Establishing gender neutrality in work and the workplace is the first step towards women empowerment, according to Nidhi Chopda. The Director of Exports at KTA Spindle Toolings, Nidhi makes sure that her belief becomes action in her company, facilitating entry and growth for many other women in the field of manufacturing.
When Sudha Murthy said, “Vision without action is merely a dream; action without vision is merely passing time. But vision and action together can change the world!” a small girl was scribbling those words to her heart. She is now the Director of Exports of KTA Spindle Toolings, Mrs. Nidhi Chopda. Nidhi grew up in a family engaged in manufacturing and so developing an affinity with the field came as default. Mr. Vijay Chopda and Mr. Vipul Chopda are the blood and brain behind KTA Spindle Toolings which is into the production of Tapping Chucks, Tap Adaptors and Tool Holders.
Today, KTA Spindle Toolings has admirable state of art manufacturing plant having 70,000 sq.ft of area with built up 60,000 sq.ft. which includes Mfg plant, Sales & Admin building and a separate ware house which has storage capacity of 50,000 holders and accessories. technology 150+ nos CNC machines which includes market leaders in grinding i.e Studer, Schaudt, Voumard and for machining operations AMS, Mori Seiki, Makino
Growing Interest in Manufacturing
Nidhi joined the firm in 2004 as a software engineer. She started her journey as part of helping her husband in the software team as he was a Mechanical Engineering graduate and she did Computer Science. “Initially, I developed software for the company’s Daily order processing . But gradually I developed an interest in the technical aspects of manufacturing as well. Other than this, I became an integral part of KTA management, specifically looking into exports” she says.
Support from Her Family
Coming from a closed-loop Marwadi tradition which wasn't very accepting of working women, let alone women in such a male-dominated industry, she considered her work as a huge accomplishment. “I sincerely want to give credits for my success to my parents, my husband and my in-laws. I am blessed to have such a support system that most women don't get to experience,” she says.
Her father, coming from the sports goods manufacturing industry, used to push her to do better. He wanted her to explore the infinite possibilities of the outside world, rather than being caged inside four corners of a house! She grew up watching her mother visiting the factory and going to her office regularly. This imposed a positive impact on her. “If the woman of the family shows that even she is independent and career-oriented, this resonates deeply with the younger generation. And that is the first and best step of career guidance anyone could get,” she opines.
Work-Family Balance
Nidhi is privileged to always have her say in the company. Her husband and father always make sure that her opinions and suggestions are equally treated like any other. As her family was always there for her, she felt like she had to be there for them. Choosing management, especially in the export department was a calculated move from her side. She felt like exports is something where she can balance both family and career as one doesn't have to be present on the floor 24/7. Also exporting gave her a chance to taste the pride in dispatching products to the foreign market.
Gender Neutral Workplace
Even though KTA management is in the mechanical sector, they have over 30-35% female staff even on the machine floor operating heavy machines. “We try to keep a gender-neutral environment all the time. Just in case somebody is facing any sort of difficulty, the management is very responsive and immediately takes suitable actions. The fact that KTA Toolings still retains the employees that they had from the beginning of the firm speaks for our focus on gender neutrality as an equal opportunity provider,” Nidhi comments.
“At times, female employees have to work late, they are dropped off at their home safely and I personally ensure this. The safety and wellbeing of my fellow workers are always my priority and responsibility,” she mentions. Even in the grinding section, the company has female supervisors and also supervisors who are led by women. Other than that KTA management also has a handful of women employees in the dispatching and packing section which are heavy-weight jobs as well.
She is proud to say that they don't discriminate against a person based on gender but rather filter them according to their skill set. She also believes that once a female employee is assigned to a task it is certain that she will perform it in a very disciplined and dedicated way as women are naturally driven to fulfil any sort of responsibility bestowed upon them. This is exactly why female participation in the manufacturing industry should be promoted and supported.
Nidhi feels that everybody should have a shot at the career they want, rather than being bound by society's norms. “The more women are recruited into the manufacturing industry, the better it would help to change at least their family's approach and mentality towards the field and this will have a positive ripple effect,” she sums up.
