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!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is Going Automated Worth the Investment?

Image
With new technology comes change in the way we do everyday things.  For instance I spend about 5 minutes, before I even get out of bed, checking the weather for the week, reading through my emails and texts, checking my Facebook updates, and maybe even playing a word or 2 on Words With Friends.  Sometimes I’ll text my husband or one of my sons about something that needs to be taken care of or to ask co-workers if they need anything for the shop on my way in and then update my shopping list.  I haven’t even left my bed yet and I’ve already done so many things that I couldn’t have done, from the comfort of my bed, without my smartphone.  Now I did have to spend a few hundred dollars on this phone so that I would be able to do these things, but it saves me a lot of time searching the internet or reading a newspaper (which hardly anyone does anymore anyways) for the exact same information.  Not to mention, when I show up at work I won’t have to turn around and head back to town to
Read more

How Will ISO 13485:2016 Impact Your Relationship With Suppliers & Why You Should Be Using ISO 13485:2016 CERTIFIED Suppliers From Now On

The 2016 revision to ISO 13485 may have profound implications for the medical device industry. The updated standard will alter the way device makers interact with suppliers, from supplier selection to the management of supplier relationships. Speaking as the Quality Systems Director of CrossWind Machining (component manufacturer for the medical device industry) and just completing our ISO 13485:2016 Certification, the new 2016 revision (from 2003) is all about mitigating risk from every aspect of the medical device manufacturing process . And with ISO 13485:2003 no longer being valid after 2019, suppliers are having to decide how much time & money they are willing to put into separating themselves. What the new Standard Says About Risk One particularly   notable change with ISO 13485:2016   is the addition of more explicit risk management requirements. Companies will be required to consider the risk associated with a device from conception through its use. Device makers must p
Read more

3D Printing vs. CNC Machining

Image
             Recently I have been looking into 3D printing for Crosswind Machining.  There is so much buzz all over the news and internet about it and I wondered if we could benefit from adding it to our shop floor. I think companies need to always be open to change.  Not only so that we make quality products with the machines that we already have, but also looking for ways to improve our capabilities to serve our customers with new ideas and new technology. As a matter of fact our Quality Policy states ”… to consistently surpass customers’ expectations in both quality and delivery scheduling.  We make every effort to continually maintain and improve our system.” That includes looking at newer technologies like 3d printing.  After doing quite a bit of research I have no doubt in my mind that this technology will play a large part of the manufacturing industry in the next 10 years.  Additive manufacturing is being utilized in multiple fields already such as medical, manufacturing,
Read more