure our customers, suppliers and the team receive the ‘WOW’ factor on quality, service and partnerships.
Kaylie – Section Leader (Pattern and Tooling)
Kaylie has been with MPM since 2012. She was the first female to work on the shop floor. She started out as a trainee pattern maker and is now Section leader for the Pattern Shop supporting Alan our Technical Director.
“I was unsure when we recruited Kaylie, as she was the first female operator we had placed on the shop floor; but Kaylie has been a breath of fresh air and her commitment to quality, plus her own performance and keen eye for detail are a credit to her.”
Alan, Technical Director
Kaylie manages team performance to help ensure that department targets are met. This encompasses not only manufacturing targets but also quality assurance and other performance measures. She is highly skilled in her role where attention to detail is vital.
She coordinates materials and consumables; allocates work; and facilitates her team to work effectively. Key tasks include producing patterns to company/customer specifications, to intervene when necessary to stop the pattern making process in the event of a product non-conformance, making sure the customer receives exactly what they have asked for. Kaylie also supports the finishing and production areas to meet key targets.
Implementing and maintaining safe working practices whilst supporting lean manufacturing within the Pattern Shop, is key to her role.
Like all leaders, Kaylie assists in the training and development of her team.
“In today’s world we have to be flexible, diverse and inclusive and we all need many different qualities and skills in our teams. The women that have been added to the MPM team over the years have added huge value, improved and challenged us and are a vital dynamic to the MPM team.”
Ben, Business Leader
