MEMBER ZONE MEMBERPROFILE
NAME: Dominic Wishlade COMPANY: Dura Ltd JOB TITLE: Managing director
WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? I did a degree in Industrial Design then worked for a manufacturer of car accessories. I then started my own design consultancy and also worked for a garden tractor manufacturer where I eventually became the commercial director before starting Dura in 1997.
WHAT DOES YOUR COMPANY DO? Dura designs and manufactures high-quality modular workshop furniture used mainly in the automotive and residential sectors but for anyone that wants a ‘state-of-the-art’ workshop.
HOW DID IT ALL START? I realised that there was fitted furniture for every room in the house from kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms but not for the garage. Also, when I looked at amazing car showrooms but then looked around the back at the dreadful state of the workshops where the critical work was done.
WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR? It’s not just mine; it’s a team effort. Dura has transformed the automotive aftermarket around the world – an achievement that helped us win the Queens Award for Enterprise (Export).
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN – AND DID IT WORK OUT? Putting our house on the line and borrowing as much as I could to buy our sub-contract manufacturer in December 2008 – the absolute eye of the credit crunch when the share price of our bank at the time went to 12p and we wanted to borrow £1m! No one wanted to lend to us, but it turned out to be a good call – it’s now doubled the size with nearly three times the staff, but very, very scary at the time!
WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU MOST IN YOUR JOB? How little we still appreciate British design and manufacturing generally as a nation and how unpatriotic we are about buying UK made products on the whole. It’s a lose/lose really as the Germans, French and Italians will generally buy home manufactured products first.
WHICH BUSINESS PERSON OR COMPANY DO YOU MOST ADMIRE, AND WHY? One of my housemates and friends at Polytechnic was Rob Dickinson. After a successful musical career, he went on to start Singer Porsche in California – the most beautiful 911s ‘reimagined’. He started the company from scratch and makes a product that’s now world- renowned in the industry while remaining a really nice guy.
WHAT EXCITING PROJECTS IS YOUR BUSINESS WORKING ON? We’re working with some of the most exciting companies in the transport sector on projects both on road and in the air and we’ve been lucky enough to get a glimpse of how the future is likely to go.
WHAT MADE YOU JOIN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CHAMBER? We export around 55% of our production as far afield as Japan and Australia. The Chamber is an invaluable source of information as well as helping to reduce the bureaucracy of exporting. There’s a huge font of knowledge to be tapped into and genuine support.
T: 01280 706050 E:
info@dura.co.uk W:
www.dura.com
42 inbusiness OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019
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