Essential News

San José, Costa Rica. October 4, 2022. EATON, the world's leading energy management company, has appointed its first woman as Plant Manager at its facilities in San José, Costa Rica. The company welcomes Engineer Diana Grijalba Morales, who assumed the leadership position and will help strengthen competitiveness and diversify local production.

 

Grijalba forms part of the Eaton Business Unit for Central America’s female talent. The company is committed to and supports an environment of inclusion and equality, in both commercial and operational areas.

 

“We work with organizations that promote gender equity and support for more women in engineering careers. Assuming this position at Eaton gives me the opportunity to inspire many more women to become more involved in the industry and achieve leadership positions,” said Diana Grijalba Morales, new Plant Manager at EATON Costa Rica. 

 

According to a report by the International Labor Organization (ILO), women’s presence in senior management positions improves company performance, increasing their profitability by up to 20% while accelerating innovation and attracting talented professionals.  

At EATON Central America, 25% of leadership positions are occupied by women, while the 2021-2022 hiring processes have been occupied by 55% by female personnel.

 

With 20 years of experience in transnational companies, Grijalba will supervise and ensure the supply of critical components and parts, attract investment to the plant, and improve operational productivity and flexibility. 

 

“My previous experience has granted me the opportunity to learn from various technologies, processes, and methodologies that give me a broad vision of manufacturing operations. My commitment to the organization involves contributing to constant talent development and strengthening our culture of continuous improvement, which is key to achieving our medium- and long-term goals,” commented Grijalba.

 

Diana Grijalba Morales is an industrial engineer with a master's degree in Business Administration and 20 years of experience in industries including food, electronics, electricity, and advanced manufacturing.

 

The new EATON Costa Rica Plant Manager is a resident of Cartago and proudly hails from Puntarenas. She holds certifications as an APICS Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) and in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM). She also has a high corporate profile with extensive experience in various positions in the fields of Supply Chain and Operations. 

 

Vanessa Gibson, Director of Investment Climate at CINDE, stated: “According to a study by McKinsey & Company, increasing opportunities for women in leadership positions increases organizational effectiveness, which is why we congratulate EATON on this important step towards women’s inclusion in leadership positions and, above all, in positions that serve as inspiration for more women in STEAM areas, while allowing the country to advance toward fulfilling our Sustainable Development Goals.”

Gibson added: “By the end of 2021, CINDE-attracted companies had created more than 9,000 jobs for women, which represented 21% over the previous year. This milestone for the company is transcendental to making a difference and ensuring that female employment continues growing steadily.”

The new Production Manager added that, during her management tenure, she intends to incorporate industry 4.0 technologies that support automation, process efficiency, and contribute to corporate environmental goals, by promoting reduced consumption of energy and other resources.

 

“Industry 4.0 has revolutionized manufacturing, facilitating the transformation towards ‘intelligent factories,’ and at Eaton we take advantage of these technologies to improve performance and implement technologies that automate certain operations and processes. Also, efforts that lead to connections between our teams and manufacturing monitoring programs, to obtain real-time information and the digitization of our supply chains to improve communication,” stated Grijalba.

 

The company's manufacturing plant is located in the canton of Moravia, Costa Rica, and employs about 150 people to serve Central American and Caribbean markets. 

 

In the last four years, EATON Costa Rica has invested more than $5 million in strengthening its plant operations as part of its work toward continuous improvement, leadership, and innovation through industry 4.0 technologies that provide energy management solutions.

 

Eaton Electrical SRL is a subsidiary of the Eaton Corporation. Since 1961, its Central American headquarters have been located in San José, Costa Rica, where it hosts a production plant (Moravia) and a distribution warehouse (Heredia), from which it supplies the region.

 

Its presence over the last 50+ years has made it a strategic supplier in large-scale projects, such as the Panama Canal expansion, the Tocumen International Airport, and construction of various hospitals in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, as well as in commercial and renewable energy projects in Panama, Puerto Rico, and El Salvador.

 

Over the years, it has expanded its manufacturing capabilities and has identified technologies critical to its operations.

 

In the last four years, it has invested more than $5 million in its production plant, as part of its work toward continuous improvement, its leadership as a catalyst for growth, and its goal to continue making a difference in consumer quality of life through its power management solutions. The company continues to grow steadily because of its latest acquisitions, strengthening its position as a leader in the electricity sector. Currently, it provides employment to more than 170 employees in Central America.