WOMEN ENGINEERS IN NOVAMETA

Three stories of engineers – three women – who have turned their lives and developed their careers in their favorite field of production.

From people to products

You are welcome to meet three specialists of Novameta, manufacturer of non-standard stainless steel equipment for professional kitchens, based in Kaunas. These women have become an inspiration for many who want to employ their talents in engineering, writes LINPRA.

The first of them is Reda Šakurskienė, Marketing Director of Novameta, who has been working for the company for almost a decade. Reda jokes that as a child she dreamed of becoming a dentist, but fate took her completely elsewhere.

“As a child, inspired by toothpaste advertising, I decided to be a dentist. However, during my first visit to a “future colleague”, I fainted in fear and realized that I needed a new plan. So I decided that when I grew up I wanted to repair not people, but machines and tractors.

Because I really enjoyed STEM and foreign languages ​​at school, being at the eighth grade I decided to study mechanical engineering in English and thus combine both interests,” says Reda.

While studying at the university, Reda had many interesting and engaging activities as well as the opportunity to deepen her knowledge in Sweden for half a year. Eventually it became a period during which Reda fell in love with Kaunas and decided that she wanted to work and live right here.

“After the third year of studies, I started working as a designer at Novameta. After a while, I moved to the sales department, where not only my technical knowledge of a foreign language, but also my engineering experience was useful in communicating with customers.

At the same time, I continued my studies in the Master’s program in Manufacturing Engineering. And today I head the marketing department, where together with the team we analyze the markets, take care of advertising and communication of new products.

And although the responsibilities in the company have changed several times over the years, engineering knowledge is useful everywhere when working in a manufacturing company – it helps to understand both the product and the company’s processes,” she says.

Never doubted about the choice

According to Reda, she never doubted or hesitated about her career choice, and time in the beloved realm just flies by.

“I am sure that whatever your field, the most important thing is to work in your favorite job. When we engage in an activity that is interesting to us, we are curious, motivated, pay more attention to it, and the time spent on tasks simply disappears. And that often leads us to a good result.

Today, in my daily work, I am motivated by constant change, new projects, new technologies, equipment. Also the ability to create products or solutions, continuous improvement and refinement.

And while working in production, we also have the joy of touching what we dedicate our time and ideas to – we can see how products are born and meet them on the kitchens of the world’s best restaurants, bars, hotels,” Director of Marketing of Novameta reveals her approach.

In her childhood, engineering attracted another Novameta specialist, the head of the design department Edita Puodžiūnaitė.

“Both of my parents have studied radio engineering, so I grew up surrounded by engineers. I also had to work with my father. This is probably how my desire to become an engineer took shape.

Of course, in school I did well in science. I have always loved and love to find solutions in simple things: if something breaks – to fix it, to improve something. Always wanted to create something.

Finally, after choosing the field of engineering at the university, I realized that I am really where I have to and want to be,” Edita presents the beginning of her career.

According to Edita, the engineering path is definitely not the easiest, there are many challenges ahead, but it is worth choosing if you have the fire and the determination to improve.

“Looking at the field of engineering, we will always see that it requires precision and at the same time volatile imagination. As everyday work requires to look for new ideas, solutions to meet the customer’s individual needs – it also requires engineering thinking that allows to consider all the details of the product – from what, how, why and for whom the product is made and how it can be improved.

The most important thing is to be willing to continue learning as long as working in the field. Designers and engineers are constantly looking for new opportunities when creating new products, and must surpass themselves every day, learn something new and become even better professionals.

When it comes to personal challenges, I would say that after graduation you have to change your thinking and realize that you still don’t know everything, even though you imagine you have learned a lot. So it was necessary to understand that the studies have not really been finished yet and I still have a lot to learn. I had to dig deep into the processes, product design, manufacturing and its capabilities.

After becoming the head of the design team, new challenges awaited: taking risks, making decisions, understanding people and their problems, finding a way to approach and help them, transfering them my knowledge,” Edita recalls the challenges overcome.

Motivated by the opportunity to realize ideas and grow

As the main motivator of work, Edita highlights the opportunity to see how your idea turns into a real product that travels to customers all over the world on a daily basis.

“When you worked as a designer, the biggest motivation was that what you designed becomes a reality. It’s an extraordinary feeling to see how your thoughts come true. After becoming the leader of the design team, I started to see other things. It’s a lot of fun now as the team grows and improves. Seemingly insurmountable solutions are solved when several colleagues sit together and when new products and new opportunities for the company emerge.

Of course, the fact that there are great professionals around is very motivating. These are people with whom you can discuss all the issues,” Edita shares happily.

Gitana Daunorienė, who works in Novameta’s production department and is the head of one of the teams, agrees with her colleagues and emphasizes that in engineering, in addition to technical subjects, products and robots, a friendly and supportive team is equally important.

And while the woman’s career began with sewing, Gitana today is happy to have found herself in production.

“My career started completely differently. I had to work as a seamstress by profession, but it happened that I had experience in manufacturing facilities as well. I had to work collecting refrigerators and windows until I got here.

We were employed in Novameta together with my husband. I applied to the position of logistician. I understood production processes, could read drawings and so on, so I adapted easily and quickly, and my meticulous and responsible work was noticed by production managers, who offered me to become the leader of a newly formed team.

Of course, I was timid at first, but I overcame all the challenges. The support of colleagues and managers who value you as a specialist has helped a lot,” says Gitana.

According to the team leader, in her daily work she is fascinated by the opportunity to take risks and inspire others.

“In fact, I never imagined myself in this career direction, but today I am extremely happy. I am fascinated, given responsibility and confidence, the opportunity to make decisions and take risks, to overcome new challenges – to adapt new product models to production, to help solve design problems, to grow together with my existing team, which includes three more women.

I am glad that my team lives up to all expectations, works very responsibly. We are our field professionals, we understand the production processes, how to use equipment and tools, how to solve problems and organize work.

Of course, there are always a variety of challenges, especially with new products, but if you don’t know something, you can always ask those around you. It never happened that I would be left alone without help, advice or explanation. It is really a pleasure to work in such a team and it is nice to see that there are more and more women in it,” says Gitana Daunorienė, being satisfied with her choice to join manufacturing industry.