Our people: Nancy Xue

As a project engineer for tools at MAPAL China in Shanghai, Nancy Xue is making her way in what is supposedly a male domain.

Nancy Xue, Project Engineer at MAPAL China

The Chinese site requires intelligent solutions for the growing requirements in terms of tool inventory, warehouse optimisation and tool management. Project Engineer Nancy Xue specialises in tool manufacturing. What inspires her about her employer is the drive towards constant improvement, but also the interpersonal aspect.

“I am responsible for designing the tools and calculating the prices”, Nancy Xue says, describing her area of activity at MAPAL China Ltd.


In addition to the sales company, MAPAL also has a large production company in Shanghai that specialises in PCD tools, solid carbide tools and indexable inserts. Nineteen sales offices in strategically important metropolitan areas ensure short response times in terms of customer support, sales and service.

MAPAL is the first professional stop for the engineering graduate, who joined the company in 2012 and has been able to gain experience in sales and purchasing along the way. Today she is an experienced project engineer in the Technology Expert Team. “As a project engineer, my first priority is to meet the demands of the fast-growing Chinese market. I deal with how we can implement the machining of a complete workpiece for our customers and optimise the accuracy of machining.”

Customer satisfaction as the ultimate aspect

In a recent project, she and her team designed the machining process of a component from an electric motor and successfully offered it to the customer. The tools have now been produced and are being used for pre-machining in Dalian in northern China. Nancy tested the tools in close coordination with the machine engineer right from the start. “If we encountered a problem during the machining process commissioning, I had to check whether it was due to the tool design, the cutting data or the production conditions on site. And then I solved the problem together with the machine manufacturer’s co-workers.”, Nancy elaborates. Good surface finish, long tool life and perfect lead time – these are just some of the criteria that determine the success of a workpiece. If customer requirements are met, nothing stands in the way of series production. Nancy knows then that she has done a good job with her team.

“It’s much more important that production runs smoothly and successfully with our tools than getting an order”.

Freedom to develop

Further development of employees is a decisive factor within the MAPAL Group. Regular training courses are held for various technologies, sectors and components, providing employees with practical know-how. The content is tailor-made and mostly based on the latest findings and current customer needs. “Without continuous training, there is stagnation. That is why I find such opportunities to be quite motivating. They help me to improve professionally and also to advance career-wise”, says Nancy, who happily seizes the opportunities.

Like a good old friend

Excellent team spirit and cooperation within the teams are two of the many reasons why Nancy is still with the company today. If MAPAL were a person, she would probably call her a ‘good old friend’: “One who teaches me a lot, who I can always rely on and who brings new friends into my life.” Nancy gives credit to her employer for MAPAL’s active involvement in improving the working environment and training methods. A spirit which is infectious: many events with a team-building character are now organised by the staff themselves.

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