Subcon, the subcontract manufacturing supply chain show, has revealed figures that show an industry beginning to exhaust its approach to encouraging female engineering talent to either enter, or re-enter UK manufacturing and engineering.
Continental AG is taking steps to increase the number of women in its management structure. A key way of improving the situation is setting the goal of 25 per cent of managers being women by 2015. According to Continental, the voluntarily commitment applies not only in Germany but also across the worldwide company.
The Manufacturing Institute has recognized Kathleen Slocum, senior manager, Corporate Quality for Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, with a Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award for 2019. Slocum is among 130 women nationally who earned the honour this year from a field of hundreds of nominees.
Following the completion of the 2018 motorsport season, Giti Tire says it will feature a record four vehicles participating in the 24 Hours Nürburgring race, including driving the first all-women racing and technician team. The pioneering all-women team is the first of its kind at the 24 Hours Nürburgring race.
In parallel with the International Rubber Study Group’s (IRSG) 75th Anniversary, the association has organised a photo competition to pay tribute to women’s contribution in the rubber industry. The contest is supported by Singapore Committee for UN Women and prizes are sponsored by Namazie International.
In March Quantcast published data suggesting the automotive sector is missing the mark when it comes to communicating with motorists. You might think advertising campaigns focussed on themes such as “road”, “speed” and “fast” come with the territory, but the survey revealed that such clichés are actually shutting out up to half of potential customers. Why? Because such concepts are generally designed to appeal to men, despite growing purchasing power among women. Indeed, UK government data shows that car ownership among women increased 75 per cent in the 20 years up to 2014.
Data from Quantcast suggests the automotive sector is still creating advertising campaigns focussed heavily on concepts that appeal to men, despite rising purchasing power among women.
UK government data shows that car ownership among women increased 75 per cent in the 20 years up to 2014. However Quantcast found that the most engaging themes for female audiences, including ‘togetherness’ and ‘adventure’, appeared in less than one percent of adverts.
The number of female mechanics working in the UK has risen by 125 per cent since 2011, accounting for almost 10 per cent of the current workforce. This statistic was released by online car garage and repair marketplace WhoCanFixMyCar.com, which also announced that it will launch a female mechanic awareness scheme, in partnership with its garages, to celebrate International Women’s Day and encourage more women into the field.
For a long time people have referred to the European tyre market in general and the UK tyre market in particular as mature markets. This kind of maturity is generally taken to mean low growth markets that are already well developed. Here markets are significant in size and 1 to 2 per cent growth per annum is normal.
However, a number of recent market research reports give us the opportunity to reconsider this assumption on two grounds – firstly, with technology developing as it is, quantitative growth should be considered in a wider context; and secondly there is the qualitative question.
Many women drivers are not able to care for their cars properly because they don’t know how to choose a garage or technician they can trust, research released today reveals. In response, IMI, the professional body for the UK motor industry, is launching a campaign, featuring presenter Suzi Perry, to give them the tools they need.
A quarter of women drivers admit to never having their car serviced by a professional mechanic. They only deal with problems when they show up on the MOT. IMI fears that this approach makes them vulnerable as consumers and compromises their safety.
