People of UKMFG : From machinist to director in six years

Although a young Phillip Anthony was never really sure that he wanted to work in manufacturing, just six years after leaving college he reached director level at a progressive and successful supplier of precision machined components. Here’s his remarkable story.

“I’ve always been technically minded, but during my education I could never actually envisage what a career in manufacturing would look like,” admits Phillip Anthony, Sales & Marketing Director at DP Engineering, a Redruth-based, 40-employee supplier of precision CNC-machined parts. “Manufacturing has an image problem, where most youngsters still think it’s about getting dirty and working long hours.”

At college, Phillip did A-Level Product Design followed by a BTEC National Diploma in Engineering. On the day he was due to accept a place at university, he was offered a job as a trainee CNC machinist at DP Engineering, a forward-thinking, ISO9001 and AS9100 accredited supplier to sectors such as aerospace, defence and oil and gas. After much deliberation, Phillip entered the workplace.

“It was pretty scary walking into a real-life commercial manufacturing environment,” he says. “Neither school nor college prepared me for a busy factory floor with big machines and robots. Education establishments could do better in that regard, although employers could help too.”

Phillip rolled his sleeves up regardless, soon completing an NVQ apprenticeship and progressing to Sales Engineer. After just six years at DP Engineering, the company offered him a directorship and he’s since completed courses with the Chartered Management Institute and Institute of Leadership. In 2022 he was named in Cornwall’s Top 30 under 30, an accolade that identifies the county’s brightest young business talent. A year later, Phillip secured his place in The Manufacturer Top 100 most dynamic leaders and innovators in manufacturing.

“I often go back into schools and I’ve sat on advisory boards at local colleges, helping to promote the industry at mock interviews and open days. It’s great shouting about the virtues of a career in manufacturing,” says Phillip, who’s now completed over 10 years at DP Engineering.

“In every role I want to perform to the best of my ability, so I guess by association that makes me quite ambitious. Let’s see where it takes me.”