Women Reshaping Manufacturing: Blake Strickland Of QAD Redzone On The Five Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In Manufacturing

An Interview With David Leichner

Strong ability to work with a diverse group of people. Being able to collaborate with everyone from contractors, operators, mechanics, team leaders, up to the factory manager is essential. Some factories have multiple languages and cultures all under one roof. If you can work well with different groups of people, it will be much easier to be successful.

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 Blake Strickland.

Blake Strickland is a Solutions Director at QAD Redzone where she leads Product Development and the Install Base Solutions Consultants. Blake holds a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and upon graduation immediately entered the manufacturing world, a space familiar to her from several internship experiences. She has worked in manufacturing for over 15 years in a variety of roles including Engineering, Operations, Continuous Improvement and Safety. Blake’s career was focused in Consumer Packaged Goods and Food Manufacturing prior to transitioning to the technology sector with QAD Redzone. In addition to her career in manufacturing and technology, Blake has written two educational children’s books focused on the Periodic Table of Elements.

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?

When I was younger, I was always curious to understand how things worked and were made. My mom told me that when I was 3 years old, I took a hanger and stuck it into an electrical outlet just to see the sparks. When I was a little older, I’d turn my bike upside down and move the pedals to watch the gears and chain rotate. I was always in awe learning how things functioned. This mindset and love for math led me to study engineering in college. Then, when I had my first plant tour for a summer internship, that same feeling came over me. I was set for life! I have a passion for understanding how things work and have held roles in my career that allow me to focus on improving existing processes or creating new ways to work.

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

Every day in a plant is an interesting story, sometimes it can feel like a soap opera! Outside of the plant life drama, the most interesting things I find are what consumers think versus reality. I started my career at General Mills and spent time in a factory that made Trix cereal. As a child I always thought every Trix color was a different flavor. After working in the plant and understanding the cereal making process, childhood Blake was wrong!

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

Maya Angelou said “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I have seen people be cussed out, heard of adults being referenced that they are “like kindergarteners” and have seen people praised, thanked and rewarded. How you treat people leaves a lasting mark.

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?

My favorite project has been helping develop QAD Redzone’s Learning Module from scratch. Our customer base of over 1,000 manufacturing plants uses our software but most of them were struggling with turnover. It continues to get more difficult to attract people to manufacturing and is equally as difficult to retain them. One factory even told me they had 163% employee turnover! We purposefully built the Learning Module to improve the employee experience starting from Day 1. I still manage the Learning Module and continue to improve the product to address customer needs. We have seen an average 48% reduction in turnover in the first 90 days. I really loved being able to see the product start from nothing, and now see it in the hands of so many front-line workers. Our product is unique because we don’t just offer software, we pair it with coaching to support the deployment.

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

I worked in manufacturing as far back to when I was in college and felt I could have an impact in each factory I spent time in. Now I’m given the opportunity to lead product change on an application that hundreds of thousands of people use across the world. Given my perspective of being in their shoes, I’m proud to provide a solution that will meet people where they are to make change for the better. 350,000 frontline workers use our software, and that is just going to continue to climb. It feels incredible to have such a wide reach across the industry on a tool that prides itself on empowering the front-line.

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

The Manufacturing industry, like every other industry, continues to improve automation to streamline their processes. I’ve seen goggles worn to scan orders and people training individuals or troubleshooting equipment using technology like Oculus/Virtual Reality. Plants are 3D printing parts to reduce on inventory. The goal is to move toward a mistake proof system that delivers a more cost effective, higher quality product.

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

It should come to no surprise here, but we continue to advance from a technology perspective. Say goodbye to paperwork and doing things manually as technology continues to drive a competitive advantage for organizations. This is not to say that factories will not require human engagement, but we as an industry are working smarter, not harder. Increased automation, improved robotics and AI are all in our future.

What are the three things that most excite you about the state of US Manufacturing? Why?

I continue to be impressed and excited about the technology advances in manufacturing. 3D Printing, AI, improved robotics are all great additions to the manufacturing space. As I travel, I continue to see innovation used which improves manufacturing but also is a plus for the consumer as well as we get more productive.

I love the diversity in manufacturing. I’ve been to factories that have >20 languages spoken. It feels like manufacturing is truly a melting pot. While not true everywhere, and not always at all levels, it is powerful to have such a diverse group creating/making something together.

I am extremely excited about all the small but growing companies in US Manufacturing. I see a lot of heart in those organizations, and we need that heart and grit to get the best products out to the people. I spent some time recently at a company called LesserEvil and there was just an incredible, positive energy there that you can’t replicate.

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

I’m concerned that given the generation shift, as baby boomers exit the workforce, there will be no one to fill their spots. Companies need to making manufacturing an exciting opportunity for the future generations through incorporating more technology, career growth and opportunity. Companies that don’t get this right will far behind and can impact supply of their products if they don’t have people to make them.

In this environment where manufacturing may not feel like a sexy field to go into, many manufacturers have or are attempting to increase wages. Without increasing productivity, reducing waste, and ensuring we are developing high quality products, this makes it more difficult for the US to compete globally. We need to ensure we are cost competitive in an environment where every dollar matters. I have visited a factory in Mexico where the lowest paid full-time employee earns equivalent to $7 USD per day. Per day. Let that soak in. They don’t need to be that efficient, they can just add manpower and we need to be cost competitive.

In order to remain cost competitive, it is typical for manufacturers to attempt to find cheaper parts/ingredients and at times we sacrifice quality to ensure we hit our bottom line. I think this is a benefit of products made in the US that are typically seen as higher quality but have seen decisions made to make small changes to improve cost that had a negative impact on quality. Once I worked with an organization that did tons of rework to reduce cost and then did a blind customer taste test where they found the generic competitor brand better tasting than the brand name. They clearly made too many small changes there, and it is something we should watch overall as an industry.

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

If we had investment in innovation, infrastructure and government incentives for organizations, we would see a rise in the US and become a High-Tech Manufacturing powerhouse. The US is very powerful in itself, we are absolutely a power player in this space right now and these items would just push us over.

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?

There are several things needed in several stages of life that can impact an increase in women in these industries. The sooner you start, the better! I’ve supported different Women In Engineering summer programs that help introduce Women to Engineering at the age of 12–13. Also, I love that programs exist like Girls Who Code! These are great ways to expose women to the field earlier than once they’ve entered spaces such as college, the military or started their career. Then, once they are there, we need to make space for them at all levels of the organization. I’m often the only woman in the room and try my best to lift up other strong woman, but the fact of the matter is most of these High Tech Manufacturing organizations are run by men, and they should be looking to diversify their leadership team to include different perspectives and backgrounds.

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

1 . Flexibility. Things will change quickly. You may end up working or supporting an off shift or get a phone call at 3am. You may have to learn about the new equipment that will be installed in the plant or may get asked to cover for a role outside of your department. You may take a role in a plant overseas or in a small town. All of these are great learning opportunities to those that are willing to be flexible.

2 . Strong ability to work with a diverse group of people. Being able to collaborate with everyone from contractors, operators, mechanics, team leaders, up to the factory manager is essential. Some factories have multiple languages and cultures all under one roof. If you can work well with different groups of people, it will be much easier to be successful.

3 . The ability to influence others is critical. There are so many cross functional teams and individuals at every level working together. You will need the power of influence to get things completed. I highly recommend the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It is critical for success in many fields and has been vital to my success in Manufacturing.

4 . Continuous Improvement mindset. Change is hard but necessary. There is so much loss in manufacturing. If you are not familiar with TIM WOODS, learn more about the 8 types of waste. Work needs to be done to address these losses and it will directly impact the bottom line. The ability to think differently about improving the current processes in manufacturing is critical.

5 . Problem Solving/Troubleshooting Skills. Equipment will break down, trials will fail, things will happen that “have never happened before” and the best leaders can use their problem-solving skills to move forward. The ability to identify problems, analyze the situation and develop effective solutions is critical to success in this field.

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. :-)

If I could inspire a movement, it would be simple: random acts of kindness. Whether it is a small compliment as you pass someone on the street, giving a meal or some money to someone in need or spending time volunteering at a nursing home, we could all use more kindness in the world.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Follow me on LinkedIn and learn more about QAD Redzone at www.rzsoftware.com

This was very inspiring and informative. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this interview!

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.