Yesterday, March 8 was International Women’s Day and March is Women’s History Month. In honor of these, today’s newsletter is dedicated to the women working in the fluid power industry. Like many science, engineering and other STEM related fields, fluid power is still very much a male dominated industry.

But with each passing year there are more women entering the hydraulics and pneumatics space, helping bring more knowledge and expertise to the sector. And if the industry wants to attract the next generation of engineers, it will be important to show not only the great work being done by this sector but also that there is a place in it for everyone.   

So, to help with this, I have decided to highlight some of the female voices in our industry. Leading off today’s newsletter is my 3-part Q&A series from last year with women working in the fluid power space during which I asked them what attracted them to a career in hydraulics and pneumatics, what they enjoy about working in the industry as well as what can be done to attract younger generations to a career in fluid power.

Other pieces in today’s newsletter include interviews with and articles contributed by women working in fluid power offering their insights into the various technological developments taking place within in the industry, including those related to biodegradable hydraulic fluids, software tools to improve system efficiency and advancements in pneumatics.  

Visit our Workers in Science & Engineering (WISE) page for more of our content highlighting female voices in fluid power and other engineering fields as well as workforce-related content examining methods being used to attract the next generation to the industry and more. Have suggestions on how we could be attracting more people to the fluid power space or unique ways you’ve seen this being undertaken? Let me know by reaching out to me at [email protected].

Sara Jensen, Editor, Power & Motion