Born in a South Yorkshire mining village, Joe Erfurt initially undertook an apprenticeship with British Steel and then progressed to automation engineering in the glass container industry. This led to ten years work in Johannesburg , South Africa during which time he became a leading designer of advanced technological solutions for the glass container industry. On his return to the UK in 1983 he joined British GEC, where he began his sales career as a regional export sales manager. Initial unique successes in China and the USA eventually led to a general management position within America where he lived for 5 years since when he has worked for a number of companies including Siemens UK, and the American and European GE companies.