The Interview: Steve Plunkett

Bodyshop magazine’s The Interview hears from Steve Plunkett (pictured centre), the well-respected body and paint programme development manager at Volvo, who talks about his time in the collision repair sector and how he stays driven.

Please describe your career to date.
For the past 20 years I have been working around the vehicle manufacturer sector in various roles. I started off as an apprentice mechanic in my dad’s village garage in Wroxham, Norfolk. Once I finished my apprenticeship, I worked at a few bodyshops. I then worked for BASF in technical sales – that was the dream job at the age of 27 and it was career defining. I then did a parts representative role, business development role and then bodyshop managers role at a Vauxhall dealer, all in the space of two years. Then I went into bodyshop management at East Bilney Coachworks and for a while at Nationwide.

What inspired you to join the industry?
If I’m brutally honest, I am really not sure what I would’ve done if my dad had not been in the industry. We used to sell a few cars and do servicing; it was more mechanical repairs. I had zero interest in mechanics but I really took to body repair so my dad very kindly told me that we would be doing more of that type of work on the back of that and it went from there really. Maybe it was the thinners in the paint that got me hooked? Luckily at the age of 15, in my last summer holiday, I started working for him and really enjoyed it.

What gets you up in the morning?
Me! I am very self-motivated wherever I am and whatever I am doing. I have never needed anyone to remind me to get up and go to work. Whatever the weather you will find me getting up on time and going out for a run at least three or four mornings a week and that helps me, too.

What do you love to do in your spare time?
I really enjoy spending quality time with my family at any time. I am away most weeks at some stage, so time together is precious. I am still a runner at heart, although I run and race shorter distances these days. I have already got a 5k and 10k booked for next summer. It helps to keep you motivated if you have a race to aim for, and without the training runs I would definitely not still be playing football at the age of 57. I also write for a music magazine in my spare time as a hobby and have done since 1991.

Tell us about Plunkys All Stars.
I have played in three Football Aid charity matches in Norwich and decided that it was getting too expensive and that it would be great to get some teams of my own and raise money for charities of my choice. We have played about eight matches in total, at different professional grounds mostly, which is a big buzz for all the players (and supporters) as we are still wannabes. We will be playing another match in 2020, maybe two, maybe three or more if the challenges come in.

Where does the Plunkys All Stars money go?
We have raised money for several different charities now, with just over £30,000 to date. We raised just over £7,000 in 2019, which is a record for a single match. We will raise funds for Anthony Nolan bone marrow this year as it’s a charity extremely close to my heart. My dad was the first person from Norfolk to be the recipient of a bone marrow transplant back in 1982 and I was also a donor in 2003 for an anonymous patient. We will be aiming high to raise £10,000 for them. We all have such a great time and raise money for good causes, what more could you ask for?

What do you drive?
I am in a Volvo XC60 Inscription model. It’s a great car and the Bowers & Wilkins speakers and sound system really floats my boat. If I am on my own, it becomes very loud in there.

What’s a typical day for you?
It’s so wide and varied. It can range from having a joint retailer and bodyshop review meeting, supplier and partner meetings, work provider, programme strategy and performance reviews, training meetings, new projects, etc. No day is the same.

What keeps you motivated at work?
I thrive on making a difference in anything that I do. In this current role, it has been vital to our performance that we deliver a return on investment (ROI) for our approved bodyshop network, because if there is no ROI then they will not stick around. That is a key driver. I love working with like-minded people and we have surrounded ourselves with them in our network and programme.

What do you consider your biggest achievement?
Personally, I think that would have to be being married for almost 35 years and bringing up two great children. Professionally, the results that we have delivered in the past seven years have been extremely satisfying to see as a product of all the hard work and planning. The accolades and awards that the team has won over the past seven years deserve a mention too as it means an awful lot to get the recognition from those around us.

Who is your role model and why?
I definitely get my work ethic from my dad – it’s clearly in the blood. I still think about him lots. He, along with my mum, were huge influencers within me. I was extremely fortunate to have such great parents. To have such a solid home life and great wife and children is so important also; they are all very supportive. Different people have inspired me over the years from sportsmen (Martin Peters, Duncan Forbes, Seb Coe, and David Wilkie) to musicians (Guy Garvey, Ian Mcnabb, Neil Finn and Paul McCartney) and people in the industry. One of the most influential people in my early career was Neil Manton from ICI, he was the first technical representative that I met, and he was a great role model who taught me a lot. I used to hang on his every word. He would come in with his DeVilbiss suitcase of spray guns, dressed in his shirt, tie and white overalls and I decided at age 18 or 19 that that would be my dream job – and in 1989 it was when I started at RM / BASF.

What would you do differently if you had the chance?
I would’ve worked harder at school. I do some mentoring in a local high school with year 11s who are misbehaving. I am envious of the teachers that they have these days, they are a different breed to the out-of-touch old-fashioned teachers that I had at my school back in the day.

Where do you see the industry in five years?
Very different in terms of how the bodyshops are set up now. There will without doubt be more repairs going into specialist VM approved bodyshops that have bought into the VM brands with investment and training that is required. Technology is already a game changer and will continue to evolve our repair sector for how and where a car gets repaired.

What advice would you give to your younger self starting out in the industry?
Get out there, learn the trade, work hard, always do your very best and enjoy it wherever it takes you. Make lots of good, lifetime friends. Ride the bumps, the highs and the lows, and keep going. It’s going to be okay, rewarding and good fun if you do that.

Click to read the January 2020 issue of bodyshop magazine in full.