Five minutes with… David Cooper

My role at Bateman is…
Product Leader, Spray Department.

A typical day for me at Bateman involves…
I focus on stage 3, which is the back end of the machine. I configure the booms and set them up for assembly with the cab and chassis. I also help out with the training of new recruits and assist other areas of production when the need arises.

The most enjoyable aspect of my current role is…
I like the satisfaction of seeing a shiny new Bateman rolling off the production line ready for the customer.

I would say life at Bateman is…
A challenge, for the right reasons. The way the machines are built is constantly evolving, there’s always a better, more efficient way of doing something. I like the appetite for progress at Bateman. Also, the machines we build have lots of variables, no machine is the same, which requires a bit of thought process and keeps me on my toes.

Before I joined Bateman I was…
For over twenty years I was a snowboard instructor and coach working across Europe and the USA. During the summer months I ran a cycle tour company running road bike trips following the Tour-De -France. I have also worked as a rock climbing instructor. However, I originally studied engineering before I discovered the call of the mountains. 

If I have time to myself I enjoy…
The outdoors. Anything to do with snowboarding, climbing and cycling. I also brew my own beer – English ales from hops that I grow myself.

The best advice I have ever been given is…
I would say there are a couple of things… ‘You only live once, there’s no reset button, make sure you grab life with both hands and make the most of it’. And something rather profound that I was told recently… ‘How happy you are in life is directly proportional to how much uncertainty you can comfortably live with.’