Crain's Notable Women in Manufacturing spotlights 34 accomplished professionals who are making a difference in the traditionally male-dominated field. Some hold senior positions at large, publicly traded companies such as Caterpillar, Federal Signal and Snap-on. Others are running small fabricators and machine shops, modernizing enterprises started by their parents or grandparents. They represent expertise in engineering and manufacturing processes as well as in logistics and global transportation, data and technology, packaging and trade.
Virtually all advocate for bringing more women into the field at a time of skilled labor shortages. Some are involved in exposing middle and high school girls to STEM fields. Others work on recruiting women to the field and training them in shop-floor skills and advancing them to managerial positions. They mentor women one-on-one and support employee resource groups and professional associations. Manufacturing, they say, is no longer a male-only domain.
View Crain's Chicago Business Notable Women in Manufacturing List