February/March-Blog
February/March-Blog
The evolution of a quiet revolution (February/March 2020)– by Adrian Lunney – There once was a time when the workings of industry were carried out behind closed doors: society was segmented and organized so that the dark arts...
The evolution of a quiet revolution (February/March 2020)
by Adrian Lunney
There once was a time when the workings of industry were carried out behind closed doors: society was segmented and organized so that the dark arts of manufacturing would typically not be seen or heard. These would be kept far from the consumer – the better to enjoy the benefits. The early achievements of the industrial revolution were often brutally won, involving hard physical endeavor on an epic scale involving masses of manpower and, inevitably, loss of manpower. Today – as we approach the “4th wave” of that revolution – we work in a completely different culture. Health and safety standards and life expectancy are growing worldwide. Multimedia and connectivity means that our global village has shrunk. The international manufacturing playing field has more transparency than ever before and increasingly looks more homogeneous across five continents. It also seems to be the case that the ordinary consumer is now much more aware of the role of industry: airports play host to business advertising for software, consultancy, the creative industries and many other topics that might have been obscure just ten years ago. This convergence and levelling up is also happening in terms of the workforce: for example, we also see a continuing trend towards the presence of women in the manufacturing workplace. This trend is inevitable. For every ten hard hats in a prestigious large project, construction zone there will now be one worn by a woman engineer, mostly likely in a senior position. This seems unthinkable even 20 years ago.
This trend is not happening fast enough for some – nonetheless it is definitely happening. For any one reading, the WITTMANN social media postings – or the excellent innovations magazine – it is clear that the WITTMANN Group is an early adopter of this phenomenon. Women are reaching the highest executive levels in the WITTMANN organization and are also taking up a good percentage of the apprenticeships and trainings on offer. This is good business. People sell to people, and a multiplicity of viewpoints in the buying criteria will embrace factors outside the merely function, technical and commercial. These criteria need to be understood and matched by suppliers. It is therefore perfectly reasonable to employ as wide a spread of sensibility and talent as possible in creating and manufacturing equipment and systems for the world.
In the UK – where Tracy Cadman has recently been appointed Joint Managing Director of WITTMANN BATTENFELD UK – this phenomenon has recently crystallized in the shape of an organization – specific to plastics:
https://www.womeninplastics.com
Perhaps similar networks will now take root in other countries. The essence of our plastics sector – plasticity – implies something that is continually adapting and changing shape as it goes forward. As we approach International Women’s Day on March 8, this phenomenon is certainly worth celebrating – in the WITTMANN Group and beyond.