August 2022 Volume 4

OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT

watched a part being forged and met several team members in the office. Everyone she met took the time to stop and say hello. She could sense how proud they were of the jobs they were completing. This first visit made a great impression on her, which continued not only through the interview process but also to this day. Everyone was so committed to doing what was best for our customers, the company and each other that she had to unlearn many of her prior perceptions about manufacturing companies. Loretta stated, “As a female executive at Scot Forge, it is important to highlight this difference in commitment Scot Forge employees have as it creates a great environment for diversity and to bring more women into manufacturing roles. There is so much to gain for those companies who work to overcome the perceptions that manufacturing, especially heavy manufacturing of the type that Scot Forge does, is not for women. I love the fact that we have women on the shop floor and in the offices, but I would like to see more of them.” Loretta continued, “The Scot Forge culture of commitment to customers, employees, vendors and community is real and can be seen and felt in the interactions of the team every day. I was lucky enough to start with Scot Forge in mid-2019 when we still had our big companywide social events that brought the employees and their families together. Even though these events were canceled for the past two years, I am so excited to have them back this year to be able to socialize and celebrate our culture with my colleagues.”

A resounding theme among the women I spoke with was the importance of different perspectives and insights that women can bring into manufacturing. At Scot Forge, our employee-ownership culture fosters inclusion where new ideas are encouraged. When you place talented people into a culture of shared fate and personal accountability, we have found that success ensues. As I spoke with my female colleagues about encouraging more women to work in manufacturing, the conversations kept coming back to a feeling of belonging, feeling valued by a company and feeling that your work was contributing to the greater good of our community and country. As women in manufacturing, if we each do our part to tell those stories about our company’s culture, contribution to society, the customer problems we have solved and the amazing places our forgings go, we’re confident we can increase the number of women who want to work in the forging industry.

Laura Diedrich has been at Scot Forge for seven years and serves as the Marketing & Communications Manager. Phone: 815-675-4072 Email: LDiedrich@scotforge.com www.scotforge.com

Executive-Level Topics • Economy • Reshoring • Technology Investment • Industry Sector Reports

Production/Technical Topics • Presses • Tooling • Lubrication • Automation • Heating • Rough/Final Machining

• Supply Chain • Lean Manufacturing • Six Sigma • Quality

• Die Steel • Software

*presented in Spanish*

*presented in English*

To register for this event, visit www.forging.org. For questions about topics, presenters or the agenda, please contact Megha Patel, FIA Government Affairs & Operations Specialist, at megha@forging.org or 216-781-6260.

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2022 51