DIRECTOROFTHEMONTH
The long and short (commute) of it
A firm believer in the 5S
regime, June’s Director of
the Month – Nick Cowley
of Euramax – talks the 5B
regime; boosting business,
breaking modular buildings,
beach backgrounds,
battle for the biscuits, and
branding like Beckham.
Name/job title:
Nick Cowley, managing director of window
and door manufacturer, Euramax.
When did you join the company?
I joined Euramax in January 2019.
Describe your working day...
My commute to Euramax is the shortest
I’ve had to travel. Previous commutes were
either eight hours by flight or two-hour
drives, so as you can imagine, the beginning of
my day is much more relaxed than what I have
been used to in the past.
I’m usually occupied in meetings with
my sales and financial operations teams’
during the mornings, and the afternoons
are busy engaging with customers. However,
since breaking into the world of modular
construction, each day is different and always
keeps me on my toes.
What is your workspace like?
My workspace is always tidy because
we follow the ‘5S regime’ at Euramax. This
approach follows the principals of lean
manufacturing, helping to organise our
workplace safely and efficiently. The 5Ss stand
for; sort, straighten, sweep, standardise and
systemise. The team are all great at following
this way of working, although we do have
designated colleagues that we’ve lovingly
nicknamed ‘the 5S police’ to help keep
everyone in check.
I’m still maintaining the 5S mentality while
working from home, and my current working
space is also tidy and clutter free, with only
the necessities I need for each day.
First thing you do when
you get to your desk?
When I arrive at the Euramax office, I
plug my computer in and head straight for
a coffee. I then catch up on emails until my
usual meetings take place. I carry out a similar
routine while working from home, although
there’s no queue for the coffee machine or
battle for the biscuits here.
What websites help you?
I mainly use a CRM system called Hubspot,
as well as LinkedIn. Hubspot has been ideal
for managing our growing customer base and
prospects, especially while working remotely.
LinkedIn is fundamental to me. It’s perfect for
keeping me informed with what’s happening
in our target industries. I use it regularly to
read industry specific articles, to see who’s
returning to the marketplace and to connect
with business leads. I like to publish my own
articles and business news on there, too.
Most useful business tool?
The activity feed on Hubspot is great to
engage with customers, as we can see who is
interested in business. Especially at the moment,
Microsoft Teams has also allowed us to proceed
with company and customer meetings like
normal. For me, it’s important that we can still
interact with our customers face to face, even
if it is via a screen. Using the funky backgrounds
to pretend we’re all on the beach certainly helps
keep things light-hearted during internal calls.
Best business decision in
your current role?
Expanding and diversifying markets from
recreational and holiday home, to target
flourishing industries such as modular and
offsite construction. I also highly value the
impact we have made by repositioning
Euramax as an innovation adopter. Whether
it’s looking at material choice for our window
frames or building relationships with SMART
technology businesses, we’re continuously
investing in researching and developing
innovative solutions to boost our offering.
Favourite role models and why?
David Beckham. Although I’m not a huge
football fan, I admire the way he repositioned
and built his name and brand after his football
career.
How do you unwind?
Monday to Friday, I am in work mode. From
Friday afternoon onwards, I like to relax with
my wife, with a glass of wine in hand. I also
thoroughly enjoy going out for meals and
taking city breaks. Leeds is one of my favourite
places.
22 » JUN 2020 » CLEARVIEW-UK.COM