Mexico. Production goes beyond a simple mechanical process. It demands a combination of talent, ingenuity and a passion for excellence. In commemoration of Women's Day, the company Vertiv presented the stories of three extraordinary and successful women who said yes to the challenge of taking on a traditionally male-dominated field, the data center industry, and prove that gender is not a determinant of value.
According to the Uptime Institute's Management and Operations Survey, historically, data center design and operations teams have employed few women. More than three-quarters of operators report employing around 10% women or less, and one-fifth still do not employ a woman on their design and operations teams.
These figures demonstrate the need for inclusivity in these fields, a missed opportunity for companies to experience the impact women are having in the IT industry and, especially, in the data center industry.
Defying the Force of a Bending Machine
Macaria Sosa, an operator at the Reynosa plant, came from Veracruz, motivated by the need to look for new opportunities and get ahead to give a better life to her daughter, who has now become a nursing student. His 17 years at Vertiv are a testament to his determination and dedication.
At the plant, she is the only woman operating a large machine, a metal bending machine called a Cincinnati. Macaria takes the large metal structures that have already been cut and makes small bends, with the help of the machine's standardized programs. She makes the changes in the parts according to the needs of the final product, a manual task where technical skill, care and precision are essential.
"At the beginning it was a little bit different for me because I was the only woman in the area, but I adapted and earned the respect of my teammates. I've always said that there is a power to do it and even though it's hard work, I learned how to do it and now my time goes by very quickly at work," she explained.
Laying the Groundwork for Becoming an Engineer
Priscila Lemus wanted to study journalism, but when she became a mother at a very young age, she decided that being in a border area the best thing to do was to study industrial engineering, to find a quick job in one of the maquiladoras in the area. She worked two jobs to keep up with her children's duties, but with the support of her family, she finished her studies in industrial engineering. Today she works at the Tijuana plant and feels very satisfied with her decision to venture into a world she did not know.
He has been with Vertiv for 11 years, where he is a key part of the mechanical engineering department. There he designs the construction drawings of the base structure of the data center according to the specifications requested by the client and offers production support in the area of C&I (AHU Projects of Customization and Integration). One of her dreams is to reach a managerial level because there are no women in her work area, which motivates her to continue striving to achieve this goal.
"One day I designed the base structure of the data center and at that moment I thought, 'I did it! This is where I belong.' When I finished my degree and was called an engineer, that's when I realized it wasn't a dream, but something real. Data centers are something I'm passionate about, and knowing that that foundation is going to cement something important for a hospital or a school, makes me feel part of something meaningful. That fills me with motivation."
Designing Metal and Copper Parts for Cooling Plants
Marcela Guerrero, an industrial engineer at the Monterrey plant, immerses herself daily in the design of sheet metal parts, pipes, screws, as well as the supervision of assemblies and documentation models of thermal management equipment with the aim of making sure that the products are highly efficient and of the highest quality.
In her more than two-decade professional career, she has faced moments of gender discrimination, such as discouraging comments and obstacles at work. Currently, with almost three years at Vertiv and now part of the Mechanical Engineering department, she serves as a mentor to young engineers. This fills her with motivation, as she is laying the groundwork for future generations to have more opportunities than she had in her youth.
"We should feel proud of what we do, of the path we have traveled or plan to take to achieve our goals and dreams. No one else knows what we've had to sacrifice to be where we are. We must assert our voice, be brave, trust in our abilities and not be afraid of the unknown, because professional growth comes from the new, from everything we don't know."
Here are some of the leaders of Vertiv's production line. Their contribution involves more than just the production, operation, and assembly of equipment; They are stories of determination, self-improvement, and passion that make all the difference in the data center industry.
