Usually Julia is the one coordinating, interviewing and drafting creative content for Team DK. We’ve turned the tables and asked her to give us an insight into Team DK’s Marketing activities past, present and future.
Hi Julia, great to have some time to chat! Congratulations on your recent promotion to Sales & Marketing Coordinator. How did it all start for you at Team DK?
“I joined DK Holdings in 2021 to support the team around John Emptage with their sales and marketing activities. I was new to the world of manufacturing and most definitely Diamond Tools so the whole experience was a massive learning curve.
Being directly involved with the manufacturing side meant I could learn from scratch what goes into the development of a tool and subsequently production. All this enabled me to streamline our corporate identity and develop marketing campaigns and strategies whilst supporting our global partners with their tooling needs.”
FY 2024/25 was a busy year for the team with two major trade shows attended, Glasstec in Dusseldorf and JEC in Paris. How important do you think it is to be at those?
“Trade shows are a vital part of our marketing campaigns and customer relationship management and the perfect opportunity for us to showcase our range and catch up with our partners.
I learn so much from these conversations, enabling me to support better. Anyone who’s met me at a trade show knows I rarely stop talking, not just about Diamond Tools but also my dogs and CrossFit!“
What are the plans for Team DK’s marketing activity in the upcoming financial year?
“With our new budgets agreed, one of the big things we’re excited about is adding more content to our website in the form of a technical blog for our customers.
As you know, we pride ourselves on not just selling a tool but ensuring our customers get all the advice needed for their application and production requirements. We will additionally work with some of our longstanding partners in the printed and digital media and submit editorials. And there’s another very big project we are working on and which is due to be released early 2026. Keep your eyes peeled on our LinkedIn pages here, where more will be revealed over the next few months. “
You are a fierce supporter of encouraging female talent into UK Manufacturing. What do you feel are the biggest challenges?
“Promoting manufacturing as a career path for young girls.
I wish youngsters would come into our workshops and see how fascinating it is when a piece of steel goes from being machined on a CNC to then going off for plating.
It’s so multi-faceted and the career possibilities are huge. I’m pleased that I recently got the opportunity to attend a couple of Women in Composites events while at JEC in Paris in March this year. It was so refreshing to meet other female talent and leaders and learn from their experiences. “
Lastly, what does Julia do to switch off from being creative with Diamond Tooling?
“Mostly walking my three dogs and CrossFit, which I only discovered last year but absolutely love.
I’ve done a few smaller competitions already. HYROX is the big one I’ve got my eye on.
Follow me on LinkedIn and you will most definitely hear all about it!“