ARaymond, a global leader in fastening and assembly systems for more than a century, announced that it is expanding into the field of pneumatic systems for commercial vehicles — offering a full line of connectors, fasteners and tubes to be used as part of key vehicle systems such as braking and suspensions.

The new ARaymond pneumatics line, called AIRYOSA, will be showcased for the first time at the IAA Transportation 2024 gathering starting Sept. 17 and running through Sept. 22 in Hannover, Germany.

ARaymond’s leadership team said the AIRYOSA products expand on the company’s past knowledge and experience and brings it to a new sector.

“The cutting-edge AIRYOSA lineup breaks new ground for ARaymond and we’re excited about the path forward in the pneumatics sector. We are proud to release a new and complete set of products and solutions in the pneumatic market, leveraging our long-standing expertise in fluid handling for commercial vehicles,” said Gerald Vincent, ARaymond Global Commercial Vehicles Market Coordinator. “These products will provide improved safety, ergonomics, and sustainability during the assembly process and the vehicle’s lifetime.”

As we mark International Women’s Day this year on March 8, the theme for the 2024 global celebration is “Invest in Women; Accelerate Progress”. This theme represents the importance of companies shifting to a greener economic approach, while also recognizing that it’s critical to amplify the voices of women in these discussions.  

One woman who is very familiar with these themes is Carole Neyrinck, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for ARaymond, a global supplier of fastening systems for the automotive, energy, construction, agriculture, and healthcare industries. 

ARaymond is based in France but has a U.S. headquarters in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and a presence throughout the globe in more than two dozen countries. 

In this Q&A, Neyrinck shares her thoughts on her journey to her current leadership role at ARaymond, the overall state of women in the STEM industries, as well as how representation can be improved going forward:

Q: Tell us about your career journey, and how you got involved in sustainable development.

A: I spent three decades working as a biochemist engineer, after earning my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in this area. After a long career in the pharmaceutical industry, I joined ARaymond in my role as CSR manager starting in 2019. My job was always challenging, but I was able to raise my three children while working in production workshops and then implementing information systems. Soon after joining ARaymond to lead CSR, I began to focus on environmental goals, bringing clarity and structure in the approach so that the company acts in coordination for all projects in all departments. We work to limit our contributions to climate change, and with our partners to support them do the same. Some of them tried to push back, but I was strong and assertive, and trusted and encouraged by my management. I constantly develop my knowledge and skills, always learning and exploring new territories.

Q: Why is it important for companies to develop policies that recognize the impact of climate change?

A: When you think about climate change and the need to decarbonize, all companies are affected. We work to limit our contributions to climate change, and with our suppliers to help them do the same. Taking care of the environment consistently has become an increasingly strong emphasis each year, as it’s no longer an option to ignore it.

Q: As we mark International Women’s Day, how has being a woman impacted you in your career?

A:  I’m thankful that I was raised in a family with a mother who was very attentive to being independent, and not relying on anyone for your living condition. Having that as my background, I didn’t really feel different from a man in terms of my skills and competencies. I was raised with principles of equity and equality.

When I started working, in the team of my peers, I was the only woman. And my direct reports were only men. I was very young, only 25, and the men were sometimes 50 years old. Some of them tried to push back, but I was strong and assertive, and skilled and competent. For me, if you are competent and skilled, you will be recognized. I always tried to be as competent as possible, always learning. And now I’ve passed these important lessons from my mother onto my own children.

Q: What barriers or obstacles do women face in advancing their careers within the CSR field, and how can these challenges be addressed?

A: For women in industries where they are underrepresented, it's all about being confident in yourself. I’ve rarely felt differences between men and women in work, and in those rare cases, I would always stand up for myself when I felt disrespected. In those few instances, I would not let this pass, and was straightforward to tell the person not to do it again.

In terms of career advancement, mentoring is a key element that can help women advance in their careers, and can help build on the core skills you bring into a job. You must always be learning, and have programs in place to support that learning.

Having supportive bosses and mentoring programs — like I do in my current role at ARaymond — has been a key element of my ability to grow throughout my career, and I make sure we continue to offer that mentoring to young men and women today. A supportive male boss can help usher in a generation of confident new leaders that’s a strong mix of men and women. And in CSR, the number of women taking on key roles is quite encouraging.

A combination of solid roots, strong skills development and being in a group that empowers you will lead to the amplification of women’s voices in key roles both on the factory floor and in the boardroom.

Q: How important is it for companies in all industries to embrace CSR goals; and how important is it for women to have key roles in that implementation?

A: CSR goals are essential because the world is becoming more disrupted and complex, and our global success relies on diverse collaboration. We must anticipate risks and see opportunities to get better prepared, so we’ll be better positioned for sustainability. We recently joined a pact of 150 business leaders in France to commit to decarbonization, and our efforts in automotive, energy, construction, agriculture, and construction are all moving in an eco-friendly direction.

Women must be included in the conversations about this critical decarbonization planning. By nature, women are more focused on taking care of something for the long-term. Women are a key asset for CSR, and men are also needed there — a diversity of opinions is the key. Beyond gender diversity, we also need a mix of ages and cultures offering their input.

Q: As a female in a leadership role, what are the key changes you aspire to see for future generations? How can we attract more women to engineering and other STEM fields?

A: I see the role of the engineer developing to be more about the capacity to develop solutions that contribute to the common good, and not simply fulfilling customer expectation.

There is a role for women to play in that. Engineers need to develop solutions with a systemic approach, and consider the social implications of these solutions and how to make a positive contribution to the environment. The role of engineer is changing, and is more than just technical. People who can embrace this approach will succeed, including women from the current and future generations.

ARaymond, a global leader in automotive fastening and assembly systems, has added temperature sensors to its thermal management offerings for electric and hybrid vehicles.  

With over 155 years of industrial know-how and 30-plus years of automotive fluid handling expertise, ARaymond’s focus is now to purposefully contribute to the electric vehicle revolution. This means developing products and solutions that make assembly more productive, thermal management more efficient, and lifecycle more sustainable.

EV and Hybrid thermal management systems are increasingly demanding in terms of performance, space, efficiency, and safety. These entail accurate temperature control of the electric powertrain requiring more sensors in the cooling system. Most temperature sensors on the market have a metallic body making them bulky and heavy. As proprietary owners of their in-house manufacturing processes, ARaymond immediately saw an opportunity to leverage its plastic injection legacy to produce a notably lighter plastic-enclosed temperature sensor, fittingly responsive, for thermal application.

As we prepare to celebrate International Women’s day on March 8^th, it provides us the opportunity to assess how far women have come in various fields and professions.

In the world of engineering and fastener design, ARaymond is one global firm that recognizes the importance of female voices in their current and future endeavors. In addition to actively recruiting talented female team members, they also recognize the importance of listening to women’s voices at the highest levels of business development.  

Laurence Fayand, who serves as President and Managing Director of ARaymond’s Business Incubator and Accelerator, leads a team that is responsible for developing technologies of the future at ARaymond — including the latest advances in fastening, fluid handling portfolios, and data & digital service. ARaymond is based in France but has a U.S. headquarters in Michigan and a presence throughout the globe in more than two dozen countries. Fayand’s background prior to ARaymond includes serving as CFO at multiple technology companies including Kayentis and Tronics Microsystems, and a lengthy stint in key management roles at HP.

Fayand recently answered several questions about her role at the ARaymond Incubator, and why it’s important to grow the number of women in STEM roles as well as business/leadership positions. 

ARaymond, an international automotive leader in fastening and assembly solutions, has announced the acquisition of CGA Technologies, an Italian manufacturer of high performing thermal cooling plates. This step follows the acquisition in early October of Castello Italia S.p.A., a company specializing in plastic tube extrusion for pneumatic applications within transportation and specific industrial market segments.

These acquisitions are not just about broadening the ARaymond product offering, but about scaling up complete and tailor-made plug-and-play solutions. The goal is to design and deliver optimized thermal management systems within the mobility and selected industrial sectors.

“As a leader of fastening and assembly solutions for more than 155 years, we continuously strive to reinvent ourselves and stay ahead in the fast-moving markets that we operate in. The automotive industry is shifting to electric and autonomous vehicles, and we want to actively contribute to this extraordinary transition. To meet our customers' evolving demands, we have a clear vision that agility and time to market are critical and that our customers are expecting complete solutions. For all these reasons, the acquisitions of CGA Technologies and Castello Italia S.p.A, are an ideal fit.  

“With this expansion, we are building up our Network to create sustainability for the future. This includes putting the well-being of our collaborators and the protection of our environment at the forefront of our priorities for our future generations.  We want to provide a service and product offering of the highest quality, that meets both our customers and employees demands for long-term growth and sustainability,” said Antoine Raymond, ARaymond CEO.

— Press release courtesy of ARaymond