Meet the engineering heroes of Sandvik Coromant
This year’s International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) follows the theme of “engineering heroes” – those who dare to challenge, and who form part of the solution to some of the greatest issues impacting our world. As a business invested in its people, leader in metal cutting Sandvik Coromant hears from one of its own female engineers on their experience in the industry.
What began as a local initiative in the UK by the Women's Engineering Society to highlight the role of females in engineering, has grown into an international movement to celebrate women globally. Currently, women make up 18% of Sandvik Coromant’s workforce and 30% of its next-generation managers.
But despite these successes, it’s clear there’s still more work to be done to encourage women into the field. While women have accounted for the majority of university bachelor’s degrees since the 1980s, just 13% of professional engineers are reported to be female. Businesses, educators and wider society need to address this gap from an equality perspective but, at the same time, they cannot ignore the business benefits of diverse teams.
Time to act
“Diverse and inclusive cultures are providing companies with a competitive edge over their peers.” This quote summarizes conclusions from The Wall Street Journal’s first corporate ranking, in January 2020, that examined diversity and inclusion among S&P 500 companies. And yet, in the same year, only 16% of corporate directors surveyed by PwC believed their companies scored “excellent” for recruiting a diverse workforce. Even fewer, 15% felt their companies were excellent in developing diverse talent, and 83% believed that companies should be doing more to promote gender and racial diversity.
It’s clear that businesses across multiple industries have strides to take in order to truly reap the benefits of diverse teams. With those operating in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field facing some of the greatest gender gaps, businesses in the industry must work even harder to conquer gender imbalance.
One way of inspiring young women to consider a career in engineering is to promote the voices of those already in the industry. Sandvik Coromant spoke to one of its female engineers, who has faced their own struggles and successes throughout their career.
Irantzu Sacristán Pérez
Irantzu Sacristán Pérez is a Senior R&D Engineer at Sandvik Coromant, based in Västberga, Sweden. In June 2021, she’ll embark on a new challenge, as Global Technical Support Specialist at Sandvik Coromant in Kista, also in Sweden.
Growing up, Sacristán Pérez had big ideas and even bigger dreams — which drew her towards a career in engineering. “What first attracted me to engineering was the opportunity to make the world a smarter place,“ Sacristán Pérez revealed. “I liked the idea of applying technical knowledge and science, which often seem very uniformed and rigid, to make ‘crazy’ ideas come true.”
It was a university professor who made Sacristán Pérez think seriously about becoming an engineer, whose enthusiasm she attributes to her own passion. “The lessons I experienced during my studies were simply amazing — after each one I just wanted to learn more and more. I believe that educators are key to motivating and generating passion and curiosity among young people, not only at university level but from a young age.”
Evidence has proven the vital role of education in STEM career uptake. According to STEM Women, an organisation working to encourage more women into the field, 60% of female STEM students feel they have had their future career prospects affected by the pandemic. It’s clear that barriers still loom large, and after a year of disruption young women could be facing greater obstacles before their careers even begin.
Sacristán Pérez is transparent about other hurdles she has faced during her career. “I must admit that working as a young woman engineer in the manufacturing and metal cutting world is not easy,” she reveals. “Even though prevalence of female engineers has increased, it’s still rare to see a fellow female in a workshop in many countries. A common feeling is that women have to work harder to prove themselves, which can be draining — especially when you feel outnumbered.”
Despite industry-wide challenges, Sacristán Pérez plays an integral role in Sandvik Coromant’s R&D team. Recently, she has worked to develop industry-leading products such as the GC4415 and GC4425 grades of steel turning, first launched in October 2020. The inserts have proven to deliver a 100% productivity increase with a reduced cycle time of 50% for one customer — a true innovation in the turning of steel.
The facts speak for themselves — the engineering industry must do more to encourage women into the field. Celebrations such as INWED play a key part in showcasing the options available for women, who must not be held back by stereotypes. But, perhaps more importantly, sharing the stories of women engineers who have overcome hurdles and developed true industry innovations is key to forming the next generation of engineering heroes.
Sandvik Coromant
Part of global industrial engineering group Sandvik, Sandvik Coromant is at the forefront of manufacturing tools, machining solutions and knowledge that drive industry standards and innovations demanded by the metalworking industry now and into the next industrial era. Educational support, extensive R&D investment and strong customer partnerships ensure the development of machining technologies that change, lead and drive the future of manufacturing. Sandvik Coromant owns over 3100 patents worldwide, employs over 7,600 staff, and is represented in 150 countries.
Contact details for editorial enquiries
Nikki Stokes – Global PR – Sandvik Coromant
Tel: +44 (0) 121 504 5422
Email: nikki.stokes@sandvik.com
PR agency contacts
Laura England or Courtney Cowperthwaite – Stone Junction Ltd
1 St Mary's Gate, St Mary's Grove, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST16 2AW
Telephone: +44 (0) 1785 225416
e-mail: laura@stonejunction.co.uk or courtney@stonejunction.co.uk
Ref.: SAC379/06/21
