Profiles in Manufacturing
Laura Kennedy, LFM '01
By Amy MacMillan, LFM-SDM Communications Assistant
April 3, 2006
Profiles in Manufacturing focuses on LFM alumni and their careers in manufacturing and operations. We look at how their LFM education helped them advance in their respective companies. In this profile, we had a conversation with Laura Kennedy, VP/General Manager of an ABB factory in Bland, Virginia, who graduated from LFM in 2001.
1. What's so appealing about manufacturing or operations as a career?
I enjoy the diversity and complexity of manufacturing. It’s diverse because of the range of challenges – from design and sales in the product development cycle to procurement and shipping in the production cycle. There are also everyday challenges of productivity, quality, and cost management. Manufacturing is complex because you are dealing with many variable factors including people, materials, machines, demand, supply, technology, and even weather.
Finally, I like that manufacturing is a tangible activity. At the end of the day we can count how many products we made, see whether customers are satisfied with it, and compare our true costs to comparable products.
2. What have been the steps on your career path? What do you do now?
My career path has been guided by trial-and-error. As an undergraduate at the University of Waterloo in Canada, I was exposed to many different engineering roles – from writing technical standards in the production of a satellite, to fixing paint booth flow at Honda of Canada, and working as a technical marketing intern at an injection molding company. Through these roles, I enjoyed the technical challenges, the exposure to different types of people and, the analysis of the business. I moved into management consulting before going to LFM where I learned both strong project management and analytical skills.
After LFM I joined the exciting high-tech world of Silicon Valley at Hewlett-Packard. It was a challenging time at HP due to the Compaq merger and tough competition. After honing my supply management and analytical skills there, I returned to the factory environment. After one year as an internal operations consultant in Europe with ABB, I was promoted to VP/General Manager of an ABB factory in Bland, Virginia. I would like to continue to progress both vertically and laterally through ABB which may include another GM role in a foreign country, a project management position to better understand our customers’ industries, or perhaps a role in mergers and acquisitions. From a professional standpoint, I am interested in reaching the executive management team, but I need to make sure that I can lead a well-balanced work life to achieve personal goals and happiness as well.
3. How has LFM contributed to your success?
The strength of LFM on my resume and the network that I built has been critical to my success. I am able to gain credibility with technical experts due to my engineering education, and I can be confident in top management situations, such as the ABB Governing Board dinner because of my business education. LFM provided me with academic and professional mentors, many of whom I still contact for ideas and support. My elective courses and internship selections at LFM were focused on global opportunities, and LFM has contributed to my ability to be considered as an international manager. Finally, my network of LFM friends is first-rate; we have common ambitions, face similar challenges, and can laugh at the same '70s theme class party we threw in that first year!
4. What are some of the challenges you face in your career, and how does LFM help? (courses, alumni network, etc.)
My internship taught me how to deal with an ambiguous assignment. My LFM mentor (Bill Hanson, former LFM industry co-director, now retired) helped me learn to work on a project that lacked a clear objective or direction. Some of my courses, particularly Mary Rowe’s Negotiations class, have assisted me in dealing with difficult personal situations with superiors, employees, and customers. Another important skill LFM taught me is teamwork. This helps me to balance my workload, rely on others, and even have some fun when the going gets tough. LFM also taught me about leadership, and although I couldn’t necessarily relate to the course materials when I was a student, I often refer to my notes, texts or articles on leadership when facing difficult decisions or announcements.
5. What career opportunities do you see in the coming decades for managers with strong engineering backgrounds?
Our world is certainly changing at a fast pace, and I think most future careers will be more global than they were 10 years ago. As emerging countries build employee knowledge, there will be a need for foreign product and production experts to support them. Over time, these regions will become more self-sufficient. Engineers with broad interests and skills will have the most flexibility to find employment, and those who are most comfortable in a global environment will find the most opportunities.
Traditional industries with baby boomer managers will have rapid hiring needs. There will be many opportunities for ambitious young people to move up the ladder.
6. What advice would you have for prospective LFM applicants?
LFM is a unique and challenging two-year program. To be successful, you must truly enjoy what you are studying and focus on a future in operations for this to be the right program for you. Take the opportunity to contact or research our alumni and ask yourself if these types of careers interest you. I’ve chosen a traditional role from the LFM program, but other alumni have joined new industries, including online retail stores and genome mapping. Consider whether the effort of a dual-degree, the exposure to many manufacturing environments, and a thesis-based internship will lead you toward the path that you are looking for.