Nicoletta Fenucci’s journey to becoming a quality manager and welding coordinator at forklift attachment maker Bolzoni Group in Piacenza, Italy, has been long and winding. But with insatiable curiosity and a constant determination to learn and evolve she has found that each step has taken her closer toward exactly here she wants to be. 

Choosing to study mechanical engineering was not a straightforward decision. I had no clear ideas about my future but knew I was good at science and my best friend had started mechanical engineering a couple of years before me.

My curiosity grew until finally I decided to try this challenging course. It turned out to be a good decision. When I finished the degree, it was very easy and quick for me to find a job compared to friends graduating in other subjects.

I started working in a logistics department within a train company but within a few months I got a job offer from the offshore pipeline welding department at Saipem, Italy’s biggest oil and gas construction company.

For my thesis I had researched ultrasonic welding, although not directly related to pipeline welding, there was enough of a link. I was asked to complete the International Welding Engineering Masters degree, which turned out to be useful when I decided to work in Australia.

I worked for seven years with Saipem and gained expertise in welding, after which my husband and I decided to spend a period abroad to get a new experience in another country. We transferred to Perth, Australia, which is a big centre for oil, gas and mining. 

As a foreigner it’s not easy to get a work visa in Australia unless you have particular skills. This was the case for welding engineers.

I worked as a welding engineer for large construction company called Civmec.  For me this represented a great opportunity to gain a breadth of welding knowledge. Aside from offshore pipeline construction I also gained experience in piping plants, subsea manifolds, bridges and construction because I was involved in the construction of the new Perth stadium.

It was an exciting couple of years, getting to know a different culture and experiencing different work approaches. I still have good friends in Perth. Through the experience I grew stronger and more self-confident. 

With a two-year-old and a second on the way, we decided to come back home. Australia is an amazing country but too far from family.

A year later I started a new job at Bolzoni. I can say that it was and still is a new experience every day!

I initially worked in the manufacturing engineering department. Then I became the welding coordinator of the plant. Bolzoni employs more than 45 welders and welding process is considered the main process of the plant.

It is a very different business compared to oil and gas. Welding is always welding but production logistics is totally different. This new adventure became even more challenging when I took on the role of quality manager and welding coordinator last September.

Every day I am learning something new. I think this is the only way to go to work: with a good mood, curiosity and a willingness to learn. 

As welding coordinator I’m responsible for all the aspects related to welding quality, that is all the processes and persons related to welding, all working in accordance with the international standards that we follow. 

I coordinate welders’ qualifications and welding procedure qualifications. I ensure all the customers’ welding requirements are observed in our products (i.e. mechanical properties of the joints). 

Welding consumables and welding sequences play an important role in maintaining a high-quality product. Within my role I must be able to guarantee this quality.

As a quality manager I’m finding my experience in welding quality very useful to empower our quality system, increase our quality team, work on prevention of problems, standardise and simplify processes, measure our performance and analyse results to find new strategies for improvement. Although I have lost a bit of operativity I enjoy the new challenge of taking my experience in production and transferring it in a new way of thinking.

Engineering is a wide world. When you are completing your studies you have a lot of information in your head and usually no idea of what you can do in practice. But when you start working it’s easy to understand that you have learned a valuable way of thinking, a mindset that will help you solve any problem. 

My suggestion is to have no fear of trying something new, travel a lot, ask, learn, stay close to operative people and learn from them. Reduce the gap between the person that does the job and the people that plan and design the job. 

This is the challenge. Continuous improvement. You’ll grow more accomplished day by day if you are curious to learn and eager to try.

I can say my role, especially as a welding coordinator/engineer, is traditionally for men. Very often I’ve been the only woman in the room, at the table, on board a pipelay vessel, in the yard. Always among men. But I think that this is only a cultural issue. Sooner or later it will change. 

Men and women are different it’s true, but we are also complementary. Women can give a lot in this environment. Don’t be afraid, don’t be worried about difficulties and don’t try to be like a man. Be yourself and be proud of all the steps that you take each day. They will bring you exactly where you want to go.     

Work in materials handling? The Forklift Diaries would love to hear your story!