Alex Juggins catches up with heating engineer and racing driver Neil Plimmer – almost two decades after he was first featured in the pages of PHPI magazine.
How did you get into the heating and plumbing industry and what attracted you to it?
My dad started the family business back in 1966 – incidentally, it‘s our 50th anniversary this year – and as soon as I left school at 16 I went to college and did my apprenticeship so that I could work with him. Realistically, that’s what I was always going to do. Unfortunately, my father passed away in 1997 and, since then, I’ve continued the run the family business under his name.
What is your favourite part of the job?
I don’t think I could stand going to the same place of work every day. Every day as an installer is different – you set off at 8am thinking you know what you’re doing for the day, but by 8.10 the phone’s rung and you’re going in completely the opposite direction. For me, it’s all about getting out there, meeting customers and enjoying seeing their satisfaction with your work.
What is your least favourite part of the job?
Definitely the paperwork! Because there’s only me in the business, I have to do it all – the invoicing, the quoting etc. It’s a bind, but it’s just part of the job.
Have you noticed any major changes in the industry since you last spoke with PHPI back in 1997?
The industry has changed massively, from the introduction of wireless systems and apps for phones, to the appliances themselves. Even the way we put pipes and fittings together these days is different. When I started, it was all about cleaning the pipe, cleaning the fitting and applying the flux; then we all began to favour plastic push-fit, and now a lot of us have started to use press fittings because of the savings on labour time and cost for the customer.
Tell us about your passion for driving and how you first got involved with motor racing
I started with motor sport back in 1987. My dad used to race cars so I was always around the circuits as a child, back in the days when Nigel Mansell was racing. I always wanted to get involved myself, so I went along to racing school and did a couple of sessions. As soon as they strapped me in, I was bitten by the racing bug.
These days I race in the Fun Cup Series, now in its 14th year in the UK. All the cars are identical – from the engine to the wheels, brakes and tyres – which means that the racing all comes down to the skill of the drivers, the pit strategy and the teamwork. I’ve been very fortunate in getting financial support for my racing from companies within the heating and plumbing industry, such as Andrews Water Heaters and Honeywell. The beauty of events like the Fun Cup is that it gives manufacturers the opportunity to invite installers on a corporate day out that’s unlike anything they’re used to.
