For International Women’s Month, we prepared weekly posts on our social media channels about the role of women in the industrial sector. We talked about the past, present, and future. Today, we are going to revisit the posts and summarise our special month.
The Past
To get started, we talked about the past, an important female character from the industrial sector: Margaret E. Knight. Margaret was an American inventor born in 1838 and was one of the first women to receive a patent. Throughout her lifetime Knight patented more than 25 inventions. Even though she had such an impressive number of innovations, the inventor had to fight hard for her patents, and she never earned a significant amount of money for any of her technologies. Despite this, she stood out for her creations and is now known as one of the most famous 19th-century female inventors.
Margaret was a visionary and also a safety at work advocate. While working in a cotton mill, she invented a shuttle restraint system, which prevented steel-tipped shuttle from flying off of the cotton loom. Her invention changed the cotton industry and ensured a safer environment for mill workers. Later on, Margaret worked for a paper bag company, where she noticed that the process could be more efficient. So she invented a machine to automatize the paper bag process creation and democratize this type of bag. Her invention is still the basis for modern paper bag machines. And as we know, paper bags have become an essential alternative to non-environmentally friendly plastic bags.
The Present
We talked about Margaret because she broke the bias at a time when she had all the odds against her just for being a woman. “Break the bias” was this year’s theme for International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate women’s daily achievements – and it is also a day to spotlight the urgent need to keep working on building a world free of prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination. Especially in times of crisis, it is more important than ever to fight for equality.
History has taught us that women and girls are disproportionately affected by conflict and war, which leads to an increase in gender-based violence and stalls the development of equal opportunities. When we look at the current situation in Ukraine, we see that most people forced to flee the country are women and children, and many families are separated at the border. At the same time, women play a crucial role in advocating for collective human rights and fundamental freedoms and are at the front line of the humanitarian response. Sadly, according to the United Nations, no women were involved in the negotiation meetings between Russia and Ukraine, which experts believe would be a key aspect of a peaceful agreement. A UN human rights expert highlighted that “there can be no expectation for any real prospects for de-escalation and search for peace without the participation of women.”
Anca Filip holding the Christof Industries Globe Award
The inclusion of women at every level of government, business, or our daily lives is crucial to create a better, more sustainable and more peaceful world. We need to break the bias and build a sustainable future in a diverse and inclusive world where difference is valued and celebrated. Our company is part of a male-dominant environment, and that’s why we want to bring recognition to the women who are part of our team and who help us every day to break the bias.
Last week, we published an interview with one of our Hidden Champions, Anca Filip. She’s a key team leader within our company and our Head of Legal in our Romanian subsidiary.
When we look at our offices and workshops in China, our team consists of highly qualified men and women with extensive experience. To celebrate the hard work of our female workforce, they took the afternoon off to celebrate Women’s Day. The team went for lunch at a well-renowned restaurant in town, and after, they went for a walk at Plum Mountain, where they could enjoy the most famous plum viewing spot in Nanjing.
Christof Industries’ team in China celebrating International Women’s Day
The Future
Christof Industries is part of the United Nations Women because we believe in gender equality, and we want to help break any type of stereotype or prejudice. Our goal is to create a working environment where any girl or woman is able to develop herself as a professional and achieve her carrier goals. To celebrate International Women’s Month, we want to introduce to you the new generation of Christof Industries. We interviewed four of our trainees, and we want to share with you how we can invest in the next generation to contribute even more to breaking the bias and diversifying the industry.
Wu Lin
Technical Management Trainee
Engineering Department
Team China
CI: What do you want to learn in this trainee programme?
WL: As a new team member, my goal is to become a qualified engineer. I want to put into practice the theory that I’ve learned at university. This way, I can learn how to deal with any professional obstacles in real life.
CI: Why did you choose this profession?
WL: Since I was little, I have preferred science to humanities. Writing compositions always scared me. I was always more comfortable studying Maths, Physics or Chemistry. When choosing my major, I chose thermal energy and power engineering without hesitation.
CI: What excites you the most about being a trainee in Oschatz China?
WL: In Oschatz China, the most exciting thing is that I have met many talented people. They are kind, friendly and open. They have taught me many skills about this industry, which encourages me to keep on developing myself. The atmosphere is so light and open; it’s wonderful!
CI: How can you help create a better/greener future (for the industry)?
WL: With more and more attention turning into energy conservation and emission reduction, the Chinese government continuously promotes policies to seek green energy development. Oschatz has the know-how. My focus is to master these technical skills to help Oschatz take these chances so that our company and the energy industry become better and better.
Nicoleta-Marcela Negut
Procurement Intern
Procurement Department
Team Romania
CI: What do you want to learn in this trainee programme?
NMN: I would like to learn how to apply all the knowledge I have acquired so far in the field of Manpower / Recruitment / Procurement.
CI: Why did you choose this profession?
NMN: This opportunity is really exciting for me as I will be able to really practice what I’ve studied. I see the role as a way of developing my career in a forward-thinking company.
CI: What excites you the most about being a trainee in Christof Industries?
NMN: Internships are a great way to connect classroom knowledge to real-world experience. Learning is one thing, but taking those skills into the workforce and applying them is a great way to explore different career paths and specializations that suit my interests. I love my team and the whole working environment.
CI: How can you help create a better/greener future (for the industry)?
NMN: One of my objectives would be to continue my professional development so that I can work together with my team to accelerate the implementation of renewable energy.
Xu Hui
Technical Management Trainee
Engineering Department
Team China
CI: What do you want to learn in this trainee programme?
XH: I want to learn more about the company’s system and operations during the programme, which will pave the way for me to become a full-time employee. The programme is also a great way for me to apply the knowledge learned at university to real projects and put the theory learned in university into practical work.
CI: Why did you choose this profession?
XH: I spent a lot of time thinking about the possibility of various careers. I believe this kind of work is more suitable for me. I am a serious and organized person, and I am good at identifying and solving problems.
CI: What excites you the most about being a trainee in Oschatz China?
XH: I’m learning a lot from my colleagues who are highly qualified and have a lot of experience. That’s a great way for me to learn and develop my skills. Our team in China is very open, my colleagues are very friendly, and the working atmosphere is very pleasant, which makes me happy to be a trainee at Oschatz.
CI: How can you help create a better/greener future (for the industry)?
XH: I believe that my professional background and working skills can contribute to the company’s performance and development. When I came to this company for an interview, I saw the company’s innovations, and I want to contribute and help develop these technologies to make the world a better place.
Chiara Slunjski
Metal Egineering Apprentice
Workshop in Werndorf
Team Austria
CI: What do you want to learn in this apprenticeship programme?
CS: I’m excited to learn how to operate machines and everything about the proper use of tools. Currently, I’m learning to file correctly, and I like it very much.
CI: Why did you choose this profession?
CS: I’m very interested in technology in general. And I must add that the good career prospects as a woman in a technical field at Christof Industries and the social benefits were also a reason for me to join the programme.
CI: What excites you the most about being an apprentice in Christof Industries?
CS: For me, our company and the apprenticeship programme have lots of interesting tasks such as welding, assembling machines, turning, and milling, and I also like the administrative work. In my opinion, we have a lot of people here, who are experts in their field, and I appreciate the possibility of working together with them and learning from them.
CI: How can you help create a better/greener future (for the industry)?
CS: I get to work by public transport, and I always try to reuse materials. I also avoid wrapping my lunch in aluminum foil, and I separate waste at work as well as at home.
