Wanted: Women in the Manufacturing Field to Make More Money

Why is it that, in this day and age, we still have “men’s jobs” and “women’s jobs”?  Why do we fight for equality and then settle for less?  Manufacturing is a growing industry.  Jobs are left unfilled because there just isn’t a large enough pool of skilled workers.  However, there are a large number of jobs that women are in that require similar skills and have a similar environment as welding, machinists, machine operators, inspectors, etc.  These manufacturing industry jobs are often higher paying by about 50% than other jobs in comparative industries.  Industry Week magazine wrote “female packaging and filling machine operators could boost their earnings by 50% by receiving the training needed to become welders, a job that requires similar arm-hand steadiness, manual dexterity and control precision. The median annual earning for welders is $38,762, compared to $25,851 for packaging and filling machine operators.”
Did you know that CrossWind Machining is a woman owned business? Our CEO, Judy, works long hours to make sure our company keeps running smoothly.  She is amazing with our customers, makes sure that all of our ISO “stuff” is current and implemented correctly, not to mention the fact that she has gotten out on the shop floor to run machines and debur when needed.   We have also had women deburrers, machine operators, inspectors, our general manager is a woman and I myself (a female by the way) am the shipping and receiving manager.  Our QA manager, Leah, is fantastic at her job.  She is super detail oriented, dedicated to doing a great job, dependable, and ready to learn.  Our General Manager, Michele, has really whipped this shop into shape.  Since she’s come on board our on-time delivery rate has gone up, our job schedule is more organized, and tools and material are ordered on time. She has been a great addition to CrossWind.  One of prior part-time operators, Hailey, holds the record for the most parts made on a specific job here. 
 A lot of companies out there are willing to do on the job training or even send a trainee to school.  In the long run it becomes financially advantageous for the employer because it is so hard to find skilled people in the field.  Here, at CrossWind, we do Swiss CNC Screw Machine products.  This is a very specific niche in the industry.  Our parts are all under 1 ¾” in diameter.  Right now we are 100% medical device so some of our parts literally go into people’s arteries and veins.  It is extremely difficult to find experienced people in this field.  We pay well, have a training program, have good benefits, it’s a laid back atmosphere; and we try hard to make it a good environment for the employees.  On top of it we live in beautiful Grass Valley CA.  Yet it is still very hard to find someone with experience in our field.

In conclusion, let’s expand our abilities as women.  40% of bread winners in America are women, so let’s bring home more bread! 

Check out these 2 links I’ve found about women in the field of manufacturing. 

Twitter: Women in Manufacturing

Industry Week Magazine: Wanted a Few Good Female Machinists



Location: Grass Valley, CA 95945, USA

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 19, 2016 at 2:24 PM

    I can verify this as CEO of CrossWind Machining. So difficult to find skilled machinists. Salary can be $30-$35k at an entry level machinist position with rapid advancement. Just take a class at your local JC. Yes, I am a woman, and no, I never dreamed that I would own a machining facility, yet here I am. And with only a 2 year degree! I just learned I could make money doing this, and I am so glad I did. Love being self employed, love what we do!

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