Rashmi Gururajrao took a call to explore her scope in the manufacturing industry leaving the security of her stable job after 17 years. But in doing so, she not only made her mark but also found opportunities for other women the industry can offer.
Switching a career is always tough. Even if a person has a clear road ahead, it's scary to leave behind a well-paying stable job and go chasing dreams. When Rashmi Gururajrao decided to leave working in the financial planning side of the industry and step into manufacturing after more than 17 long years, she too had her doubts.
Being a cost accountant by education and having established experience in the same field, manufacturing was an arena she was not familiar with. It was outside her comfort zone, she would have to work on greasy shop floors dominated by male employees. Even though such inhibitions were trying to pull her back, the urge to make her mark overtook her fear and she set out. While taking such crucial decisions in professional life, she had the immense support of her mother in her personal life.
Experiences Galore
Interestingly, Rashmi started her career as a career counsellor. After that, it was an array of career changes for her. She worked as a financial assistant for fixed assets at Hewlett-Packard Financial Services for a year and as a Senior Process Associate at iGATE Global Solutions the year after, followed by a year in Tesco as an Accounts executive.
Rashmi has also worked with big names such as IBM as a Subject Matter Expert -project management and transition. Later, she joined Accenture as a Senior software engineer and was promoted to Associate Manager by the time 12 years she worked there. Even though the job was successful and high paying, Rashmi wanted a change of phase. In a quest to do something different was when she stumbled upon Manleo Designs.
During her initial research, she realized that Manleo Designs had a big niche market and there were hardly any competitors for them in India. The company was founded by Mr. Raghavendra Bhat, who realized that as India was moving towards automation, high accuracy machining requirements such as measuring tools and particularly sophisticated probes were also increasing. But there were no manufacturers of the same in India.
His vision was to create products that are affordable and rigid enough to last in Indian operating conditions without compromising the accuracy offered by imported probes. Manleo is still following these values even as of today. Their vision is to replace the crude and conventional methods where there is a high level of human error and human dependence on technology that is reliable and affordable.
Rashmi Gururajrao was also constantly hearing about stigmas and myths surrounding women being ill-treated in the manufacturing industry. She did go prepared. But contrary to that, she felt more safe and respected in the industry than in her previous workstation which was in the IT department.
As manufacturing is an intricate process that needs most precision, she had to learn from the basics such as what a CNC machine is! She states, “My journey in this industry to date has been a phenomenal learning experience and has given her impeccable exposure by providing an opportunity to meet up with more than 3000 customers in the past two years.”
Mentorship and acceptance from the chief designer of the firm Mr. Abhijith Bhat have also played a key role in boosting her confidence. She is proud to say that she can now understand the pulse of the customer's needs. “In my experience, contradictory to popular opinion, I have noticed customers valuing the skill set of a person irrespective of their gender,” she says.
Entrepreneurship Journey
Rashmi is doing great with Manleo but still, her entrepreneurial spirit is telling her to push her limits. She is the director of Abhiwins Pvt Ltd which she started in May 2021. It is her own Tech Startup that focuses on the production of Probes and Tool setters for CNC Machines with an idea to move into Robotics and Automation in the Future. While the Startup is going really good Rashmi remembers how her father used to planting the idea in her young mind to do something on her own rather than being an employee for the rest of her life like him. These inspiring words have been something that always made her take the extra step.
In Manleo, they are eager to accommodate more women to their team and are looking forward to the same. Manleo's official app was built by a team of all-women engineering students. They have also implemented a period leave programme, which is the first of its kind in the manufacturing industry. “During that time, female employees are allowed to have lesser working hours, or they can opt to work from home, or even take the whole day off for two days. The company also takes extra care of the sanitation and hygiene of female employees when they are out in the field. Such simple and basic actions can make a huge difference,” Rashmi says.
The opportunities, exposure, a shot at exploring and being part of exhibitions around the globe, and many more perks are offered by the manufacturing industry; even though it is not glamorized. She also opines that industrial leaders should take initiative in clearing the air by conducting conventions and circulating this during college placements so that manufacturing can be a first choice rather than being the last resort.
Advocating women participation in Manufacturing
Rashmi is a strong advocate of spreading the positive aspects of the industry for women. “There are a lot of success stories in the industry that are not projected or marketed that much compared to other industries such as IT. But this needs to be voiced to overpower the negative stories that are spreading fast and effortlessly,” she says adding “if only we showcase the bright side of the manufacturing industry and its perks, then only will it be more acceptable, especially by the female crowd.
“When it comes to Government policies for uplifting women entrepreneurs, they are mostly concentrated on areas such as handicrafts, agriculture, food, and fashion industry or jobs that are considered more feminine.” Rashmi feels that this should change and an equal level of weightage should be given to budding female entrepreneurs who are willing to enter the manufacturing arena. “Such bias is the only source in which the word “gender equality” is thriving.
When a woman is talking about gender equality in the field, she is not asking for any kind of special treatment or concession to be handed out on a silver platter. All she wants is to ensure zero biasing when it comes to appraisal, promotion, and other considerations,” she exhorts.In Rashmi Gururajrao, one could see a strong and resolute woman with remarkable ideas. The confidence in her words echoed throughout is likely to resonate through more young passionate minds like her.