In Frederick County, women are driving innovation, economic growth, and positive change in the manufacturing industry. Their leadership, entrepreneurship, skills, mentorship, and community involvement are instrumental in shaping the manufacturing landscape of the county. Let’s celebrate some of the remarkable women who are making things happen in the manufacturing industry!
Shabnoor Azhar works for Quantic PMI as a Design and Drafting Engineer. Quantic PMI is a company that manufactures radio frequency and microwave equipment for the aerospace and defense industry. The manufactured equipment is used for radar and antenna systems, bomb-detection, and other commercial uses. Most of their products end up being used on ships, planes, and satellites.
In the Design and Drafting department of Quantic PMI, Shabnoor works on electrical schematics and fabrication drawings. Basically, she takes an idea from paper to a working unit. She designs the external packaging and the determines what electrical components are needed to make it work. She also tests and fine tunes the product.
In the generally male-dominated manufacturing fields, Shabnoor encourages women to fight against the tendency to lose confidence in their work. She says, “It is important to continue learning and improving oneself.” Shabnoor has always been interested and inspired by design and manufacturing, and will not let male domination push her out of her field. She considers herself lucky that there is great female representation at Quantic PMI and that everyone gets a fair shot.
Shabnoor encourages any woman interested in the manufacturing industry to simply go for it. “Stick to your goals, soak up as much knowledge as you can from other women who have more experience in the industry. Most importantly, be creative and have fun with what you are doing!”