Billy Kingsbury, CEO of thyssenkrupp Materials UK looks back on his career in materials distribution and reflects on dealing with various challenging situations integral to the fluctuant and complex materials and supply chain market.
As if it was meant to be, I left school after my A-levels and started as an apprentice at a materials distribution business. My apprenticeship gave me full exposure to warehousing, programmes, and logistics, and I even operated a plate saw. My experience has demonstrated how important apprenticeships are in the engineering industries and I truly believe that investing and supporting young people is the answer to one of the main challenges we face today – recruitment.
Building up apprentices to fully understand a business is an ideal solution to gain the highest quality workforce. thyssenkrupp Materials UK has achieved a gold standard Engineering Apprenticeships Employer Kitemark and will launch our apprenticeship programme later this year. I am fully committed to supporting the development of young people in the industry and giving back to reflect the opportunities I received during my professional journey.
From my apprenticeship to now being a CEO, I have always remained in the materials industry because of the exposure to a wide range of markets – from general engineering to F1, automotive and most recently the aerospace industry. I enjoy identifying the differences between these markets and recognising the operational similarities to create future opportunities. Due to the nature of the business, material organisations also tend to be global, and as a big people person, I like traveling and meeting professionals from around the world.
I joined thyssenkrupp Materials UK in 2006 as a sales manager in the Heywood branch, which was underperforming at the time. Although this was my first experience leading a team, I recognised the potential of my 20 internal and two external sales representatives and by focusing on developing strategic stainless steel and aluminium contracts, we managed to turn the branch performance around and create a high-performing team with pride in our performance. My passion for building long-lasting relationships with our customers progressed when I became product manager for stainless steel four years later. I was responsible for development of the product across all UK sites from both a sales and procurement perspective. This allowed me to understand both sides of the commodity world and create a link between customers and suppliers.
After another two years, I was promoted to run the coil processing branch – Vetchberry, which was my first experience in managing a production business. When I started my new role, the site was just commencing the installation of the most modern coil slitting line in Europe at the time. The installation of this enormous line that can process up to 22tonne coils had to happen seamlessly, while the factory remained operational and completed customer orders. I must admit that this was the biggest challenge I have faced so far in my career, but it also served as a turning point. We completed the installation ahead of time and budget, which gave me the confidence and base to successfully introduce aluminium to the coil processing business and install two new cut-to-length lines. We undertook a major modernisation project and transformed the performance of the business, and from my biggest challenge, this experience turned into my proudest achievement to date.
Another turning point in my career was becoming the COO of the combined businesses – thyssenkrupp Aerospace UK and thyssenkrupp Materials UK. This introduced me to several new processes, such as CNC machining, waterjet cutting and routing, as well as the aerospace and defence industry. As customer-centricity is one of my main strengths, I’m interested in partnering with and understanding the operations of Tier I and OEMs. It’s fascinating how the whole industry is set up and operates globally by relying on each other and sharing the same commitment. It’s something I can relate to in terms of how I like to get things done in the materials world.
Now, one year after becoming the CEO at thyssenkrupp Materials UK, my main focus consists of the success of the business, but also the people and building one team across our sites. Therefore, I meet every member of staff every quarter while presenting the business updates personally alongside my senior team. I know this year will be as challenging, if not more. However, I never shy away from challenges and rather see them as opportunities to grow. I believe hard work has made me the leader I am today.
