In the Driver’s Seat: Women in Manufacturing

A series on inspiring women at Continental

Sirisha A, Head of Industrial Engineering, Bengaluru Plant, Continental Automotive India, speaks about her role creating impact, setting new benchmarks, transitioning to manufacturing from R&D, and consciously inspiring her colleagues.

My Association with Continental

I have been with Continental for 12 years now. It has been an exciting journey so far, starting from R&D and today heading Industrial Engineering and New Product Launch, a role that I took up about a year ago!

My motivation for taking an offbeat decision to join Manufacturing from R&D

My personal preference in terms of career has always been to gain a bigger picture of the business by gathering the know-how and experiences in multiple functions. By moving to manufacturing, I can understand and relate the complementary sides of the development phase. In my previous R&D role, as a Product Group Head, I had the opportunity to work with multiple discipline teams from acquisitions to design freeze including hardware, software, system, and testing, among others. On similar lines, at the business level, I felt the need to understand manufacturing and its value chain, in addition to the R&D.

Having moved over to manufacturing, I now have a unique viewpoint. Gaining this understanding helps me contribute to the organization with a new perspective on the complete value chain from acquisitions to manufacturing. Besides, this move has supported my career progression within the organization, and I was keen to take up this new challenge.

Manufacturing, R&D, and everything in between

Compared to R&D, manufacturing is distinct in terms of operational perspective. The environment and priorities also vary. While we handle dynamic situations every day in both R&D and manufacturing, the number of unpredictable situations is far more in manufacturing. Consequently, it becomes a necessity for leaders in manufacturing to be on their toes always and have a super quick response time to ensure business and production continuity. Having a rhythmic way of working and process orientation is far more in manufacturing which makes employees subconsciously do things systematically in their personal life as well. While there are differences based on the business needs, one constant is our organizational culture which permeates across our different locations and creates an instant sense of belonging.

Realizing the impact of my work

My work directly contributes to our P&L. I am engulfed with a great sense of joy, satisfaction, and pride when I see various OEMs launching new carlines with the products we manufacture at Continental. I see my current leadership role as a service that is deeply fulfilling — I am grateful to have this opportunity to help employees with different skill levels on the shop floor, and to inspire and motivate them to reach their fullest potential.

The culture at the Bengaluru Plant

The Bengaluru Plant is essentially a smart factory, with state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and production technologies. Being in an Industry 4.0 environment provides our workforce with opportunities to learn and grow, keeping up with our learning culture.

I find the Bengaluru plant more like a small family bonded together with the organizational core values. I have observed that Continental values like “For One Another” are inherently exhibited here at every stage of work. In such a collaborative environment, even when there is a very long day at work because of a new line launch or a critical production delivery, I am filled with passion and a sense of ownership, and end my day feeling content and satisfied. For sure it is a very busy work life at the plant. On the flip side, maintaining the legacy and living the rich culture of the plant ensures every single employee is valued and they feel proud of their contributions towards the organization in their area of work.

Empowering women at the plant

Presently, there is a focus to have more women in manufacturing, which has traditionally been a men-heavy department. Today, women are an integral part of our plant workforce and bring much-needed diversity into perspective.

At Continental, technical growth is supported not just with on-the-job learning, but through coaching, mentoring, and extensive training programs. Leadership programs and structured training such as PIT STOP, a joint program with IIM — Bangalore, support the growth of women in manufacturing very well. Also, there are regular events such as the Learning Series organized by Human Relations (HR) with business leaders, which helps to keep our knowledge updated and relevant.

Maintaining work-life balance

In my opinion, the term ‘work-life balance’ is misinterpreted. When we talk about balance, we intend to differentiate things and allocate time for each aspect of daily life separately and try to detach. As the famous saying goes, “If you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life”. I believe when we choose the right job, we don’t crave balance as it is a natural phenomenon.

Having said that, I also strongly believe that reserving some time in the mornings or weekends and having personal space for self-growth, family, and pursuing hobbies is equally important as this nourishes us and helps us fulfill our duties effectively. From the organizational side, well laid out policies at Continental like maternity and paternity policies, creche facilities, flexible work hours, etc., help in striking a balance. I make it a point to spend my weekends pursuing my hobbies like teaching yoga, hosting CSR events, etc., which helps me to come back to work rejuvenated.

Fostering gender equality and equal opportunities

In my opinion, gender equality should be a default value of every organization and not a specially incorporated attribute. I hope and foresee that this will become a widely accepted norm, as opportunity should be provided to employees irrespective of gender.

At Continental, I have seen over the years that opportunities are provided based on merit. For sure, topics ranging from gender equality and maintaining a healthy work ecosystem are addressed through diversity campaigns and our annual internal survey — a robust appraisal system and 360-degree feedback mechanisms.

My career journey and aspirations

Along my career journey, I have always carried the same aspirations with me — to contribute revolutionary work and to inspire other women. I did not begin with a specific role in mind. In the early years of my managerial career, I used to be the only woman among the group of managers at any given point in time. As I progressed in my career, I stayed curious and adaptable — some of the strengths which helped me transition smoothly into manufacturing. I am keen to defy stereotypes and carry a can-do attitude with pride as well as the humility to keep learning.

My love for the Continental culture and work

It is very difficult to express in words what I like about Continental as there are many reasons which have made me stay for over 12 years here. It is both a deep and a subtle feeling. Continental’s Management and culture encourage every single employee to grow and excel at their own pace and space. This is a true reflection of Continental’s core values. Also, I like the fact that values are lived by every single leader — this gives me a sense of oneness. Working on trending topics such as Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence, etc., helps to keep my motivation levels high, and makes me look forward to each new day.

Returning to work post-lockdown

With several well-thought-out actions which we put in place to ensure employee safety at the workplace, fear and ambiguity were taken care of, and Trust, which is one of our core values, was reinforced. It’s business as usual at the plant now, with globally approved safety precautions, of course.

My advice for fellow women opting for manufacturing

First, to those women who haven’t yet considered the manufacturing domain, take charge of your career development and start exploring opportunities on the manufacturing side.

Second, my advice is simple — Do what you like to do! Choose a career that resonates with your values and interests. I feel this will eventually bring success be it in manufacturing or any other field. Also, I would like to mention the quote by Einstein, “A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.” To achieve such harmony, taking time off for physical and mental fitness is very important, especially in manufacturing as rigorous schedules and dynamic changing situations tend to create stress at work. Besides, I believe women need to ensure not to part with their self-identity particularly in manufacturing.

Finally, as the trends of AI, Machine Learning and several new technologies change very fast over time in this sector, continuous learning to stay relevant with a rapidly changing manufacturing world is a quality that I recommend women to inculcate to be successful in manufacturing.

Sirisha is currently heading the Industrial Engineering & New Product Launch at Continental Automotive India’s Bangalore plant. She joined Continental in 2008 as a technical project leader and later went on to become the Regional Competency Center Head, Access Systems. In her role, she is responsible for developing concepts for manufacturing and product launches, capacity planning, and defining the technology roadmap for the plant. She is also a technical expert for homologation.

With over 16 years of experience in the aerospace and automotive industry, Sirisha has won several awards and recognitions for her work. She was given the Women Achiever Award by Continental, for the year 2016 and 2019.