To celebrate International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) 2026, Installer caught up with Sally Lessing, Production Engineer at Worcester Bosch.
Sally shares her career journey, proudest engineering moment and her thoughts on what’s next for Worcester Bosch in terms of production engineering.
Q: What first sparked your interest in engineering, and how did you find your way to Worcester Bosch?
A: I’ve always gravitated towards hands-on subjects and found the process of solving practical problems incredibly rewarding. Design and Technology (DT) was by far my favourite subject at school because I love uncovering the processes of how things were made.
That passion led me to pursue a Masters of Engineering in Manufacturing Engineering at university. During my course, I had the opportunity to join Worcester Bosch as a production engineering intern. That hands-on experience completely solidified my love for the industry and gave me a clear, exciting direction for the start of my career.
Q: In the UK, women still make up just 17% of the engineering workforce. Did you have any female role models who inspired you early on?
A: To be honest, I didn’t have many female role models within the industry. Manufacturing remains heavily male-dominated. In fact, I am currently the only female engineer in my department. Because of that, I didn’t have a direct female engineer mentor to look up to early on.
However, my mother has always been a big inspiration. She started her own professional journey in STEM and built a career she really enjoys. Her success gave me the confidence to focus on a pathway that brought me personal fulfilment, without worrying about whether or not it was considered a ‘traditionally male’ sector.
Q: What has been the most rewarding moment of your engineering career so far?
A: The introduction of our C8000+ project was a hugely rewarding moment in my career. Even though I was a recent graduate and relatively new to my role, I stepped up as the manufacturing lead within WoP. It was incredibly rewarding to spearhead the production side of one of the fastest TTM projects the business has ever achieved. Seeing the collective hard work translate into a streamlined, highly efficient process was a great feeling.
Q: This year’s INWED theme is ‘engineering intelligence,’ how do you apply ‘intelligence’ or innovative thinking to your day-to-day work?
A: A core part of my role is driving the continuous improvement of our manufacturing processes. To do this effectively, I regularly collaborate not just with other businesses in the industry, but internationally through Bosch Home Comfort’s international process network (IPN). We frequently share knowledge and experience across the globe around emerging technologies.
A great example is a project I’m currently leading. We have developed an advanced camera inspection station that uses AI technology to verify the correct assembly of a hydraulic unit. This system has actually become a benchmark project within the IPN, which is a fantastic example of innovation and shared engineering intelligence.
Q: With Worcester Bosch being a leader in the UK heating and cooling market, how is data or new technology opening up new opportunities in your specific role?
A: In manufacturing engineering, one of the biggest hurdles to improving efficiency is variation. That variation can come from human factors, like height and arm strength, or part variations, where multiple suppliers provide the same component with subtle differences in design or colour.
Developing flexible assembly systems to seamlessly handle these variations is a massive focus across the industry right now. Emerging technologies in AI and robotics are giving us the tools to solve these traditional challenges.
Q: What complex problem have you solved recently that you’re particularly proud of?
A: I am currently developing a new test station for hydraulic assemblies, and the main challenge was incorporating a jidoka system – a mechanism that locks the assembly in place until it passes the test. However, because these assemblies are highly complex, if a rework is required, the operator needs full physical access to adjust the parts.
While we have systems in production that successfully catch failures downstream, I wanted to boost efficiency by resolving the issue right at the point of failure. By combining CAD design, rigorous problem solving and digital technology, we successfully engineered a solution that secures the component but allows for seamless operator adjustment when needed.
Q: How has Worcester Bosch supported your professional growth and development as an engineer?
A: Worcester Bosch has been fantastic in helping me build a long-term career in manufacturing as I progressed from an intern to a graduate, and now to a full-time production engineer.
I’ve been given the platform to work on a really diverse range of projects, from local process improvements right on the factory floor to large-scale, cross-functional “Time-to-Market” (TTM) projects where I collaborate with colleagues across the wider business. Beyond this, I’ve also been encouraged to participate in ‘Women in Bosch’ programmes, which has been invaluable for networking and building my Bosch community.
Q: Why do you think have diverse perspectives and a balance of voices is so crucial in a technical field like engineering?
A: Engineering is all about problem-solving. If everyone in the room comes from the same background and thinks the same way, your solutions will be limited. The more diverse the perspectives you have around the table, the more opportunities for new creative ideas.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to a young woman or girl considering a career in STEM, what would it be?
A: STEM is such a strong foundation for so many different industries, and the transferable skills you will develop will set you up for a deeply rewarding, sustainable career.
My biggest piece of advice is to remember that engineering isn’t just about cars! We need engineers in every field, from pharmaceuticals to agriculture and even fashion.
Q: What excites you most about the future of engineering at Worcester Bosch in the next few years?
A: We have already seen incredible advancements in digitalisation and automation in our manufacturing engineering teams. Because of our strong involvement within the IPN, we are in a good position to see further developments in robotics, automation and advanced vision systems in the next few years.
Development in digitalisation has also meant that we now have more visibility on how our processes are performing than ever before. This enables us to identify areas of inefficiency faster, making it an exciting time to be an engineer here.
