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”.

Die Freiheit, sich zu entwickeln

Innerhalb der MAPAL Gruppe ist Weiterbildung ein entscheidender Faktor. Für unterschiedliche Technologien, Branchen und Komponenten finden regelmäßige Schulungen und Trainings statt, in denen Mitarbeitenden praxisnahes Knowhow vermittelt wird. Die Inhalte werden passgenau entwickelt und orientieren sich zumeist an neuesten Erkenntnissen und aktuellen Kundenbedürfnissen. „Ohne Weiterbildung herrscht Stillstand. Daher empfinde ich solche Angebote als ziemlich motivierend. Sie helfen mir, mich fachlich zu verbessern und auch beruflich weiterzukommen“, sagt Nancy.

Wie ein guter, alter Freund

Der vorbildliche Zusammenhalt unter Mitarbeitenden sowie die Zusammenarbeit innerhalb der Teams sind zwei der vielen Herzensgründe, warum Nancy bis heute im Unternehmen ist. Wäre MAPAL eine Person, würde sie diese wohl als „guten, alten Freund“ bezeichnen. „Jemand, der mir vieles beibringt. Auf den ich mich immer verlassen kann und der mir neue Freunde in meinem Leben beschert.“ Dass MAPAL sich aktiv in der Verbesserung des Arbeitsumfeldes und der Weiterbildungsmethoden engagiert, rechnet Nancy ihrem Arbeitsgeber hoch an. Ein Esprit, der ansteckt: denn viele Events mit Teambuilding-Charakter werden mittlerweile von der Belegschaft selbst organisiert.

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