Andy Hood, co-founder and managing director of Sarian Systems bucked the cost-cutting trend for moving manufacturing to the Far East. Sarian proudly produces its advanced wired and wireless IP routers in the UK.

• Hood admits it's unusual but makes business sense (turnover last year was £5.25m). "We design, develop, manufacture and export (about 60 per cent of what we make) out of the UK," he says. "It's more expensive, but part of it is driven by social responsibility. Otherwise it will be: 'last one to leave turn the lights out'. And I'm not sure how ethical it is to use third world economies to lower the cost of manufacturing."

• He has clear ideas on what it means to be a good director. "It comes down to the people," he says. "You do need an MD just as you need a cox in a boat if you want to row efficiently. But it's a team effort. A major part of my job is making sure people are motivated, involved and empowered. It means they do clever things."

• Hood's not afraid to square up to the industry 'big boys'. In fact, he started the business because he relishes a challenge: "It's always exciting with a start-up because it's such an intimate environment, but now we all enjoy competing with the international giants and enjoy winning even more. We won a £5m contract recently, which was in direct competition with the well known names."

• He knows that to attract and retain good employees his business has to move with the times. "It's much more practical to have people working from home, or part-time. We have a couple of guys in New Zealand who work for us. Technological changes mean you can help your people achieve a good work/life balance."

• As demand for high-speed wireless routers increases, Hood knows that the "customer is king" mantra has never been more relevant. "Through constant research and development—we can't run the risk of falling behind—we have a flexible structure to our software and hardware, which means we can tailor it to our customer's requirements very quickly. We give them what they need rather than shoehorn a product."

• Sarian is a Tech Track 100 company (as sponsored by The Sunday Times). Hood says: "We're starting to enter new customer markets and expect to double turnover this year." But keeping employees central to the business is also a priority: "Everyone enjoys coming to work, we have a good laugh. It's important to keep the fun and spirit as well."