Malisa Robbins
Malisa Robbins is a Manufacturing Engineer at Hubbell Industrial Controls in Archdale, North Carolina, with more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing, tooling, and industrial production systems. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University, where she also completed extensive co-op work that gave her early, hands-on exposure to engineering environments. From the beginning of her career, she developed a strong foundation in tool and die engineering, progressive stamping, and high-speed production systems, building expertise that has carried across decades of continuous learning and advancement.
A significant portion of Malisa’s career was spent with AMP Incorporated, later TE Connectivity, where she worked for over 25 years in various manufacturing engineering roles. During that time, she led major process improvements, including Six Sigma and Lean initiatives that reduced scrap, improved efficiency, and generated substantial cost savings. Her work has included implementing automation solutions, optimizing stamping and molding operations, and leading cross-functional kaizen events focused on quality and productivity. She also played a key role in transferring and launching production lines internationally, training teams and ensuring safe, reliable implementation on the manufacturing floor.
Today, Malisa brings her deep technical expertise and hands-on leadership style to Hubbell Industrial Controls, where she continues to focus on solving complex production challenges and improving tooling and equipment performance. She is known for prioritizing safety, quality, and production while mentoring others and fostering teamwork on the shop floor. Outside of her core engineering work, she is also involved in professional and community initiatives such as Women in Manufacturing and Habitat for Humanity, reflecting her commitment to both industry excellence and giving back.
• Six Sigma Greenbelt
• Lean Engineering
• North Carolina State University- M.S.M.E.
• Women in Manufacturing
• Habitat for Humanity - Women's Builds and All Builds
• Women in Motion in High Point (attended 3 years)
• Women on the Move Leadership Seminars in Winston-Salem
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my mother’s early encouragement to pursue engineering and a lifelong curiosity about how things work, which kept me engaged and eager to learn. I’ve also benefited from hands-on co-op experience, strong mentors throughout my career, and continuous on-the-job learning through Lean, Six Sigma, and machine-specific training that helped me grow and adapt over time.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received came from my mother, who was a teacher and encouraged me early on to explore engineering, ultimately steering me toward a career that matched both my curiosity and strengths.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Get involved early through internships and co-op programs to gain real, hands-on experience and understand how the industry works on the ground. Be a “lifter” who creates space for others while also being prepared to prove yourself and lean on mentorship and networking to help you grow and advance.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think one big challenge that I see, especially in the department I'm in, is we don't have young people in our department. I'm 55, and everybody else is 60 and above in our manufacturing engineering department. I just started kind of talking to my boss about, hey, what's the plan here? Because I'm here to replace Larry, one of the guys that's been there like over 30 years that knows everything. I said, but I don't plan to work, you know, I plan to retire, so who - I need to be training somebody now to take my place while I take Larry's place, and I don't see that. I don't see young people getting into this, or at least not where I'm working now. I'm trying to get them to get involved with doing interns and co-op programs with the schools. That's the future, and we need to have young people getting into these industries, and the technical industries too, not just the engineering, but the more like the technical school-type industries. We need this kind of work, and I don't see a lot of young people interested in it, so that really concerns me. This can't be done by AI. I need people to do this.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are safety, quality, and production, along with a commitment to mentorship, making room for others to grow, and staying grounded in hands-on problem solving and continuous learning.