Women Reshaping Manufacturing: Kim Howe Of Siemens Mobility North America On The Five Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In Manufacturing

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in interest surrounding the manufacturing sector. Historically, this industry has been dominated by male workers, with women constituting only about 30% of the workforce. What is the experience like for women working in such a male-dominated field? What challenges do they face, and how can they contribute to improving the industry? What does it take to establish a highly successful career in manufacturing? Additionally, what exciting advancements and innovations are US companies making in high-tech manufacturing, and what can we expect in the near future? How can the US emerge as a high-tech manufacturing powerhouse? To address these questions, we are talking to women leaders of the manufacturing industry. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kim Howe.

Kim Howe is Logistic Manager for Siemens Mobility North America at their Alpharetta, Georgia facility. There she leads a team of buyers, production planners, warehouse personnel and manufacturing engineers focused on material movement and flow throughout the supply chain. A native of Michigan, Kim was first introduced to manufacturing through internships at GM and Daimler Chrysler before accepting a role in Siemens’ Operations Leadership Development Program. Kim holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started in manufacturing?

As a student, I enjoyed my math and science classes so when I started thinking about college, my high school guidance counselor (who also happened to be my mom) suggested I pursue engineering. I said, “Great!…what is that?”. Her response was, “Let’s find out!”.

That goal led me to attend Purdue University where first year students attend a weekly seminar to learn about the different disciplines of engineering. Each week I would call home certain I wanted to study the engineering discipline that was discussed that particular week. It wasn’t until I learned about Industrial Engineering that I really found the engineering discipline that suited me best. I liked the fact that my classes included studies in multiple engineering disciplines to set me up with a toolbox of information with a focus on constant and continuous improvement.

I first experienced the manufacturing process during internships with General Motors in my hometown of Lansing, MI and Daimler Chrysler in Kokomo, IN. Seeing the transformation of product and understanding the intricate processes involving numerous inputs to see successful (and sometimes unsuccessful) outputs was a challenge I was fascinated by and wanted to continue being a part of.

After college, I was hired into the Siemens Operations Leadership Development Program. In the rotational program, I worked in four different factories in four different roles, received high-quality on the job training, and started building a network that I still use after almost two decades with Siemens. I am now located in the Siemens Mobility factory in Alpharetta, GA.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

A series of events, not necessarily in my plan, has led me to be a part of the transformation that first engaged my passion for manufacturing operations. After one of our daily factory meetings a few years into my role as a Production Planner at Siemens Mobility, I was approached by the Warehouse Manager, Tim Ferguson, who asked me to consider applying for the open Warehouse Supervisor position. With slight hesitation, I went for it, was offered the job, and have spent the last 12 years working in different roles in production and operations.

Tim recognized leadership traits that I did not see in myself at that time, supporting me through a pivotal moment in my career.

I now work in Logistics and am responsible for supply chain, warehouse operations, and operations excellence. Leading the teams that transform the factory’s competencies, layout, equipment, products, and digitalization work is so rewarding. However, it is the relationships built with the people behind all these efforts that is the driver to write more pages in the story.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

I often repeat the saying, “Actions speak louder than words” to ensure I never lose sight of my goals, my values, and my commitment to balance in life. Work ethic has been instilled in me throughout my life with hardworking grandparents and parents. My maternal grandfather was an immigrant and although the English language did not come easy, his actions of working on the assembly line at General Motors to raise six children and see them pursue the American Dream along with a dozen grandchildren, was a clear statement.

I strive to exemplify similar actions by making my husband and children, church, and home life top priority. In the hustle and bustle of life today, it is action that matters. Even if the action is sitting together at the dinner table sharing conversation every night — that stability is motivating for me.

Ok wonderful. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview about High Tech Manufacturing. Can you tell our readers about the most interesting projects you are working on now? How do you think this will help people?

We are building best in class components for passenger rail cars to serve the North American light rail, heavy rail, and metro rail markets. Inside our operation, projects are ongoing to ensure we stay competitive in this market. In alignment with our lean manufacturing journey, we are working on the implementation of automated guided vehicles. This concept is taking off in the distribution world and we are now defining use cases for electrical and mechanical assembly operations, which has been an interesting opportunity.

Working through constraints of budget and strict information security barriers has presented a challenge that we are working through during benchmarking and prototyping phases to understand how we can introduce and scale up this technology in our factory. We can now let the robots do repetitive work and material handling movements. This allows the exceptional human talent we have in our production and materials teams applied to creating more value for our customers and work on the next project that will move our factory forward.

Can you share how you are helping to reshape the manufacturing industry?

When I started my role in Logistics, many colleagues offered their advice on working in Supply Chain based on their experience, which I listened to and continue to apply where I can. And then a pandemic hit and nobody in this world had the experience of working in Supply Chain under those conditions. The Supply Chain game changed, almost minute to minute and our days were filled with traveling through unchartered territory.

Supply Chain has not recovered yet and there is a definite shift in how the topics need to be managed to ensure the manufacturing industry (along with all the other industries effected by a supply chain) can not only survive but thrive. My team has been working on making the inputs needed for decision making in the supply chain world more accessible. Reporting is now digitized, eliminating the labor-intensive processes of data mining, reporting, and forecasting. Data is linked from internal and external sources to a centralized hub that brings it all together. Through machine learning and robotic process automation our production can be planned with the most accurate data available.

In addition to what you are working on, what other exciting advancements and innovations are U.S. companies making in High Tech manufacturing?

Automating the unthinkable by using basic mechanics and programming to customize solutions for the unique applications that U.S. companies are involved in. Condensed warehouse space with 24/7 automation is another exciting advancement that is being made.

These innovations now require different skill sets and problem-solving approaches, which is another sign of great movement forward.

From your vantage point as an insider, what exciting developments will be coming out in the near future?

Accessibility to technologies like tracing of processes, equipment, and data will be a benefit to manufacturers regardless of product, size, and capital investment budget. Another development that I look forward to having more access to is the concept and implementation of robotic assists that support our most valuable asset: our team members.

What are the three things that most excite you about the state of U.S. Manufacturing? Why?

Government, companies, and other organizations have the US back on their radar for a place to manufacture. And they are not the only ones.

Grade schools, tech schools, colleges and universities are committed to teaching students about the manufacturing industry. They are helping to ensure young people are building the strong work ethic that would make them a great fit for the intense, fun, and dynamic career field of manufacturing. We have a great partnership with our local public school district and employ student interns as an opportunity to give them hands on experience in manufacturing. One of my favorite things is to give factory tours to classes or individual students. It gives people, who may have never considered manufacturing as an opportunity, a look into what we do every day and shows them that manufacturing is alive, well and booming!

This leads me to my last point, ingenuity. I receive feedback from students right away offering their insight, for example, on how the robot they just designed in school can help the factory or how the latest tech can improve a process they are observing at that very moment. Now that is exciting!

What are the three things that concern you about U.S. Manufacturing? What would you suggest needs to be done to address those concerns?

1. Advocate for the industry — encourage people looking for a new challenge and young people who may have never been exposed to manufacturing. Tell them to seek these very real opportunities, as there are so many paths that can be pursued in the world of manufacturing.
2. Partner with supply chain — bring suppliers into your operation, talk about challenges, be open to suggestions, partner on improvement projects, have a common goal of achieving the most value for the customer.
3. Design for manufacturing — efforts need to continue to work with designers and engineers to ensure products can be manufactured with the highest level of safety, quality and efficiency.

Based on your opinion or experience, what would it take for the U.S. to become a High Tech Manufacturing powerhouse?

As US manufacturers, we have the challenge to (re)prove that manufacturing works in the US for so many reasons — the top one being the drive we have to go above and beyond in the manufacturing space. We will not necessarily be the cheapest option, but execution is second to none. The rest of the world looks appealing because of cost but the commitment to safety, quality, ethics, clean business, and new ideas should be what all US manufacturers stand on and will result in longevity of manufacturing in America.

As you know, there are not that many women in High Tech Manufacturing. Can you advise what is needed to engage more women in these industries?

Reach out a hand to your right, reach out a hand to your left, and when asked a question about a topic, field of study, or career path, reply with, “Let’s find out!”, just like my situation all those years ago. Hard work does not get accomplished alone. I have a network of strong and committed individuals in my corner. Create that corner for others.

Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In Manufacturing?

Top 5 List:

1. Commit to lifelong learning. Go back to manufacturing basics and roots, study lean methodologies (and more importantly — practice them!)
2. Focus on what matters — analyze the situation and get rid of the distractions. Get to the root cause. Listen to your gut and back it up with facts.
3. Celebrate all the wins. Manufacturing is hard. There are challenges every hour of every day. Take pride in your work and keep perspective.
4. Encourage yourself and others — advocate for and empower those around you.
5. Ensure you have the desire to do what you are doing — it is important to enjoy what you do.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I would encourage colleagues in my field to reach their full potential by overcoming the fear of making mistakes. Set goals, reflect on the situation, and take action. There will be times when things go wrong, mistakes are made, and deadlines are not met. The most effective reaction to foster continued growth is to reflect on both the good and the bad.

Do one thing a day in alignment to your goals; make a plan, make one improvement. This does not have to be an earth-shattering project led improvement, it can be one simple activity that you perform, whether in your professional or personal life. Before long, you will look back and realize you are capable of achieving great things.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-howe-2b09b6a5/

Thank you so much for the time you spent doing this interview. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success.

About The Interviewer: David Leichner is a veteran of the Israeli high-tech industry with significant experience in the areas of cyber and security, enterprise software and communications. At Cybellum, a leading provider of Product Security Lifecycle Management, David is responsible for creating and executing the marketing strategy and managing the global marketing team that forms the foundation for Cybellum’s product and market penetration. Prior to Cybellum, David was CMO at SQream and VP Sales and Marketing at endpoint protection vendor, Cynet. David is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Technology College. He holds a BA in Information Systems Management and an MBA in International Business from the City University of New York.