60 SECONDS OCTOBER 2019
14
CV:
2011-present: Managing director, Kora 3D
2005-present: Managing director,
Leeds Unique Ford Centre
2002-present: Managing director,
Original Equipment Parts
1998-present: Managing director, Impex Parts
1995-1998: Group parts purchaser, Pendragon PLC
www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk
Mao: Dmytro Synelnychenko / Alamy Stock Photo Film Poster: World History Archive / Alamy Stock Photo Lasange: michaeljung /stock.adobe.com Spain: PirahaPhotos /stock.adobe.com
60
seconds
with...
QAs a child, what did you want to
be when you grew up?
AA coach driver. I have many happy
memories of holidaying around
Europe as a kid – often travelling by
coach. When we did, I always wanted to
sit at the front so I could watch the driver.
I was mesmerised by them!
QHow did you get into the industry?
AOne of my other companies, Impex
Parts, which supplies parts to the motor
trade, needed a specifi c part. However, we
were struggling to get our hands on it and
someone suggested 3D printing it instead.
We bought some 3D printers and this
approach worked a treat until the printers
started regularly breaking down. Although
our engineers were able to repair them,
we decided to have a go at developing our
own, and Kora 3D was born.
QWhat do you like most about
UK manufacturing?
AThe quality of our products, which
I think is massively underrated. We
generally manufacture to a really high
standard in the UK yet we often get sucked
into that very British thing of downplaying
our achievements, regardless of how good
they are. People even seem embarrassed
to buy British at times, which is ridiculous.
We should be singing the praises of UKmade
products from the rooftops.
QHow do
you think
manufacturing
is perceived by
AI think people’s perception of the
industry is starting to change for the
better: with the rise of automation and
robotics, people no longer think of workers
doing mundane jobs while stood around
production lines in factories when they
think of manufacturing.
I also think the public is beginning to
realise the importance of supporting the
industry, and the impact it has on the
overall economy, which is great news.
QWhat is the secret to a successful
future for UK manufacturing?
A Restoring people’s pride in British
manufactured goods by increasing
investment and training. We also need to
emulate countries who actively seek to
purchase their own produce instead of
automatically opting for imported goods.
QHow do you spend your spare time?
A If the whole family is together, we like
to take our two dogs for a long walk;
we have a Spaniel and a Labrador/Bernese
Mountain Dog cross, which both need a
fair bit of exercising! If it’s just me, I like
to watch sport or get some exercise in.
QWhat has been you biggest
accomplishment – either in or
out of work?
AWork-wise, appearing in the Sunday
Times Top 100 list for exporting was
a fantastic achievement.
QOne thing you may not know about
me is…
A I have supported Leeds United for
over 40 years and the club was the
inspiration behind my Leeds Unique
Ford Centre (LUFC) business!
STEPHEN BURROWS
Managing director, Kora 3D
My favourite
holiday
destination:
Southern Spain. You’re guaranteed
the weather and can be there
within four hours of leaving
your front door.
My favourite
fi lm: The
Shawshank
Redemption.
The acting is
just fantastic.
My favourite book:
The Biography of
Chairman Mao,
even though I
started reading it about
four years ago and am still
only about halfway through it!
A few of my
favourite
things...
people outside the industry?
My favourite food:
Either lasagne – which
is all I can cook beyond
beans on toast – or a
curry. There’s not much
I won’t eat, to
be honest.
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk
/stock.adobe.com
/stock.adobe.com