WASHINGTON, April 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Three Toyota team
members were honored last night in Washington, D.C. with Women in Manufacturing
STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Awards
from The Manufacturing Institute.
The STEP Ahead Awards honor women who have demonstrated
excellence and leadership in their careers. Award winners represent
all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory floor to
executive leadership. Toyota's award winners come from multiple
operations across North
America.
- Renee Robertson, General Manager
Production Control, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky
- Shamaya Morris, Production
Engineering Specialist, Toyota Motor Manufacturing West
Virginia
- Marie Kendrick, Powertrain
Engineer, Toyota's Bodine Aluminum, Troy,
Mo. (Posthumous)
"The women who we are celebrating represent the exciting career
opportunities available in manufacturing," said Michelle Kumbier, 2019 chair of STEP Ahead and
chief operating officer at Harley-Davidson Motor Company. "The STEP
Ahead Award honors successful women in this industry for their
significant achievements and the positive impact they have made on
their companies, their communities and the industry as a
whole."
Women totaled 47 percent of the U.S. labor force in 2016, but
only 29 percent of the manufacturing workforce – constituting one
of manufacturing's largest pools of untapped talent.
"We are thrilled to see our amazing team members recognized for
the excellent work they are doing at Toyota," said Leah Curry, president of Toyota Motor
Manufacturing West Virginia and a 2013 STEP Ahead Award winner. "At
this time, when our industry sees a significant lack of women
entering manufacturing careers, it is critical that we continue to
encourage, empower and elevate today's female leaders to inspire
future generations. That is a mission that we take very seriously
at Toyota."
The STEP Ahead Awards are part of the larger STEP Ahead
initiative, launched to examine and promote the role of women in
the manufacturing industry through recognition, research and
leadership.
Fifteen Toyota team members have previously received this
prestigious award.
For more information on women in manufacturing at Toyota,
please click here.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the
U.S. and North America for more
than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable,
next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus
brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous
value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design,
engineering, and assembly of more than 38 million cars and trucks
in North America, where we operate
14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more
than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North
American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold 2.8 million
cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2018 – and about 87
percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 16 years are
still on the road today.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota,
visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Press Contact:
Rick Hesterberg
502-868-2135
rick.hesterberg@toyota.com
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America