Alcoa Alumínio SA : STEP Awards for Women in Manufacturing honors an Alcoa employee more

January 08, 2014

STEP Awards for Women in Manufacturing honors an Alcoa employee

The Manufacturing Institute will award a prize to Diana Perreiah, President of Alcoa Building and Construction Systems (BCS) for North America, for excellence and leadership in her career

The Manufacturing Institute, an organization dedicated to the area of manufacturing in the United States, will award Diana Perreiah, President of Alcoa Building and Construction Systems in North America, with the "Women in Manufacturing" STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Award. The STEP Awards pays tribute to women who showed excellence and leadership in their careers and who represent all levels of the manufacturing sector, from the factory-floor to top management.

 "The manufacturing world is changing and needs women now more than ever. Today's manufacturing sector offers high-tech, higher paying careers in which women can and do succeed, and where their diversity of thought, experience, skills and background are needed to ensure continued advancements", says Diana Perreiah.

"Under Diana's direction, Alcoa Building and Construction Systems North America continues to thrive. In a challenging market her team has achieved positive operational results, while realizing record employee safety and engagement levels", said Glen Morrison, President, Alcoa Building and Construction Systems. "Diana has helped build one of the most diverse teams in Alcoa that has become a strong supplier of talent for the organization".

Manufacturing faces a serious skills gap. A recent survey by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute discovered that almost 70% of manufacturing companies in the United States have a moderate to severe shortage of available, skilled workers.

Part of this gap is due to the under-representation of women in the industry. Although women make up approximately 50% of the labor force in the United States, they comprise just 25% of the manufacturing labor force.  In 2012, The Manufacturing Institute launched the STEP Awards to honor women of the industry and inspire the next generation of female leaders. The STEP Awards are part of the larger STEP Ahead  initiative, which was launched to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research, and best practices for attracting, advancing, and retaining strong female talent.

The 160 winners of the STEP Awards will be honored in a ceremony in Washington (USA) on February 6. "The women we are honoring are the faces of exciting careers in manufacturing. Each of them made significant achievements in manufacturing through positive impact on their company and the industry as a whole", said Jennifer McNelly, President of The Manufacturing Institute.

About Alcoa

Alcoa Alumínio S.A. is a subsidiary of Alcoa Inc. which is the world's leading producer of primary aluminum and fabricated aluminum, as well as the world's largest miner of bauxite and refiner of alumina. The company employs approximately 60,000 people in 30 countries and for the twelfth consecutive year the company is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Alcoa is present in Latin America and the Caribbean where it has operations in Brazil, Jamaica and Suriname and about 7,000 employees.  This year, the company completes 125 years of operations in the world.

In Brazil the company operates in the whole of the aluminum production chain, from bauxite mining to the production of transformed products. Alcoa has six production units and three offices in the states of Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Pará, Pernambuco, Santa Catarina, São Paulo and the Federal District. The company also has shareholdings of 18,2% in Mineração Rio do Norte (MRN), the largest Brazilian producer of bauxite, raw material for aluminum, located in western Pará; and in four hydroelectric power plants: Machadinho and Barra Grande on the border of the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul; Serra do Facão in Goiás; and Estreito, between Maranhão and Tocantins. In 2012, Alcoa recorded revenues of R$ 2,6 billion in Brazil. In 2013 it was considered the most sustainable company in its industry and in the category of Relationship with Suppliers of the Guia EXAME de Sustentabilidade [EXAME Magazine's Sustainability Guide]. In the same year, it was recognized for the twelfth time as one of the Best Companies to Work and for the second consecutive year the Best Company for Women to Work in Brazil, by the Great Place to Work Institute.www.alcoa.com.br and follow @Alcoa on Twitter at twitter.com/AlcoaBrasil and follow Alcoa on Facebook at facebook.com/AlcoaBrasil.