Answer extracted from the Glazing Insider podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How to Build Gender Diversity on the Manufacturing Shop Floor?
Women currently fill approximately 25–26 percent of manufacturing roles at Warwick Development NW, and the goal is to increase female shop floor representation to 30 percent or higher. While the company has grown its overall female allocation by 200 percent in recent years, most of that growth has occurred in office, admin, accounting, and marketing positions—the real challenge lies in attracting and retaining women in hands-on production roles.
The gap reflects a wider industry pattern. Shop floor roles in manufacturing still carry perceptions that deter women applicants, whether due to culture, workplace infrastructure, or historical male dominance in those positions. Creating visible pathways and mentorship structures is how forward-thinking manufacturers begin to shift that dynamic, as detailed in the Glazing Insider episode with Greg Johnson.
A Personal and Business Case for Change
Greg Johnson's motivation to push gender diversity further stems partly from personal conviction. As a father of two daughters, he is committed to breaking industry molds that have historically locked women out of manufacturing careers. This personal stake combined with business pragmatism—acknowledging that talent shortages demand you tap every available pool—creates the foundation for genuine progress.
The 200 percent growth in female staff overall at Warwick shows the company has already moved the needle in corporate and support functions. The next phase is harder: translating that success from HR, accounting, and marketing into the factory itself, where skilled hands and technical knowledge directly drive production.
How Greg Johnson approaches this rebalancing, and what specific hiring and culture measures he is deploying, forms a deeper conversation explored in this podcast episode—one that touches on training partnerships, family-friendly shifts, and the long-term business case for diversity on the shop floor.
Greg Johnson — CEO at Warwick Development NW. Johnson took over the company as MD approximately two years before this conversation, following his father's cancer diagnosis. His uncle founded the business in 1998, and his father took over in 2008 before Greg assumed leadership. Greg had undergone a 15–16 year apprenticeship learning the business before formally taking the helm, and has since led the company to win the G Awards Fabricator of the Year and the Sunday Express Supplier of the Year award, positioning him as a prominent voice on manufacturing leadership and workplace culture in the UK window and door industry.
Beyond gender representation, the full episode also explores how Warwick is building a junior management pipeline aged 20–30, addressing the industry's aging workforce challenge simultaneously.
Key takeaways
- Women currently represent 25–26 percent of manufacturing shop floor roles at Warwick, with a stated goal to reach 30 percent or higher.
- While female staff allocation overall has grown by 200 percent, most gains have been in office and admin roles, not production.
- Personal conviction—driven by family and a desire to break industry molds—combined with business need, is the primary driver of change.
- Shifting shop floor gender balance requires deliberate cultural and structural shifts, not just passive recruitment.
See also
What barriers exist to recruiting young talent into the fenestration industry and how can they be addressed?
Greg identified that while skills shortages exist nationally, talent is available locally in the Liverpool City region through universities like Liverpool. Targeted recruitment strategies can address the mismatch between available local talent and industry awareness.
How can manufacturing businesses address aging workforce demographics through structured management development?
In the last six to seven months, Warwick created a junior management team structure for the first time, with team members aged 20–30 reporting to senior managers. This pipeline approach builds succession planning while introducing fresh perspectives.
What sustainable window system technology is being adopted in UK manufacturing?
Warwick manufactures MODIS, part of Euracell's product range, which Greg described as arguably the most sustainable window system on the UK market. The system combines performance with environmental responsibility.