Kim Miller

2020 STEP Ahead Honoree

Materials Manager
ABB Installation Products Division

I have always been fascinated by bringing ideas and concepts to life. Manufacturing has allowed me to do just that. I am fortunate to work with people, materials and processes daily; and I take it as a personal challenge to always leave things better than I found them.

Kim is an experienced engineer and trusted leader with more than 20 years of manufacturing experience at Thomas & Betts. Over that time, she has held a variety of positions and compiled a long list of accomplishments, including plant Lean Champion for several years. During that same time her plant was also honored as Plant of the Year by Industry Week for its numerous production and process improvements. During her career, Kim has led the R&D teams that successfully automated several major pieces of equipment for significant annual savings and she has directed two major product moves from California and Iowa to her Athens, Tennessee plant.

Kim understands the importance of mentoring, and currently mentors several female floor leaders at her plant. Throughout her career in the still male-dominated world of manufacturing, she has been an inspiration to those who work with her and see all she has achieved, thanks to her superb work ethic, experience and people skills. Her skills were regularly on display while managing the relocation of products. As leader she directed the development of training plans for new operators, and she evaluated and led the team to integrate the processes into the local system.

Kim is involved in the Athens community. She was recognized by the McMinn County Economic Development Authority as Professional of the Year. She has been active leading and participating in outreach such as the United Way’s Day of Caring and the Loaned Executive program. She also actively seeks new opportunities for her company to support local charities and job shadowing activities through the local school systems. Through the McMinn County Chamber of Commerce, she helps coordinate company participation in the Leadership McMinn program, an initiative designed to identify, develop and motivate future leaders in the community, of which she was one of the inaugural participants. Through her church’s numerous outreach efforts, Kim can further express her commitment to her community.