Working at MAHLE

Kei. S

Joined MAHLE in 2023
Powertrain & Charging
Smart Factory Group, Technical Development Department

Toward the goal of “Smart Factory” that properly communicates information and efficiently manufactures products
I am currently a member of the Smart Factory Group in the Technology Development Department, which promotes DX in factories. I am focusing on a project to digitize data related to products manufactured in the factories in order to manage them accurately and efficiently. While determining which information is needed at the production site, I am constantly thinking about the means necessary to identify the information.
Since I majored in mechanical engineering at the university, I am able to utilize my own expertise at the current position. On the other hand, there are still a lot of things that I do not know about manufacturing and digital technology. Fortunately, I have many opportunities to learn about manufacturing and digital technology from team members and production sites, and I feel the excitement of encountering new insights and discoveries through my projects.
Also, after the project I am working on is actually implemented at the production site, I receive feedbacks from the employees working there that they are now able to work more efficiently. At that time, I feel proud to be able to work as a member of this project, and it motivates me to do other work as well.

The culture of mutual help and the global environment
In my second year with MAHLE, while I was honored to be involved in the launch of a project in a new department, I was worried about my knowledge and the lack of working experiences. However, my team members listen to my worries and concerns, and they offer appropriate solutions and advice, and this leads to motivate mw to engage in my tasks with confidence.
Additionally, my team members were born and raised in different cultures. The different backgrounds of the members allow us to exchange various ideas and opinions, which leads to the interesting aspect of the job of being able to proceed with projects from multiple perspectives. As the environment lets me to communicate in English, I can improve my English skills as well as expand my ideas and experiences.

Typical Working Day
08:30AM Work begins
09:00AM Meeting with the team members
10:00AM Reviewing and sharing project progress with the team members, setting and following up tasks
12:00PM Lunch break
01:00PM Summary of analysis data
03:00PM Hearing and information gathering at production sites
05:00PM Work ends

Kei’s Career Path @ MAHLE
- Studied in mechanical engineering
- Joined MAHLE Engine Components Japan Corporation
- Assigned to Tsuruoka Plant, Machining Group
- Assigned to Smart Factory Group, Technical Development Department

Lingxuan. C

Joined MAHLE in 2024
Thermal & Fluid Systems
Product Development Asia1

“The understanding of different cultures and diversity” brought me to join MAHLE
Through my life in Japan, I was exposed to the culture and the kindness of the people I met, and learned the importance of understanding different cultures and diversity. This experience let me want to work for a global company, and I decided to join MAHLE. I have opportunities to understand different cultures and diversity by communicating with colleagues in overseas offices. Additionally, I would like to keep developing my own international skills by immersing myself in a global environment.

Interesting design work with “planning skills” that I learned during graduate school
I am currently in charge of intake manifold design and drawing release in the product development department. For the drawing release, I issue drawings to be used in the production of products and distribute them to each department. Since the deadline for delivering the product to the customer is set in advance, it is necessary to work backwards from the delivery date to make a schedule. This is where I can use the planning skills I learned in the lab when I was a graduate student. The research also had a deadline, so it was important to plan and execute research. Sometimes it did not go as planned, so it was necessary to manage progress and prepare alternative plans. The moment that I can make use of the experience I gained in my graduate studies in my current job makes my work more interesting.

Challenges in a different field from graduate school
I specialized in biomedical engineering during my graduate studies, so when I joined MAHLE, I did not have enough knowledge of products and drawings for my work. However, if there is something I don't understand meanwhile I make progress on a project, my team members always teach me about product functions and drawings. In addition, the product development department to which I belong has a platform called "MAHLE Library" that consolidates product-related knowledge. I can use the platform to deepen my own understanding of the knowledge required for my work, and my team members give me a lecture using the resource. I believe that the amount of knowledge has increased dramatically from when I joined MAHLE, thanks to the team members and the use of the accumulated resources. I will continue to value my attitude toward learning and accept the challenge of creating products that will continue to be used around the world.

Lingxuan’s Career Path @ MAHLE
- Studied at Course of Biomedical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering
- Joined MAHLE Japan Ltd.
- Assigned to Segment Air Intake, Product Development Asia1

Shoki. M

Joined MAHLE in 2023
Thermal & Fluid Systems
Administration Group, Quality Management Asia1

Challenge to “create a system to maintain good quality” from a passion for automobiles
I have been interested in automobiles and longed to work in the automotive industry. I decided to join MAHLE as I wanted to work in the automotive industry and at a global company required English skills. After joining the company, I was assigned to the Quality Assurance Department, where my main tasks include managing ISO (*1) and IATF (*2) certifications, organizing internal and external audits, and preparing and sharing quality reports with domestic and overseas offices.
When I first joined the company, I did not have any knowledge regarding of international standards required at MAHLE, so I put a lot of efforts to understand my tasks. In addition, since my responsibilities involves the creation of a system for the entire company, I had to learn the knowledge about the work of other departments. However, motivated by my “passion for automobiles” I began to study the necessary knowledge from scratch with the support by the team members.
While there are a lot of things that I still need to learn, I am now entrusted with a variety of tasks both in Japan and overseas, and I am involved in creating a system that maintains the same quality regardless of the environment in which the products are manufactured.

*1: International standards for products
*2: International standard for quality management systems in the automotive industry

Attractive to work with discretion from the first year at MAHLE
I can work with teamwork and discretion. Most of the tasks are done in teams, but each team member has a lot of discretion and can experience a variety of tasks from the first year at MAHLE. For example, I feel rewarded when a team member agrees with my idea that I proposed in a team meeting and it is reflected in my work. It also motivates me to make an effort to contribute to my work!
It is also attractive that we have many company and union-sponsored events to promote teamwork. At these events, I am able to interact with people from other departments, which gives me the opportunity to gain new insights into my work and workstyle, as well as a place where I can casually ask for advice about my work.

My next goal is to be “a person with the most knowledge in my team members”
I find it interesting to work in quality assurance where I can gain new knowledge and awareness every day. While I am currently involved in management work for the international standards, I would like to obtain a certification as an internal auditor for the next step. Therefore, I would like to continue to contribute knowledge to obtain the certification for the acquisition work. In addition, since I am working with the support of team members, my goal is to acquire knowledge equal to or better than that of them and to become the best partner so that we can complement each other in our work.

Typical Working Day
08:00AM Work begins
08:30AM Preparation of documents for internal audits
12:00PM Lunch break
01:00PM Summary of quality ratings provided by customers
04:00PM Participation in quality reporting meetings with MAHLE's overseas offices
05:30PM Work ends

Shoki’s Career Path @ MAHLE
- Studied at Faculty of Engineering
- Joined MAHLE Japan Ltd.
- Assigned to Administration Group, Quality Management Asia1

Zommara. M

Joined MAHLE in 2023
Thermal & Fluid Systems
Product Development

The appeal of MAHLE vision and strategy
In my previous position as an engineer and project manager for a global OEM, I gained experience communicating with domestic and international teams and OEMs. In my daily work, I witnessed the automotive industry's rapid transition to battery electric vehicles (BEVs). I decided to join MAHLE because of its clear vision for the future of electric vehicles and its proactive and transparent strategy as a global company.

MAHLE culture that encourages open communication
Currently, as a Thermal Management Module developer, I am responsible for a variety of tasks, including design and development, direct communication with customers, project management, and strategic collaboration with suppliers. The most interesting part of my job is the global and cross-functional collaboration. Working on projects with members from different backgrounds allows me to incorporate ideas and expertise from different perspectives. MAHLE also has a flat organizational structure that encourages open communication with members and Management Board. This environment allows me to solve potential problems and broaden my own perspectives.

Challenges to carbon neutrality and environmental protection
My goal is to continue to challenge myself to contribute to solutions that achieve carbon neutrality and protect the environment for the next generation. To that end, I intend to use my current work to develop the skills and experience necessary to lead a team focused on breakthrough projects and technologies for the next generation of vehicles.