Manufacturing can be so many different things. Everything you use in your day-to-day life is essentially manufactured. Are you wondering daily how your favorite things are being made? Or wondering where they come from? Why are we not talking more, especially to young women, about the possibility of careers in manufacturing? In today’s episode, Fran welcomes our guest Devon Winter. Devon is the Vice President and COO at F. W. Winter Inc. & Co, the industry-leading supplier of metals and alloys in powder form for automotive, welding, and aerospace industries. She started as a sales and marketing associate with the company and in 2016 she became the director of operations, successfully implementing LEAN, and became the COO in 2020; overseeing the management of the company globally. Don’t miss out on today’s conversation as we hear all about Devon’s journey through the manufacturing industry, her thoughts on LEAN and ISO certifications, and why she is so deeply passionate about careers in manufacturing! Tune in today!
Meet Our Guest, Devon Winter
Devon Winter is the Chief Operations Officer of F. W. Winter Inc. & Co. a metal and alloy powder manufacturer for automotive, welding, and aerospace industries. A second-generation small manufacturing company. Ms. Winter began as a Sales and Marketing associate for F.W.Winter. In her role, she supported outside sales with document control and logistics. In 2016 Ms. Winter became Director of Operations successfully implementing lean manufacturing and ISO 9001:2015 quality management system for the company. In 2020 Ms. Winter became Chief Operations Officer overseeing the overall management and operations of the company globally representing the company in Russia, China, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Ms. Winter holds an undergraduate degree from The University of Vermont during which she spent a semester studying business at Qingdao University in Qingdao, China. Ms. Winter holds an M.S. and an M.B.A from Drexel University. Ms. Winter serves on the Board of Women in Manufacturing (WiM). WiM is the only national and global trade association dedicated to providing year-round support to women who have chosen a career in the manufacturing industry. At present, more than 10,000 individual members representing more than 2,000 manufacturing companies have joined our growing ranks of industry professionals from 48 U.S. states and from 35 countries.
Ms. Winter is a member of a number of international and national organizations including Union League of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, World Trade Center of Philadelphia, and the International Chromium Development Association. In her free time, she enjoys travel and is an avid skier, squash, and golf player.