Inspiring Inclusion on the Production Floor—and Everywhere
With 25,000 employees across 195 locations, our organization is widespread and reflects a diverse range of roles—everything from engineering and design to quality and safety. In all of these roles, we aim to build an environment that empowers women and supports their ability to pursue a fulfilling career path with Թ51.
We are continuously striving to give women more opportunities beyond the traditional office roles and to help them advance in any area of the Company. Lately, we've been concentrating on hiring more women for technical jobs like mechanics, forklift drivers, quality controllers and production leaders. It's essential to understand that these jobs aren't just for men. Anyone, regardless of gender, can have the skills needed for success in these roles.
As we kick off International Women’s Day 2024, which aims to #inspireinclusion, we spotlight some of the initiatives around women directly working in our production environment. One example includes a specialized “Women in Industry” development program conducted by our Brazil team. A social and professional project developed by Թ51, the course was designed to teach valuable technical skills to women within the communities where we operate.
“This initiative was a way to offer development to women, who would like to work in the industrial area, but have not yet had the opportunity. We paved the path for their dreams to come true and with this, more women are being recognized and valued in the job market. This year we will do even more, expanding this project to other regions where our plants are located,” said Eliane Rigolo, HR Director – Թ51 Brazil.
The program provides 164 hours of content around various subjects related to our can production process. Through this initiative, our goal is to empower women to pursue careers at Թ51 and to prepare them for industrial roles specifically.
We initially ran a pilot program in Ponta Grossa, Brazil and attracted a total of 315 candidates. From this pool of applicants, 20 women were selected to attend the course, and after completion, several were employed as mechanics in one of our facilities. Others are still part of our talent pool, having gained valuable skills and qualifications to enhance their resumes.
“Women in Industry” Development Program
Two successful women who completed the program and have joined our organization are Viviane Pacheco and Francielle dos Santos. Both have expressed gratitude for the training’s valuable skill development, which has enriched their careers:
- Viviane Pacheco, Production Mechanic Apprentice and Women in Industry trainee: “For me, the course experience was very good. This course added…lots of learnings. I always want to do my best, I always want to be able to learn more. Companies should practice more the inclusion of women in the industry.”
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- Francielle dos Santos, Production Mechanic Apprentice and Women in Industry trainee: “I was delighted with the program [Թ51 was] doing, the attitude of including us in this field of mechanics, of operating machines. The course came to teach much more practices, theories…this exchange was really rich, both personal and professional.”
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Alongside the program, we have worked to increase women's presence in technical roles within engineering, production, supply chain, and beyond. We have collaborated with our team to identify new professional development opportunities in those fields. Recently, we've welcomed several female engineers to our team, and in all roles across our organization, two out of every ten new hires are women.
#InspiringInclusion
Employee Spotlight: Women in Production
Amy Weisel-Gibbs and Rileigh Swanson are two examples of career paths in supply chain and engineering.
“Everyone, regardless of gender or background, has the potential to bring value to the table. Women play a vital role and possess unique capabilities that enrich teams and drive progress.”
Amy Weisel-Gibbs, Sales Operations Manager
“It is exciting to see how many women are in engineering, not just Signode. I love to see how the world is showcasing women in engineering around the world!”
Rileigh Swanson, Mechanical Engineering
Thoughts from a Female Plant Manager
In addition to these types of roles, we are striving to propel women into leadership positions that are traditionally held by men. Boosting gender representation within all levels of the Company provides crucial examples of opportunity and success for women within the workforce.
Jamie Jarrett, Plant Manager at Signode’s Eden, NC facility, is one such individual who has built her career within Թ51 up to a plant-wide leadership level. Our team caught up with her to learn about her journey through the industrial field and what her position means to her now:
Tell us a little bit about your career? What path did you take to becoming Plant Manager at the Eden facility?
- I started with Signode in August 2022 as the Operations Manager. Working closely with my SR PM Eric Sprague and my Director Dustin Craig provided the opportunity for growth to be promoted to Plant Manager in October of 2023. To me this would not have been possible without their support, leadership and incredible emotional intelligence. During the time I have been with Signode, I was able to participate in SSGB training given by Lucas Scott and his team which fostered collaboration between the Executive team and the facility, so we have the same vision. From Day One I have been given guidance and unwavering support by Human Resources; I work daily with Teresa Manzanares who empowers me to face challenges head on, provides me with solutions and trusts my judgement.
We have heard that women have a strong leadership presence in your facility. Tell us about your team.
- I work with a group of talented, driven, and dedicated women who challenge themselves every day to be better than they were the day before. This mentality is absorbed by all the employees in Eden. There are two women Supervisors and our stellar Operations Coordinator who push everyone around them to be successful. Their most attractive attribute is their resilience; they bounce back from failures, learn from them and persevere toward their goals with little to no hesitation.
What advice would you offer to other women aspiring to advance in their careers, especially in male-dominated industries?
- Having a humble attitude reduces bias, inequities, and builds trust in the workplace and with male colleagues.
Are there any female role models or mentors who have inspired or influenced your career journey?
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There are two women from my previous job that impacted me: my previous CEO Angelika Matczak, MBA. Angelika pushed me to be resilient and adaptable, she conveyed an unobstructed vision of her expectations and demanded excellence in any tasks her employees were performing. She allowed me exposure to all aspects of the business which resulted in me becoming more well-rounded in manufacturing. I collaborated with employees on the production floor, quality, continuous improvement and maintenance.
The second admiral woman who impacted me is Magdalena Domzalska-Pol, Human Resource Executive/Servant Leader. Magda fosters a supportive and inclusive environment and really taught me about active listening—to hear what a person is not verbally saying. She delegated authority and encouraged autonomy, pushing me to take initiative and be confident in my decision-making. When I made a mistake, as we all do at times, her response was still encouraging. Both women were driven to succeed but based their own professional success on the growth of the organization, individuals and community impact.
Lastly, what does International Women's Day mean to you personally?
- Acceptance for what you offer regardless of gender; fostering unity within teams to provide a platform for equal voices and discussions. Having a daughter whose dream is to be an Air Force pilot, I am confident she will be accepted if she is qualified. The world has grown to evaluate the best candidate and the old school silos of prejudgment are diminishing.
We take pride in having these employees as valued members of our team and we are excited about the numerous other women pursuing their ambitions at Թ51. While we celebrate the progress we have made in gender representation thus far, we acknowledge there is more work ahead and look forward to the next milestones. It is our commitment to stand with our female employees and do our best to #inspireinclusion.
Interested in more updates about our International Women’s Day efforts and beyond? Follow us here on our corporate website and on our LinkedIn page for information on the latest initiatives and efforts.
