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Q&A: Clive Dix

7 October 2022

Q&A: Clive Dix

Clive Dix is managing director of Himoinsa Power Solutions in Crewe, the UK business of the Spanish manufacturer of generators, lighting towers, battery energy storage systems and related equipment.  

What was your first job? 

When I was 14, I started as a stable boy at a stables that were a six-mile bike ride from home near Crewe. I got paid once I was 16. They bred polo ponies and I’d travel to events throughout the country. I once brushed shoulders with King Charles (when he was the Prince of Wales); worked in polo with Stewart Copeland, who was the drummer with The Police; and met Pamela Sue Martin, the actress who played Fallon Carrington in the blockbuster Dynasty TV series. She actually gave me a lift home once.  

I imagine the work was demanding?

It certainly helped develop my work ethic. You brushed the yard, loaded hay and rode out. By 18, I was managing a stable yard that imported polo ponies from Argentina.

I had also always messed about with motorbikes. Someone who had a horse at the yard ran a garage preparing rally cars, so I started working there part-time before becoming self-employed tuning, servicing and repairing vehicles, mainly at weekends. 

How did you get into the power generation industry? 

Generac [eventually acquired by Pramac in 2016] was setting up in Winsford in 1994 and I was looking for a full-time job. I started assembling portable generators up to 6kVA. I progressed to Operations Manager, managing production and purchasing as the business grew. I was eventually managing 100 employees and the factory was working three shifts, five days a week. 

The American market went ballistic in 1999 because people were worried about the computer ‘millennium bug’ disrupting power supplies; we made 110,000 generators that year. We perfected the process so we could make a machine every 40 minutes, all assembled on pallets, shipping three to five container loads a week. 

What happened next? 

Briggs & Stratton acquired Generac in 2003. I joined the generator manufacturer SDMO the following year and then Himoinsa in 2013, setting up the UK operation and headquarters in Crewe. 

How’s business at the moment? 

Extremely busy, what with the aftermath of Covid and supply chain issues, and the risk of power supply disruption. Himoinsa is able to react quickly and we have good stock availability, including Stage V machines to support hirers – demand has gone through the roof. 

What are the main challenges? 

Market requirements constantly change. We have to respond to environmental challenges, as do site contractors and hire companies. The transition to Stage IIIa started in 2011 and lasted the best part of 11 years; customers were slower moving to Stage V but now demand is very, very strong. We also have to take account of the usage and management of after-treatments like AdBlue and are developing machines using new energy sources like LPG

What one thing would make business easier? 

Finding the right people with the right skills set of sales, engineering and an understanding of the power generation market. Increasingly we will all have to recruit and train people from within. 

What frustrates you? 

So-called smart motorways! With no hard shoulder, lorries effectively hog three lanes so the journey from A to B is no quicker. And why is train travel so expensive? 

I hear you are a motor sports enthusiast. 

I race saloon cars when I can [as referred to earlier on the blog here.] This grew out of working on rally vehicles - I once rebuilt an AC Cobra for a client. The main car I currently race is a Mazda RX7 with a rotary engine developing 500hp. The car is still in the development stages; I like the technical challenges and competing. 

What is your favourite car?

A Volkswagen Beetle that I once customised and really enjoyed driving. It was sky blue with alloy wheels - and I even added a Michelin man figure to the front bumper. 

What was your favourite school subject?

Environmental Science. We got to disassemble and assemble farm machinery, drove tractors and trailers round the school and looked after an allotment. It’s strange how that connects with what I do now, working with generators and meeting sustainability requirements. 

If things had been different, what other career might you have chosen?

Well, my mum always wanted me to go into the Navy. My uncle was a petty officer on HMS Hermes, the British aircraft carrier that was the flagship of the 1982 Falklands War. We actually went aboard the vessel when it returned from service. I was a Sea Cadet – but then horses and cars came along. 

What’s the best piece of advice that you would pass on to others?

Always think outside the box and, whatever actions you take, imagine their impact on others. Don’t just think about tomorrow: look ahead ten years and where you want your business to be. 

What new skill would you like to learn?

To swim. Maybe I should have joined the Navy after all! 

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Treat the family, buy a 1960s Mini and a Ford Escort Mk1 - and build another Cobra. 

What’s the secret of success? 

Be ahead of the curve. Never follow, always lead. 

Finally, any future plans? 

Himoinsa Power Solutions will expand. We’re aiming for bigger premises in the UK within two to three years and we have many new products in development based on new technologies like batteries, gas, LPG and machines for special projects. 

Photo: Alan Guthrie


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