Month: September 2019

IDEX’s commitment to women in leadership most recently included a three-day intensive program on Gender Balanced Leadership at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM). Twenty-three women from IDEX businesses across Europe participated earlier this month.

Part of our ongoing Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) strategy, the program supports the IDEX commitment to reach gender equity in leadership roles by 2030. The participants spanned a variety of disciplines, including Finance, HR, Engineering, Operations and Sales & Marketing.

Participants emerged energized by what they learned in the sessions and how they could return to their everyday roles more effective than ever.

“‘What you see is what you get,” said Isabel Belderbos, Finance Director, Fast and Fluid Management “If society doesn’t see women in certain roles, we won’t see them in the future.  Yet the more we find women in various positions, the more we will see them in the future. It’s about changing the norm.”

The topic that resulted in the liveliest discussion was Using Emotions Effectively in the Workplace. Many participants recognized some differences between how men and women leverage emotions, which can lead to misinterpretation of actions and incorrect assumptions.

Other topics covered in the program included Self-Awareness, Understanding Gender-Balanced Leadership, Communicating with Impact, Unconscious Bias, and Navigating the Political Playing Field.

HST Group VP of HR Eric Streets, who is based in the Netherlands, introduced IDEX to this program as he witnessed the transformational impact it had on the attendees and work culture of his former employer.

Several participants are also members of our “In-Balance” inclusion network in Europe, a regional network designed to look at inclusion efforts across the region. We hope all members of the RSM cohort join the network and have an even bigger impact in the region.

Attracting, retaining, and developing the efforts of women at IDEX is something we want and need everyone at IDEX to be thinking about, including our male leaders, who currently make most of the hiring, development, and promotion decisions internally. It is difficult for some in positions of power to understand that this isn’t a special effort offered to women and excluding men, but an effort to extend a hand to a group that may have been previously overlooked.

IDEX VP of I&D Christal Morris opened the IDEX program, saying “The program wasn’t designed to “fix” you. You are not broken. There isn’t anything wrong with any of you. IDEX has chosen to make an investment in you.”

“Women at IDEX can and should look forward to playing a more active role in the promotion of equality in the workplace,” said Clare McNelis, Production Manager, Viking Pumps]. “With the support of the leadership team, clearly evidenced by the investment made in the cohort of intelligent, capable SUPER women I had the pleasure of spending time with last week, I believe this is not just possible, it is inevitable.”

MPT Marketing Director Kathryn Perry said, “I see that if we don’t include women at the table we are missing out on so much talent, energy and creativity within our organisation. We need to support our women to focus on the right things so that they can lead the change of the future.”

The sessions were held at the Erasmus Centre for Women and Organisations (ECWO) at the Rotterdam School of Management, Netherlands.  The Centre’s mission is to make a meaningful contribution to management education, the gender debate, and to further gender-based equality throughout the workplace. The global challenges facing society require that everyone who has the necessary talent and aspiration are equally able to reach the highest levels of organizations and contribute to the maximum of their ability.

Countless studies show that inclusive and diverse organizations are more successful than those that are not.

Akron Brass, which manufactures fire nozzles, valves and monitors and Banjo, an agriculturally-focused unit of IDEX Fluid & Metering Technologies (FMT), recently collaborated to create a new portable flow meter for the firefighting industry.

Launched in August, The AkroFlow Portable Flow Meter is designed to measure water flow when demonstrating and servicing handline nozzles and portable monitors, making it the most accurate flow meter in the firefighting market.

The flow meter is used by customers to test handline nozzles and portable monitors, making sure they flow at the rate at the products’ specifications (rated flow(s) and pressure) and what’s required by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.

Developed in just five months, the Great Teams at Banjo & Akron Brass created the Akroflow meter.

“Our collaboration with Banjo in developing the AkroFlow portable flow meter has been excellent,” said Andrea Russell, Global Product Line Manager at Akron Brass. “The fact that we were able to utilize technology from another IDEX business unit helped make the product not only technically superior and allowed us to go to market very quickly.”

The flow meter solves the problem of understanding exactly what flow the firefighter has coming out of their handline nozzles and portable monitors. If the fire department doesn’t understand this, they could be flowing more or less water than they expect, and this could lead to unfavorable consequences.

Focusing intensely on the Customer, the compact, battery-powered unit weighs five pounds (2.3 kg), is just under 12 inches (30.5 cm) long and does not require calibrating or charging, offering several advantages over competitors’ products.

To learn more about the Akroflow meter, click here

Claudia Hombach, a Technical Product Design Manager at Richter, defended her World Champion title in the javelin throw at the 2019 Summer World Transplant Games in Newcastle, England last month.

After an unfortunate start on her first attempt in the track and field event, Claudia steadily improved with every throw, claiming the title in her last attempt.

With a final distance of 21.67m (71.1 feet), she moved the Italian and Iraqi rivals to second and third place and won the gold medal for the 2^nd year in a row.

Claudia also participated as a substitute in the darts competition, winning the bronze medal with her German teammates after an exhausting 11-hour competition.

She had only one day of rest after darts before competing in her favorite discipline, the javelin throw.

In 1999, Claudia was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), a chronic liver disease that slowly damages the bile ducts. In 2013, she received a partial liver donation from her twin sister, saving her life.

“Before the operation took place, my sister and I set the goal to take part at an athletic competition a year after the donation,” Claudia said. “This goal helped me to come back to life. Still setting new athletic goals year after year give me the power and strength to manage my life, while also meeting others with similar experiences”

Around 2,400 participants from 60 nations registered for the one-week event from August 17^th – 23^rd. The world championship titles were awarded in 14 different sport categories including Track & Field events, Cycling, Road Races, Swimming, Golf, Tennis, Table-tennis, Badminton, Squash, Volleyball, Bowling and more. Participants ranged in age from 4 to 80 years old.

All participants share a common experience. They all got the chance for a second life by a heart, liver, kidney, lung, pancreas, stem cell or small intestine transplant. Sport gives them the power and self-confidence to master their everyday life with the new organ.

Claudia is eager to defend her title again at the 2021 World Championships in Houston, Texas.

 

 

IDEX Labor and Employment Counsel Veronica Couzo takes pride in her Hispanic heritage and the sacrifices her family made to create a new life in America. She’s worked with IDEX for a year-and-a-half, and advises business partners on legal risks in employee related matters.

She recently had the opportunity to share her gratitude by teaching 45 summer Legal Institute Scholars about labor and employment law as well as her duties as an IDEX in-house attorney. Hosted by Just the Beginning (JTB) – A Pipeline Organization, the group is dedicated to developing and nurturing interest in the law among young people from various socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds who are largely underrepresented in the legal profession.

With Hispanic Heritage Month running September 15 through October 15, 2019, we asked Veronica a couple of questions about her experience as a Hispanic woman.

 

Q: Who is your Favorite Latino/a Icon?

A: Although there are so many Latino/a icons that I love (Justice Sotomayor, Jose Marti, and Lin-Manuel Miranda to name a few), following my recent visit to Mexico City and the Frida Kahlo museum –Frida Kahlo is currently my favorite Latina icon. Her tenacity was inspiring. Despite suffering from polio at the age of 8 and breaking her spinal column in a tragic accident at 18, she embraced life to the fullest. In the face of great adversity, she painted and photographed her family, her heritage, and her experiences, which led her to become a globally renowned artist. To this day, she is still the most famous Latina artist in the world.  Additionally, she bucked the trends by wearing clothes representative of her heritage, including full skirts, embroidered blouses and regal coiffure. In doing so, she became a fashion icon, and numerous designers, including Jean Paul Gautier, designed dresses inspired by her style. Lastly, born to a Mexican mother and German father, she straddled two distinct cultures, a feeling to which I can relate since my father is Cuban and my mother is Polish.

 

 

Q: What does Hispanic Heritage mean to you?

A: Honoring Hispanic heritage means remembering those who paved the way. In my case, it means paying tribute to my grandfather. My grandfather left Cuba in the early 1960s, after he had been imprisoned by the Castro regime, along with many others, for being a member of the press. Although he didn’t speak English and had a successful career in Cuba, he came to the United States and worked as a high school janitor.

He sacrificed his career and left the country he loved in order to provide his family with better opportunities, and for that I will be forever grateful. Hispanic Heritage month also means celebrating our colorful culture filled with delicious food, salsa, merengue, and larger than life personalities.

On Monday, September 10, 2001, Akron Brass employees celebrated the Grand Opening of their new facility in Wooster, Ohio. Cutting a ribbon to signify a new beginning, team members were eager to begin working in the facility, not knowing that the next day would be one of the most important in American history.

It was a calm, clear morning the following day when tragedy struck the United States of America.

Akron Brass, which manufactures firefighting nozzles, valves, monitors and vehicle electronics, had worked alongside the New York Fire Department (FDNY) for years. The FDNY placed a fateful call to Akron Brass for equipment on September13, 2001, as rescue workers were only beginning the long task of uncovering what had buried at what was being dubbed “Ground Zero.”

With fire engines buried under the fallen World Trade Center towers, the FDNY needed several valves, foam products, decontamination tents and more. Heeding the call, Akron Brass employees quickly banded together and focused intensely on the needs of the FDNY.

“It felt like we had all been sucker punched (by the attacks). But being able to make products for those at Ground Zero, gave us an outlet (to fight back),” said Al Schmale, Customer Repair Specialist.

Any order of 200 units requested in a short period of time can be a challenge, but product for FDNY is much more complicated due to the special requirements of the department.

Despite difficulties, the Great Teams at Akron Brass worked alongside other businesses to get the supplies they needed and worked extra hours to see the emergency project through.

“The day after (the event), was amazing,” said Bill Cottrill, Machine Operator at Akron Brass.

“It was incredible to see how many people pulled together to complete the common goal,” said Jeff Rose, Maintenance Technician at Akron Brass.

 

From team members working extra shifts and taking naps in their vehicles, to team members traveling to other businesses for aluminum slugs and spare parts, the Manufacturing, Assembly, Logistics & Operations teams were Obsessed with getting their products into the hands of first responders working at Ground Zero

 

After a day of tireless effort and focus on the customer, all the Akron Brass equipment was quickly approved by the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) – which had otherwise closed American airspace –and transported the shipment to a local airport in Ohio.

Surrounded by fighter jets as the only plane in the sky, the private jet full of Akron Brass products headed east with its patriotic cargo.

In the week following the tragic event, David Gindlesperger, Senior District Sales Manager of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington DC, and Northern Virginia, and Bill Ballantyne, Senior OEM Account Manager, visited every attack site, further indicating how important it was to help firefighters on the ground.