AGCO, Your Agriculture Company (NYSE: AGCO), a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment, announced that Nina Pathy, AGCO Director, Global Parts Data and Parts Books and Tammie Nelson, AGCO Welding Technician, CWS, were recognized by The Manufacturing Institute, Deloitte, University of Phoenix and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers with a Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Award for their excellence and leadership in manufacturing. Pathy and Nelson join 120 other women honorees, representing all levels of manufacturing from the factory floor to the C Suite.
“We are very pleased that Nina and Tammie’s contributions to AGCO were recognized by this important new initiative,” said Lucinda Smith, AGCO senior vice president Human Resources. “The STEP program supports the same core values as our AGCO Global Women’s Network (AGWN). AGWN is a business advisory group within AGCO set to develop, promote and advocate women as leaders and growers of profitability, collaboration and a diverse culture across AGCO. These two women are shining examples of what we are setting out to promote.”
“These 122 women are the faces of exciting careers in manufacturing,” said Jennifer McNelly, president, The Manufacturing Institute. “We chose to honor these women because they each made significant achievements in manufacturing through positive impact on their company and the industry as a whole.”
The STEP Awards are part of the larger STEP Ahead initiative launched by The Manufacturing Institute, Deloitte, University of Phoenix, and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research and best practices for attracting, advancing and retaining strong female talent.
“The STEP Ahead initiative was founded to change perceptions of the manufacturing industry and create new opportunities for women in the sector,” said Latondra Newton, group vice president at Toyota Motor North America Inc. and chairwoman of the STEP Ahead initiative. “This initiative is the call for action to transform the face of today's manufacturing talent and ensure that women can contribute to the future of this industry.”
A 2011 survey from Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute found that nearly 70% of American manufacturing companies have a moderate to severe shortage of available, qualified workers. Manufacturing companies cannot fill as many as 600,000 skilled positions, even as unemployment numbers hover at historically high levels. Additionally, labor statistics show that women are underrepresented in the manufacturing workforce and in manufacturing leadership ranks — a situation that must be reversed to preserve and grow the industry.
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