Michèle Geschka is the only woman in strategic production management for PLC manufacturing. She loves her job and wants to encourage other young women thinking about their future, to consider a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics) to improve female representation in these professions.
After graduating high school, Michèle began studying mechanical engineering at the Technical University in Bingen, Germany, and quickly decided to major in industrial engineering in the area of product development.
Once she obtained her bachelor's degree, she went on to complete a master's degree at the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences. She chose Lean Six Sigma, a process improvement methodology, for her final thesis which has proved invaluable for her in applying this knowledge to her work.
In 2018 Michèle joined ABB Motion as a Quality & Operational Excellence Engineer at the Heidelberg site in Germany. She did not let the fact that she was the only woman in the PLC (programmable logic controllers) production optimization department bother her.
Michèle felt that as a young professional without an electrical engineering background, she might initially need to prove herself a bit more than her male colleagues, but she quickly found this was not the case.
ABB gave me a lot of confidence right from the start - both in cross-divisional projects and in internal tasks, said Michèle. “My activities are exciting and challenging. I am taken seriously, can develop myself further and contribute new ideas and innovations to the company.”
In the last few years Michèle has collaborated with colleagues in ABB’s Electrification business area automating test lines. She has made improvements to quality in customer service and returns management, worked with colleagues in development, product management, supply chain and operations, and ultimately remains focused on identifying solutions for sustainable optimized processes in PLC (programmable logic controllers) production.
What Michèle appreciates most about her work is the complexity of the tasks. She interacts with development, product management, the supply chain and operations. When she was asked during her 2018 job interview what was particularly important to her in her job, she said, “I must never get bored." To this day she says that she has never become bored or experienced monotonous routines in her job as a Quality & Operational Excellence Engineer.
“My work is exciting and challenging”, says Michèle, “I appreciate the variety of tasks and the professional exchanges with colleagues. ABB has a very open corporate culture and opportunities are available to anyone who wants to develop and grow.”
Michèle’s passion for her career makes her want to share her experience with other young women to encourage them to consider an engineering career. Over the last 12 plus months Michèle has been doing this as an ABB Talent Ambassador.
