There's no chance of plastering up the cracks when it comes to customer experience, reveals Martin Price, Senior Scientist at East Leake Technical.
Martin knows a thing or two about consistency - in his professional life and outside the workplace.
When he’s not working to ensure that every bag of plaster British Gypsum produces meets the highest quality standards, you’ll likely find Martin in his kitchen, baking.
Just like baking, where the right combination of ingredients and precise timing make all the difference, Martin’s work with plaster is all about getting the perfect blend to deliver reliable and predictable results.
Martin’s role involves working closely with plasterers to understand their needs—like how some prefer mixing to the consistency of Mr. Whippy ice cream, while others adjust it to be wetter or drier.
A typical day for Martin is spent troubleshooting, testing the set times of plaster using a Placosonic machine, and refining the formulation to ensure it meets the highest standards.
No two plasterers do the same thing. We need to understand our customers’ experience and their relationship with our products.
Consistency is key
Consistency is everything because our plaster is a vital part of a plasterers’ business. When working on large rooms, plasterers need to know exactly how long the product will take to set so they can plan their work effectively. As Martin explains: "Once the plaster is on the wall, the clock is ticking."
“No two plasterers do the same thing. We need to understand our customers’ experience and their relationship with our products”.
“They transform our plaster into a slurry and turn it into a decorated wall. Their journey and experience is really important to us. If our product is inconsistent, it can disrupt their process and impact the quality of the final result”.
This kind of customer-centric approach helps fine-tune the plaster formulation so that the product works seamlessly in the hands of our customers. Our plaster might be just a powder in a bag, but it becomes a beautifully finished wall in the hands of a plasterer.
This insight drives Martin’s focus on ensuring that every batch of plaster delivers the same consistency, no matter the project. As Martin explains, “It’s not just about delivering plaster; it’s about delivering confidence”.
Stepping into the customers’ shoes
Martin’s role involves working closely with manufacturing, process engineers and our internal evaluators, but it’s clear he relishes the chance to spend time with the plasterers themselves.
“I value the time I spend talking to the Plasterers, and we work to build relationships with them. They can be real characters, and each has their own preferences and quirks to how they work,” he smiles. “In essence a significant part of my day involves putting the customer at the heart of what I do.”
In essence a significant part of my day involves putting the customer at the heart of what I do.
A quality result
Martin’s quest for excellence is relentless.
“Putting quality first is important. We need complete confidence that when our plaster goes to the customer it’s exactly what they want and need!”
Martin's work makes plasterers' jobs easier and more predictable. They can focus on their craft without worrying whether the product will perform as expected. His commitment to quality assurance is like a baker's dedication to a perfect recipe: a precise, consistent process that leads to a perfectly baked cake.
Whether in the kitchen or the lab, Martin's focus on the right balance of ingredients ensures our plaster, our customers' projects, and every cake bake is always top-notch.