Sandvik Coromant Leaders Honored by Women in Manufacturing Award

The Manufacturing Institute (Washington, DC) awarded three Sandvik Coromant employees a Women in Manufacturing STEP Ahead award. STEP Ahead honors women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers, representing all levels in the manufacturing industry. This year’s honorees include Sandvik Coromant’s Veronica Messersmith, vice president of sales; Tara Shamus, service engineer; and, in the new Emerging Leader category, Faina Sandler, global web specialist.

According to the award sponsor, women currently represent 25 percent of all manufacturing employees but 51 percent of the potential workforce. A recent study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute found that 80 percent of U.S. manufacturing companies report a moderate to severe shortage of qualified applicants for skilled and highly skilled production positions.

“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,” says Jennifer McNelly, president of The Manufacturing Institute. The STEP Awards are part of a larger STEP Ahead initiative, launched to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry that focuses on the attraction, development, advancement, and retention of high potential female talent.

STEP stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Production, and STEP Ahead is designed to help improve the retention of existing female talent and highlight role models that can help raise awareness about careers for women in manufacturing.

The Manufacturing Institute, visit themanufacturinginstitute.org.