Graham Mulholland is Managing Director and Founder of epm: technology in Derby. He oversees the production of high-tech composites for high-performance engineering, Formula 1 and Team GB. Last year the business saw double-digit growth and opened a £6.75 million state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.

Mulholland, who has used Sage software since setting up the business in 1996, tells us his recipe for business success.

What did you do before you set up the business?

I worked at a few factories where they made composites for canoes, followed by a job as a laminator, making racing car bits. While I was doing that I got a lucky break and was asked to run the office, and that’s where I learned all about payroll, HR, ledgers and all the fundamentals of how a business works.

Then, in November 1996, that company got bought out. I’d been thinking about setting up my own business for a while and decided it was now or never.

How easy was epm:technology to set up?

It was terrifying! The first thing I did was buy a Nokia mobile phone with a great big aerial you had to pull out. Then I got hold of an autosport directory and, starting from A, cold-called all the companies to see if any wanted to buy composites.

If I take pride in anything it’s that, when I started the company, I didn’t know anyone. Most competitors in this industry have set up with the benefit of existing contacts – but I really did just start with that A-Z.

What were the early days like?

For a while I ran the business in my dad’s garage. When I needed things made I’d go to the factory up the road and hand over some cash to the people on the night shift to make the parts for me.

Then one day ProDrive called and said they wanted to see the factory. But we didn’t even really have an office, let alone a factory! So we booked a meeting for five weeks’ time and set about turning nothing into something. Amazingly Leicester City Council gave us a unit in four days. We had to start from scratch – painting everywhere, buying all the fittings and equipment… On the morning of the meeting the oven arrived, and a few hours later ProDrive walked through the doors.

Tell us a bit more about your new manufacturing, research and development centre in Derby. What does it mean for epm:technology's future?

We realised that the business needed to grow, and that the only way to really do this properly was to have a high-performance, purpose-built facility. At 50,000sq ft it’s more than double the size of our previous premises, and has doubled our capacity. It means we’re taking on more staff – we have 120 people at the moment but this is soon going to grow to 150.

It’s also attracted new business that we wouldn’t have got if we’d stayed where we were. At present we mainly focus on autosports, but the new technology centre has opened the doors to aerospace and defence customers.

What are your top tips for managing a happy workforce?

Prepare to perform – if you want a good job, you get it through hard work; and TCUP – think correctly under pressure. We’ve got a young team and we make sure they’re all taught how to deal with pressure. This means they are empowered to get out there, to go to a meeting with a key customer, to present to them, to challenge them if necessary and then to report back to us.

We also have a classroom on site, where our apprentices can study for composites-related NVQ 2 & 3 and HNC/HND qualifications. Clever factories need clever people, and our aim is to have the most skilled composites manufacturing team in the country.

It’s not really that hierarchical here and I have been criticised for that – but then we’ve only lost about seven people over the past 10 years, and I look at competitors and see that, for every part they make, we make three.

How much of your business is automated?

At the moment most of the team are on the floor and it’s very labour intensive. However, we’re investing in automation. We now have a 6-axis robot on site and we’ve also hired a professor of robotics to join our robotics engineering team of three graduate engineers. We’re learning all about how to use the robot so we know what we’re talking about before we apply it – I don’t want our customers to be our learning curve.

What's your opinion on the British manufacturing industry?

British manufacturing is well and truly back on the agenda. I think it’s more valued now than it has been in the past 15 years. And epm:technology has had so much support – £4.75 million of the investment for our technology centre came from Derby City Council’s Derby Enterprise Growth Fund.

Derby as a manufacturing city is really on it, we really focus on what we’re good at and don’t try to be everything to everyone. We make a car every 60 seconds, we make an aero engine every day; we make a train every week. We’re part of a global industry.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

My first two bosses were so important – they taught me the most crucial lesson, and that is to work hard. It’s as simple as that. And ask lots of questions – the more you want to learn, the more people will want to teach you.