Celebrating women in the manufacturing industry

Today is International Women’s Day, and in celebration of this the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) is highlighting leading women in the manufacturing sector who address biases and generalisations when it comes to a career in manufacturing.

According to recent AMGC research, titled Perceptions of Australian Manufacturing, biased perceptions about Australian manufacturing often lead to public debate amplifying false stereotypes. This leads to low student consideration of a career in the industry, particularly among female students.

The research revealed that just 48% of younger Australians (16–25 years) viewed manufacturing as important, compared to 75.2% across all other age groups (25–65+). Without an accurate understanding of career opportunities and without seeing themselves included in communications about manufacturing, ‘mental availability’ of students when it came to choosing manufacturing as a career path was limited.

By showing the diversity of roles and sectors within manufacturing, the field can become a diverse and widely valued one.

AMGC has profiled a number of its members who are women and are leaders in their fields, using their stories as a way to demonstrate the manufacturing has the potential to make a difference in the world. The organisation spoke to eight women in fields spanning research, medical, design, industrial equipment, telecommunications, advanced materials and, of course, food and beverage sectors.

Bestie Kitchen, which last year received almost $150,000 to help fund its nutraceutical pet chews, was founded by Amanda Falconer (featured in the image above), who had previously worked in marketing for corporates and who now serves as the company’s managing director. The chews manufactured by Bestie Kitchen are backed by CSIRO research and have been designed to boost the health of pets.

“I’ve spent a lifetime not knowing what I wanted to do. Until now that is. And sometimes you just don’t know,” Falconer said.

“I’ve always ‘made things’ — I just didn’t realise how much STEM was an enabler of this. I think that while you’re working that out — even if, as in my case, it takes decades — that it’s good to keep your options open. Embracing STEM will help do that for you.”

Far from being based on manual labour in dirty factories, she has found manufacturing to be a fascinating universe of “computers, automation, and robots” as well as “brimming with opportunity”.

Another member surveyed was Julia Kay, who is the co-founder and co-CEO of Great Wrap, which recently won the consumer packaged goods category of the FoodBytes! Pitch competition. Great Wrap manufactures sustainable food wraps.

Kay went from working in architecture to tackling the huge problem of plastics pollution with her husband.

“I was working in architecture designing buildings with an education focus. Now we have two factories making it, powered by renewables, where we’re creating inclusive jobs and a solution — it’s just such a brilliant and rewarding industry to work in,” said Kay.

“There are so many parallels between what I do now and in my previous career; we interact daily with scientists, engineers, production staff and an array of critical behind-the-scenes roles. In construction, there are hundreds of roles that go into completing a project although you often only see the half of it.

Julia Kay, Great Wrap

“In our case the performance happens when our product lands in our customer’s hands, so distribution, be it direct from our facility, or via a retailer, is absolutely crucial to our manufacturing business. Without a robust, efficient distribution function, that is easy for our customers, there would be no Great Wrap.”

AMGC hopes that women’s stories such as Falconer’s and Kay’s can demonstrate the diverse capability and potential which exists in Australia’s manufacturing industry.

Image credit: AMGC