Victoria Smith

Victoria Smith is a professional in the cable manufacturing industry with five years of experience at Prismian. She specializes in production planning and inventory management, spending much of her time on the production floor working hands-on with operators to set up efficient processes and monitor products, while also collaborating with supply chain, sales, and customers to meet demands. Smith began her career in inventory, shipping, and receiving after three years working with gas blending systems closely tied to the Air Force, advancing through multiple aspects of the business at Prismian. She entered manufacturing through an opportunity provided by her father-in-law and has no formal college education. Smith maintains an association with Women in Manufacturing, where she started but did not complete a course, and she credits operators, including Douglas Kerrigan, as her primary mentors for on-the-job knowledge about products, machines, and materials. Her work involves producing items such as building wire, nuclear cable for power plants, cables for the Patriot missile, and fiber optic materials for submarine construction. Among current industry challenges, she notes rising production costs, tariffs, efforts to increase domestic sourcing, and the balance between cost reduction and maintaining product quality. Smith advises young women entering the field to take full advantage of any schooling or certificates offered by their companies.