Meet the Team: Chris Berriman

A self-professed people person and an engineer at heart, we talk to UK Sales Manager, Chris Berriman about his career to date, his role here at Ficep UK, and what his secrets to success are.

Tell us about your background

I had a fascination with engineering from a young age, stemming from my father’s successful career as a first-class engineer. From model cars to working part time as a mechanic on formula racing cars, it was a given that I would pursue a career that somehow incorporated engineering.

When I left school, I became one of the UK’s first ever candidates for a dual skilled apprenticeship, specifically covering electrical engineering and other mechanical engineering sectors, gaining my qualification after five years and becoming a maintenance engineer in a factory. I then spent many years specialising in press brakes, metal works and a broad range of CNC machines, becoming a service engineer for Pullmax and also working on Ficep machines. Whilst I still felt as at ease holding a toolbox as holding a laptop, in 1998 I decided to venture into the machinery sales route and became an area manager for Pullmax.

What brought you to Ficep?

After spending so much time working with Ficep UK and MD, Mark Jones, it was a clear choice for me to join the steel processing company permanently when the opportunity arose to join as an Area Sales Manager for the north, in 2003. After six years, I became UK Sales Manager covering all the territory and the Manager to the relevant Area Sales Managers. I welcomed the additional challenge of taking on new responsibilities across sales and support and haven’t looked back since.

What does your role involve?

It requires a strong level of communication, knowledge sharing and trust building to develop long-lasting client relationships, which has been vital in the successful growth of Ficep UK over the years. Day-to-day I take responsibility for budget management, company turnover, and nurturing existing and prospective client relationships.

I am also responsible for managing the sales process from the initial calls right through to the process of delivering equipment to clients. It is by no means an easy task and takes a great deal of care and time investment to harness relationships and provide the best service to customers.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I feel my role makes a difference to the businesses I work with and that I make a real impact on the Ficep business, too. I feel valued and that my thoughts and feedback are listened to and acted upon.

I’m a people person so having the opportunity to meet with lots of really interesting clients – both in person and on-line - before the final agreement is made is a real highlight of the job for me.

What is the secret to your success?

It’s my business to know all there is to know about Ficep UK and I take great pride in what I do. I also think that it’s down to being flexible and able to adapt to a constantly evolving environment – and always being open to new ideas and new ways of working in order to provide the best solutions for customers.

What does the future hold?

2022 is off to a great start for Ficep UK and I plan to build on that success and continue to work closely with clients, both nationally and internationally, as the world gently recovers from the recent impact of the pandemic. I am really looking forward to doing what I love most and getting out to meet lots more people – old and new acquaintances – at our own events and at industry exhibitions.