Emma Gryting, Technical project manager, CrossControl, part of the CentroMotion family of brands
Inspired by her older brother, Emma Gryting nurtured an early interest in how things were made, disassembling and reassembling various kinds of mechanical devices. When she started working at CrossControl, which develops and produces displays and on-board computing solutions for the off-highway equipment market, that curiosity continued, and she became interested in how the product designs were created. After taking a computer-aided design course, she began working as a junior designer, where she developed insights into the complexity of the design process and the skill set needed for materials, processes and tools.
During her initial years with CrossControl, Emma often thought of her grandfather, who had studied mechanical engineering at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and she began to consider the same path for herself. With the support of the company behind her, Emma took a three-year leave to earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at her grandfather’s alma mater.
Over the past 10 years, Emma has seen a big change for women in engineering. “I believe my male colleagues are now much more inclusive towards women,” she said. “Any barrier today is more of a personal thing for me because I have high standards for myself. Women still are a minority in the engineering field, and I want to be a good example.”
Looking back at challenges throughout her career, Emma recalled a particular project where she was the chief designer. “We were close to product release, and the certifying tests revealed an issue,” she said. “We identified several parallel solutions and tested and evaluated them. This included long discussions with various sub-suppliers and other disciplines to find solutions. Challenging as it was, it was also rewarding to finally find a good solution and satisfy the customer.”
One of Emma’s achievements relates to a process issue she encountered, where unplanned maintenance of products was not properly documented, resulting in inconsistent handling. “I drove the work of standardizing the process, making sure that all affected disciplines and stakeholders were involved,” she said. “Now our team has established communication paths and workflows towards sales, customers and operations, giving full transparency of how an unplanned product change is implemented.”
CentroMotion designs and delivers systems and solutions that are critical to the safety and reliability of our customers’ Industrial and Transportation products. Our technologies and subject matter expertise in the areas of motion, actuation, control, and friction and braking, coupled with our compelling customer value proposition, position us as a leading supplier to the markets we serve. Our well-known brands include Power-Packer for hydraulic motion control and stabilization systems; CrossControl and maximatecc for operator information and human-machine interface systems; Elliott Manufacturing and Weasler Engineering for power and force transmission through flexible and rigid driveline systems; Carlisle Brake and Friction for complete brake systems, brake components, wet and dry friction materials for brake, and clutch and transmission applications and Gits Manufacturing for high-performance engine thermal and emission control solutions. CentroMotion’s Global Headquarters are in Waukesha, WI and we sell into over 70+ countries around the world. We have 22 manufacturing facilities, and our 3,500 employees are the source of our innovation, performance, and the reason for our success. Learn more about CentroMotion by visiting our website at www.centromotion.com.
Filed Under: Engineering Diversity & Inclusion