On 23rd June, it’s The International Women in Engineering Day. The event celebrates the work that women around the world are doing to support lives and livelihoods in engineering. Equipment repair and supply company, Rotamec, is one of the engineering organisations recognising and encouraging the role that women play.
#INWED22: Women celebrated for engineering roles
Promoted by The Women’s Engineering Society, which champions the role of women alongside men in engineering, The International Women in Engineering Day 2022 (#INWED22) on Thursday 23 June is the opportunity to recognise the role that women play. Supported by organisations from The Royal Academy of Engineering to McLaren Racing, Rotamec is also invested. Equality of opportunity and its female workforce together play a key role delivering the company’s 24/7 service in the repair and supply of motors, gearboxes, and industrial equipment.
“The International Women in Engineering Day is a celebration of the contribution of women, but for companies like Rotamec, it represents the values of equality that support opportunities for women across engineering,” says Harriot Cullen, Marketing Manager, Rotamec.
Since its inception in 2000, Rotamec has been a supporter of women in roles across the company, and today includes an increasing number of female employees.
“Fully committed to diversity, Rotamec is actively encouraging women to work in engineering roles, as well as business operations, alongside men,” says Louisa Tuck, Human Resources at Rotamec. “This starts with engagement with schools and colleges, for example we’re about to recruit a female apprentice in a hands-on engineering role in the repair of motors and associated equipment.”
The message from Rotamec’s leadership is to actively encourage women to follow their ambitions in the sector.
“Rotamec has always been ahead of its time with diversity & equality, actively encouraging & supporting females in both workshop & operational roles, right from the get-go with our renowned apprenticeship schemes.” says Claire Pearson, Financial Director, Rotamec.
Encouraging women in engineering
Today, Claire has a leadership role on Rotamec’s board of directors and her experience is a motivational example of progression.
“I began my career 28 years ago in the workshop rewinding stators, progressing on to customer fronting sales alongside telesales, and in 2000 I started the journey for my passion in finance for Rotamec Ltd,” explains Claire. “This practical experience has given me an excellent knowledge and understanding of engineering, assisting me to make accurate financial decisions for the company today. Rotamec has provided superb support and training in my chosen progression within the company. This thread is the ethos that runs through every department within the company.”
Support from Rotamec includes funding for formal qualifications and training. For example, Louisa Tuck is currently studying CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development) Level 5 in People Management, and Harriot Cullen is being supported through CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) Level 6 Diploma in Professional Digital Marketing.
Like any engineering discipline, a lot of learning and training takes place in the working environment itself. Cohesion and mutual support at Rotamec have been key to ensuring equality as well as effective teamwork, especially within a traditionally male-dominated area.
“They’re a really supportive and informative team,” says Fiona Brooks, Site Service Coordinator, talking about Rotamec’s on-site engineers. Fiona’s role is to support the team by organising the repair schedule, site visits, and procurement of the vital parts the team needs to quickly carry out repairs.
“From the guidance of Site Services team leaders, through to the support of the engineers, I’ve been able to take on a lot of practical development in the role,” says Fiona. “With such variation in industrial applications, it’s an ongoing learning process. The engineering team continues to help me develop, and likewise, they also rely on my support to get to the customer on time with the right parts.”
Engineering expertise
At Rotamec, women also take on leading engineering roles, ensuring that service levels are maintained across the company’s 24/7 response. Fiona James, with over 20 years’ industry experience including the MRO environment, has recently been appointed to run the company’s Pontypool branch, covering industrial repair and projects across South Wales.
“My remit is to ensure that the service requirement is met, and that repairs are made on time to get the customer back up and running as quickly as possible,” says Fiona, who’s responsible for the branch’s engineering team and workshop. “My role is indicative that Rotamec recruits people on merit. At the Pontypool branch, we hire based on suitability of the individual, and this applies across Rotamec.”
Wendy Davies has a workshop sales administrator and buyer role, providing support to the workshop manager and team.
“Prior to joining Rotamec, I was a buyer within Rolls-Royce,” says Wendy. “This experience was crucial in enabling me to take on the demands of my role today, supporting the customers with the equipment and parts they need.”
Workplace equality and flexible conditions
Equality at Rotamec for men as well as women also extends across flexible working conditions.
“Our business is 24/7,” explains HR’s Louisa Tuck. “Customers need round the clock care, but our employees also have dependents and other responsibilities. We look to provide flexible working whenever possible, and this covers all Rotamec employees.”
Although the engineering sector continues to have a higher proportion of men, Rotamec’s progressive outlook underpins the value that women bring to the company and its customers.
“Here, we all treat one another as individuals, recognising the skills and experience that each person brings,” says Claire Pearson. “The industry has changed much in this respect over recent years, and companies like Rotamec are spearheading the inclusion of women in engineering.”
To find out more about the roles currently available at Rotamec, visit https://rotamec.com/careers-at-rotamec/
