Joanna Barros, director of strategic planning at Cozzoli Machine Company, Somerset, N.J., continues the legacy of the company founded in 1919 by her great grandfather and now operated by her mother, president Joan Cozzoli Rooney, by participating in the PMMI Emerging Leaders network and recruiting young and diverse talent to work for the company.
PP-OEM: What trends are you seeing in the industry?
Like every industry, we encounter new challenges every day. Of course we’re faced with perennial problems, like global competition, market saturation, balancing or navigating the pros and cons of a relatively strong or weak dollar or even technological advances; for example, the rise in robotics, 3D printing, and remote access all provide exciting new possibilities but also require adaptation. We face an equally great challenge in attracting women and youth. But there are also many positive trends in manufacturing, particularly in the U.S. Even in countries where wages were low, they’re now rising, and in many of those same countries companies are willing to pay for higher quality machinery and products. In recent times we’ve been concerned with jobs going oversees and with global competition stemming from the intrusion of cheaper products and copycats in the market; nevertheless we’ll begin to see manufacturing jobs coming back to the U.S., both because we can afford to pay competitive wages and because we can offer a more highly valued, high quality product that end-users are willing to pay for.
PP-OEM: is there an age and gender gap in manufacturing?
Yes. Though I’d love to see more women in the industry, the relative lack of them actually inspires me all the more to effect change, to attract more women to this industry, and to become a positive role model for other emerging women in the field. The lack of millennials is also a big issue, and I think it’s tied to the lack of women. Millennials tend to be a progressive group, and they want to be in a diverse industry that respects all groups, including women. One of the biggest and most unique challenges of this era will be the ability to attract certain demographics, like women, millennials, and specifically young engineers. There’s this idea, particularly across the younger generations, that manufacturing is unexciting or unsophisticated. We need to dismantle this perception of our industry and repackage it as something truly essential, complex, and representative of humanity’s ability to progress or evolve.
PP-OEM: How does Cozzoli recruit young and diverse talent?
We have programs set up with Rutgers University and a couple of other schools. Internships are the main way that we recruit young people. We also have a referral program for employees. Once people are already settled in a job, it’s harder to get them to leave. It’s a competitive market. If you recruit employees right out of college, it’s a little bit easier.
PP-OEM: What should current leaders know about managing millennials and the next generation of leaders?
One of the things that excites me most about this new generation is how curious they are, how they take nothing for granted, and how they’re always aspiring for change, progress and continual improvement. As an industry, we have to adapt to that. They’re not defiant, but they’re not going to automatically respect authority. Ultimately that’s a positive because it means that they question things. We have a lot of training and work teams at our company, and it’s great because millennials are eager to move up and feel empowered. Cross-departmental work teams are also really great for engaging millennials.
PP-OEM: What advice would you give industry newcomers?
I would encourage them to keep this fire going, and specifically their passion for teamwork and progress. However, with great curiosity and drive comes great impatience. Young people are so eager for change that they sometimes put the cart before the horse. There’s value in innovation, but sometimes there’s also value in tradition. The challenge is, when and how to appreciate, negotiate and utilize both. In this way, I think the younger and older generations have a lot to learn from one another.
PP-OEM: What is your experience with the PMMI Emerging Leaders Group?
The group is interesting on a variety of levels, because we’re getting to meet other people in the industry so it’s great for networking purposes. We’re learning more about the challenges that other emerging individuals have. We’re all in the position of bridging the gap between older and younger generations.
Find the PMMI Emerging Leaders Group on LinkedIn or visit: www.pmmi.org/ELN
