WiM Press Release: Third Annual Women in Manufacturing SUMMIT a Resounding Success

We were thrilled with the turnout and events at this year's third annual WiM SUMMIT event.  Here's the post-event press release.  You can also read it here.  And you can check out photo highlights of the event on our Facebook page.

Cleveland, OH - More than 200 leading women manufacturing executives, managers and students from across the country gathered in Dearborn, MI, on October 22-23, 2013 for the Women in Manufacturing (WiM) SUMMIT 2013, hosted by the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA).  Designed exclusively for women who have chosen a career in the manufacturing industry, this third annual conference provided a unique opportunity for participants to share perspectives and network with their female peers in the manufacturing sector.

“We were elated by the enthusiasm surrounding our third annual SUMMIT,” said WiM Director Allison Grealis. “The turnout at this year’s event shows that our group is continuing to develop from a small group of PMA members to a strong, powerful network of women from across the manufacturing sector and we were pleased to spend several days with the many women who came out to invest in their professional development and expand their network of industry peers. The atmosphere was electric throughout the event and women left newly energized and inspired.”

SUMMIT attendees were thrilled to see U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, co-chair of the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, who spoke to the group about the importance of the manufacturing sector and engaging more women in the profession.

Other highlights of the SUMMIT were general session keynote presentations from Catalyst, Caterpillar, General Motors, Rasmussen Consulting, Toyota and Wyoming Machine.

Latondra Newton, Toyota’s Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, captured the theme of the SUMMIT when she said, “Women leaders in manufacturing today have the ability to appeal to young women and attract them to manufacturing careers by showing them someone with whom they can identify.”

That theme was supported by Rebecca Madsen, the first president of a collegiate chapter of Women in Manufacturing, who was on hand to share her story and thank SUMMIT attendees for being role models for hard work and success in the manufacturing sector.

The 2013 SUMMIT program was enhanced from years past to offer even more educational sessions and plant tour options.  Nine learning sessions were offered this year on a range of topics from personal career development to company marketing for a manufacturing environment.  And four local manufacturing facilities - Daimler—Detroit Diesel, GM Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Plant, Kars Nuts and Jiffy Mix - opened their doors to SUMMIT attendees for tours.

Finally, this year’s networking dinner included a presentation from Carhartt Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Linda Hubbard, and a silent auction that raised more than $6,000 for women in manufacturing education opportunities.

“We are especially grateful to our SUMMIT sponsors,” continued Grealis.  “Their generous support made the tremendous success of this year’s event possible.  Our sponsors show extraordinary commitment to the advancement of women in the manufacturing sector.”

This year’s sponsors included the Alliance for American Manufacturing, Amazon Fulfillment, APPI Energy, the Association of Women in the Metal Industries, Century Metal Spinning, Epicor, EROWA, Hialeah Metal Spinning, Inc., The Manufacturing Institute, Mid West Fabricating Company, MSSC, Plante Moran, Plex Systems, Sandvik Coromant, Schuler, TRUMPF, UPS, Waukesha^® Metal Products and Zierick Manufacturing Corporation.

Find out more about our sponsors here.

For more information about Women in Manufacturing, visit www.womeninmanufacturing.org, or contact Kristin Davis at 216-901-8800 or kdavis@pma.org.  

About the Precision Metalforming Association:  PMA is the full-service trade association representing the $113-billion metalforming industry of North America—the industry that creates precision metal products using stamping, fabricating, spinning, slide forming and roll forming technologies, and other value-added processes.  Its nearly 900 member companies also include suppliers of equipment, materials and services to the industry.  PMA leads innovative member companies toward superior competitiveness and profitability through advocacy, networking, statistics, the PMA Educational Foundation, FABTECH and METALFORM Mexico tradeshows, and MetalForming and Fabricating Product News magazines.

About Women in Manufacturing: Women in Manufacturing, a sister organization of PMA, is comprised of nearly 400 individual members and focuses on attracting, retaining and advancing women in the manufacturing sector.