Success One STEP at a Time

When I met Aneesa Muthana, president of Pioneer Service Inc., and Rose of Sharon DeVos, business development manager, at IMTS 2016, I was immediately impressed by their energy and commitment not only to precision machining, but to the manufacturing industry as a whole. I had the feeling I’d be hearing a lot about Pioneer in the coming months, and I was certainly right about that.

Since meeting her, she has been named to the board of the Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA), and Illinois Manufacturers Excellence Center has also announced that Ms. Muthana will receive the Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award.

“I am honored to receive this award,” she says. “Manufacturers are makers, and women have been underrepresented in this industry for too long. The process of bringing people together to make something that will go on to serve a bigger purpose is where my passion lies. Knowing that the parts that leave my shop are contributing to the world at large, touching lives and benefiting people fuels my passion.”

Having been there, I can attest to the entire company’s commitment to continuous improvement. Miles Free, director of industry research and technology at the PMPA, says her industry colleagues would seem to agree. “Aneesa was chosen by her peers in PMPA for her thoughtful counsel and leadership on the board and her efforts to grow the involvement of women in the association’s activities.”

Bernie Nagle, executive director, adds that “We are delighted Aneesa has accepted a role on the PMPA board of directors. The female perspective is invaluable to the success of any organization. I am also deeply appreciative that Aneesa has stepped up to a leadership role with our nascent ‘Women of PMPA’ initiative.”

In addition to a column Ms. Muthana wrote for the February issue of PM, I visited the company and wrote an article on its successful efforts to implement a cutting-edge ERP system as a foundation for increasing their involvement in data-driven manufacturing, such as machine condition monitoring.