For International Women in Engineering Day, Interplas Insights explores the evolution of the workforce at Rutland Plastics, a moulder based in Oakham, in the midlands.
Rutland Plastics first started out injection moulding in back in 1956. The company has grown significantly over the years, however, it is still a family business and still based in Oakham in Rutland. However, the workforce profile is one thing that has changed.
As with many manufacturing businesses, historically the majority of the workforce was male, with a handful of women either working in administration or as machine operators. This has changed, says the firm. In the past ten years there has been a significant change in the workforce with women now making up a quarter of the team.
Women are now in key positions throughout the company, occupying key roles including: strategic buyer, production planner, quality manager, shift supervisors and marketing manager. Last year the company hosted a female product design student from Loughborough University.
Caroline Johnston, granddaughter of one of the founders of the company, and now marketing manager, said: ‘’As a child in the 1980s I remember walking around the old factory with its smell of oil and grease and Pirelli calendars on the walls feeling that this was not a work place for me. Fast forward 40 years and everything has changed. The calendars have long gone, the factory is cleaner and opportunities exist regardless of gender. There are still areas of the industry where women remain significantly underrepresented, notably within toolmaking, however, I think that this may be due to a lack of interest in this career area in general and less to do with barriers due to gender.’’
Leanne Howard, strategic buyer, explained her experience working in manufacturing: “[It has been] mostly good, but unfortunately there are still a few challenges faced being a woman within the manufacturing environment - mainly 'old school' people who don't always respect your position in the industry - however this is slowly changing as time moves on.
Aggi Warner, quality manager, added: ‘’Starting my career it wasn't a surprise that there were very few female faces among the sea of men in all roles/levels of industry. As the years have ticked past I have gradually seen a steady trickle of women pursuing an active career in manufacturing. In my current position as quality manager, it is still a predominantly male world, but I have never had any negative experiences related to my gender (it doesn't even register that I may be the only female presence within higher level meetings). I am encouraged that in future years there will be a more equal female representation within the industry at all levels.
For Jane Stevenson, customer services administrator, who has worked in the plastics industry for over 30 years, there have been huge changes for women in the workplace. She recalls that in the late eighties, female employees in the sectors were ‘pushing a tea trolley or working in a packing department’, now, she says that females now work alongside male colleagues in most departments at Rutland Plastics.
Lucy Kapetanovic, production planner is newer to the industry, but said: ‘’I have only been in the plastics industry for two years and I have not experienced any issues and I don’t perceive my gender to be a barrier to a successful career’.
Rutland Plastics told us it is firmly committed to diversity and equality in the workplace, and is fully supportive of initiatives like Women in Plastics that encourage a more diverse workforce in the industry.