MVMC welcomes Advanced Metalforming Lubricants (AML) Industries, located on Pine Avenue Southeast in Warren – just across the tracks from the Municipal Building.

AML Industries was founded in 1989 and is owned by Dave Gurska, the president of the company. It’s been in the same location since it started with just three or four employees and has since grown to 31. The company specializes in quality lubricants and coatings for metalformers throughout the world.

Forged with integrity

Matt Natale is vice president at AML. He says the company sells to businesses who make parts for the auto industry, aerospace, military, oil and gas industry, as well as agricultural equipment.

“Lubricants would be used for crank shafts, gears, anything that needs structural integrity,” Natale said. “Anywhere there is a lot of pressure, too, you need a forged part.”

He says forging is basically putting a solid piece of metal between two dyes and pressing it to strengthen, or forge, the part with the lubricant.

“There are about 7 or 8 families of lubricants that AML supplies, which are all specific to different parts and industries,” Natale said.

Glenn “LG” McClellan III, operations manager at AML, likes to refer to the company’s product as “industrial cooking spray.” He’s been at the plant for 12 years and got the nickname “LG” or “Little Glenn” since he’s named after his father. McClellan oversees safety and compliance, personnel, production, scheduling, and anything to do with operations.

Refocused on workforce building

Immediately, Natale says the company needs five operators. The position requires running heavy equipment, machines and material processes.

“We’re projected to need 10 people by the end of 2023,” Natale said.

He says it’s been difficult finding help post-Covid.

“We’re willing to hire prospects with a non-violent, felony record. We’re big into giving people second chances, and we try to understand things happen,” Natale said.

AML was able to stay open in 2020 but couldn’t avoid layoffs due to business being almost zero.

“We were able to secure money through the government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP loan), and without that, we most definitely would’ve had to close, or at least temporarily,” Natale said.

The company was considered essential during the pandemic, but McClelland says when things started getting back to normal, AML had to find new hires because almost none of the laid off employees came back. He says business is booming now, but more staff is needed to support the work.

Eyes on efficiency

Natale says the slowdown was eye-opening for building efficiency. The company has been able to improve processes for equipment and management of workflow.

McClellan mentioned there are three ongoing projects being paid for by the Ohio Safety Intervention Grant, which is through the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. These projects will eliminate risk to workers and improve efficiency of jobs. About a year ago, the company was also able to put in a new chemistry lab.

AML is family

A big takeaway Natale and McClellan want potential employees to know about AML Industries is that it’s a family atmosphere.

“You’re not just a number here. Anyone can talk to management about anything, or if a problem is going on, we’ll have that connection with them,” Natale said. “Sometimes we have even floated people money for groceries or something like that.”

Management is also not afraid of being in the trenches. Natale and McClellan say they have both been in the plant alongside workers at some point. It’s about showing appreciation for employees and what they do.

“We’ve even ordered food trucks to come sometimes as a treat for everyone,” said McClellan.

Why join MVMC?

Finding workers is a priority, and McClellan says the company learned about the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition at a recent job fair. A member was walking around with information, and he says it looked like there was a lot of recognition among vendors.

“It seemed like the group had a lot of impact, so I brought the information back to Matt, and we just decided from there it would be a good idea,” said McClellan.

He also sees the benefits of the MVMC’s WorkAdvance program. McClellan was able to sit down recently with several boot camp participants and tell them about AML Industries. Some of them are former justice involved citizens.

“They all had great questions, and I think they have a leg up over staffing services,” said McClellan. “What I’m mostly seeing from other job services, I’ll make the initial contact, but either people don’t come for the interview, or they don’t reply to my message about our interest in them.”

He says it seems the prospects coming through WorkAdvance are intentional about being job ready. The same group also toured AML, and a couple even expressed interest in interviewing for a job.

McClellan also says he’s interested in the MVMC-sponsored LEAN manufacturing course. AML is excited about training access for employees, youth outreach initiatives, as well as getting the company’s name out there.

“We saw some customers in larger areas joining similar coalitions to help get workers. We’re a small business, so sometimes we’re competing with bigger names, so being part of MVMC might help with this,” Natale said.

Interested in joining MVMC yourself? Contact Alex Hertzer at alex@mahoningvalleymfg.com.

While women make up 51% of the U.S. population, they represent only 27% of the manufacturing workforce in Ohio, according to Hard Hatted Women Ohio.

The Manufacturing Institute’s “35×30” national campaign is pushing to get representation of women in the industry to 35% by 2030. Right now, it’s about 30%. HHW Ohio says here in the Mahoning Valley, the number shrinks to 23%. That means closing a 12% gap.

“We have seven short years to exceed that goal because once we set a target, usually we aim a little higher,” said Julie Michael Smith, program director at the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition.

The plan to make that goal possible was the focus at the Women in Manufacturing Roundtable on February 16 at Vallourec in Youngstown. Kaci Roach, executive director of HHW Ohio, was the guest speaker. More than two dozen others were part of the conversation, including the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition, as well as the Vallourec North America Talent Management Director Chris Allen, and the Women@Vallourec.

Since 1979, HHW Ohio has been dedicated to helping women grow and succeed in high demand, high wage jobs and bring awareness to career options they might not otherwise consider.

“There’s really great research from the Manufacturing Institute that shows that women are interested are getting into and moving up in these careers,” said Roach.

She says recruitment and retention are the ways to address low numbers, and you achieve that through awareness, belonging and professional advancement.

Engaging early builds awareness
Roach says engagement with community-based organizations gives more trusted voices to your effort and builds strong relationships.

“Research shows girls as young as 10 begin to view manufacturing and other hands-on professions as gender based, or ‘for the boys.’ This perception continues to grow as women select their educational and career pathways creating a knowledge deficit of what other opportunities exist in manufacturing and outdated models of manufacturing,” Roach said.

She says a great action to take is engaging with K-12 programs and the Girl Scouts. She says there are badges dedicated to career exploration and working hands-on with STEM.

“Disrupt the narrative at a young age. Empower women in your community to become role models,” Roach said.

She encourages employees to be community leaders by participating in career fairs, classroom visits and mentorship.

“It shows yes, women are here, and we belong in manufacturing,” Roach said.

Women need to feel sense of belonging
According to the Harvard Business Review, a high sense of belonging is linked to a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% drop in turnover risk and 75% reduction of sick days. Roach says groups like Women@Vallourec is a great benefit in the workplace, and it helps to have flex scheduling, or group scheduling, so employees can have family balance.

“Essentially there are groups or pods of employees who are responsible for covering each other’s space, so they work as a collective unit to cover times and shifts,” Roach said.

Roach also believes companies need strong family leave policies, nursing facilities, and women need to feel their concerns are being addressed.

Prioritizing professional advancement
HHW Ohio says 44% of Mahoning Valley households have a single parent. Roach says some women run into what’s called the “benefits cliff.” This means they have a lower paying job, receive some type of government assistance, but can’t get a higher paying job without losing the assistance needed to survive.

Roach says this is where companies can offer child care subsidies to offset costs, or employees can do wrap-around support while women work into more sustainable employment.

HHW Ohio has also developed a program called WISE Pathways. It brings together community-based organizations, education/training providers and businesses to create a supportive pathway for women in male-dominated jobs.

The two primary elements are career exploration and coaching by industry and role model speakers.  Roach says women need to be encouraged to share their stories and empower others.

Local WISE Pathways connection
WISE Pathways is partnering with Eastern Gateway Community College in Youngstown and MVMC to run a program this summer. Roach says the idea is for each woman who participates to have a personal connection at the end.

“Schedule mock interviews that can turn into real interviews, if the employer is willing, so they’re able to network with hiring companies as direct result of WISE Pathways,” Roach said.

About Women@Vallourec
Women@Vallourec started at the corporate level, but also organizes at the Youngstown plant. Members meet twice a month to discuss any issues and create tangible actions to increase the representation of women.

Abigail Bonavides, the corporate leader of Women@Vallourec, was invited to the roundtable to talk about the program and what it means for the company. She has more than seven years of experience in human resources and focuses on the training and development pipeline to increase the number of women at the company to 25%.

The four pillars of the program are recruitment, retention, education and career advancement. The goal is to make sure women have what they need in the workplace such as locker rooms, uniforms, family leave policies, as well as making sure concerns are being addressed.

Bonavides was also joined by Katia Rogaume, the sourcing director for Vallourec in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. She is responsible for making sure women have a safe space to share their experiences and getting problems solved in a timely manner.

The Manufacturing Institute says women today account for about 30% of workers in the field. There is a remaining perception about the industry that continues to limit women in manufacturing. It’s often seen as a dark, dirty, and dangerous environment just for men. For most manufacturing facilities, that picture is far from reality.

According to The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, having more women in manufacturing is beneficial to workplace health. Their recent reports show women drive the culture, which can impact worker satisfaction. The OMA says, on average, newly hired women are more likely to have some STEM education, and employers with a higher percentage of women in leadership roles also saw increased profits.

Grace Stigliano (left) of Brilex and Leslie Phillips (right) of Brainard Rivet
are among the many women in manufacturing leadership positions in the
Mahoning Valley.

The Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition fully supports a national initiative from the Manufacturing Institute to get more women in manufacturing roles. The “35×30” campaign aims to increase representation in the field to 35% by 2030. That would add 500,000 women to the workforce. The MVMC is taking active steps to get involved.

Several women in the MVMC that work in the industry have seen career success. Here is what they have to say:

Trudy Cheney, Global Human Resources Director, Xaloy
“Having worked in manufacturing for close to 30 years, I’ve had the privilege of working with women who are highly successful in every discipline from accounting to engineering to sales. Their success is tied directly to their preparation for the roles they’ve held by being subject matter experts who are truly invested in delivering value to their team, their company, and their industry.”

Ashley Morrow, Payroll Manager/HR Manager, Livi Steel, Inc.
“To be successful in manufacturing you need to be bold enough to believe in yourself, you need to be willing to listen to your managers / supervisors, collaborate with your co-workers, and encourage others in your field to do the same.”

Emily Young, EWD Coordinator, (NCDMM) National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining
“As a new woman in the industry, as well as a young professional, it is important to find yourself two mentors – one with a perspective much different than your own, and one who may think and support you in a way that is most similar to your point of view. As a woman in industry, I have found the brightest moments through stepping up or raising my hand to participate in opportunities to learn more,
network, and build community.”

Grace Stigliano, HR Recruiter/Coordinator, Brilex Industries
“If I had to offer up words of encouragement for women entering the industry, I would say to be courageous, be brave, and simply be yourself. Know that you offer insight to bring to the table and that you deserve to be there!”