Australasia

LAPP Australia Purchasing and Finance Manager, Alisa White

A young mother who has gone from immaterial knowledge of industrial systems and automation issues is today leading a team dedicated to the task.

Alisa White has forged a career in the industrial sector, and is now LAPP Australia Purchasing and Finance Manager, where she is relishing the organisational and logistical challenges of her role, as well as being respected for her hard work.

Alisa’s previous experience is highly varied, from interior design, to customer service and architectural specification work with a building material wholesaler, to production planner for a manufacturer, before finding ECS New Zealand and sister company, LAPP Australia.

ECS and LAPP Australia specialise in cables, connectors, accessories, and industrial automation solutions for a broad range of industries across New Zealand and Australia, respectively.

“I have to admit that when first taking the job, cables were new to me, and automation was mysterious. But my background was service, and that applies to any industry. And once I learned how and where these cables and industrial automation technologies were being used, it became increasingly fascinating,” says Alisa, whose role includes forecasting, quoting, ordering, administration, supplier relationship management, and managing a team of four staff.

“LAPP has a several other women in leadership positions, including a warehouse 2IC, a business development head, and an industry sector manager, so its been a great environment where internal progression is encouraged, success is rewarded, and I can learn from other talented and successful women in business.”

Alisa joined ECS 10 years ago, and then became predominantly focused on LAPP Australia, when it was established as a permanent subsidiary six years ago. (LAPP Australia is a joint venture between ECS New Zealand and LAPP Group.)

Supply chain challenges

When Covid first hit, just about everyone around the globe faced new supply chain challenges, but for Alisa, it wasn’t just sea and air freight logistics that she needed to adapt.

“For us, it was also sourcing component parts for manufacturing. We had suddenly lost that certainty of supply, so we had to look at alternative products and alternative delivery options to keep lead times down for our customers,” she said.

“We also made the decision to stock larger quantities of common items, so that customers had a fallback option onshore while overseas delivery times were getting larger.”

“We kept our communications with customers honest, and gave realistic delivery timeframes, with updates as quickly as possible as situations evolved.”

Women in manufacturing

Alisa recognises that the industries she works in are more typically male-dominated, but says that women shouldn’t be deterred from forging careers in manufacturing, mining, food and beverage, rail, industrial automation, and other industries she works with on a daily basis.

“There are definitely challenges as a young woman with a young family working in a role like this with a lot of hours, but it’s all about finding the right balance that works for you,” she says.

“In the workplace, if you’re confident in your own abilities, and willing to learn, you’ll garner people’s respect, regardless of gender. Is it daunting at first? Absolutely. But if you’re knowledgeable and work hard, people will respect that.”

“Working with ECS and LAPP has been like working with a close-knit family, which has helped my career flourish. I work closely with both teams, including travel between New Zealand and Australia to foster close relationships with both teams.”

“I was also given the opportunity to travel to Europe to visit suppliers and manufacturers first-hand, which gave me an even deeper understanding of the manufacturing, shipping, and logistics processes, which I could use in my daily role back home.”