Your career with
Etex Building Performance

What steps did you take to get to where you are today?

Etex Building Performance have given me real autonomy in my roles to date. This has given me the opportunity to get involved in certain aspects of business that other companies may have tried to shelter me from, this exposure I believe has been integral to my development and recent promotion. The company are more than happy to invest in people’s development, in fact they encourage it and will help guide you. However you are asked to map this journey yourself to a degree, I see this as a positive and the business have supported me with my development since I joined, be it in the shape of external courses, one to one tuition or shadowing of colleagues.

What gets you out of bed every day, other than your alarm clock?

Relationships. A key part of any external customer facing job is the ability to build real relationships. Since being with Etex Building Performance I have had the pleasure of building some great relationships with not just my colleagues but also our customer base out in the Market. These relationships allow us the opportunities to secure work on a daily basis and the stronger the relationship in most circumstances, the better chance we have of adding value for our customer whilst also securing business for EBP.

What do you do to have fun at work?

Engage with the people! The people we have within Etex Building Performance are great, a company can only be as good as the people it employs in my opinion, we have some extremely capable and experienced people within our business. The great thing is they are all good fun as well, I’ve always been a believer that business can be done with a smile on your face and this rings true within EBP, I have fun by dealing with the people I see and speak to on a daily basis.

What steps did you take to get to where you are today?

Prior to starting at Etex BP, I completed an undergraduate degree in Architecture. Etex BP provided me a graduate induction programme and various opportunities to work in different departments to develop my skills and knowledge. I have developed my existing AutoCAD skills and also have been trained to use specialist software used to predict acoustic and U-value performances for bespoke build ups. Through shadowing my colleagues I have developed my communication skills and ability to answer various technical queries.

What gets you out of bed every day, other than your alarm clock?

I enjoy the variety of work and also the fast pace. Helping different people; homeowners, Architects, subcontractors and main contractors. I enjoy finding solutions to help people whilst expanding my skills and knowledge at the same time. We also work closely alongside our colleagues who are external (home based) to help provide them with the relevant information they need to find solutions for their clients.

What do you do to have fun at work?

We occasionally do quizzes , go out for department meals and have a great team atmosphere. Outside of work we occasionally meet up to play badminton and going for crazy golf next week!

What steps did you take to get to where you are today?

I started with Lafarge in August 2008 as a Calcination operator, I spent a month training in Germany prior to the commissioning of the Ferrybridge Plant which was a massive investment from the business to ensure the correct training was given from day one. It was this investment from the business in my personal development that made me want to push further and progress within the company. The steps I took to get to be the Manufacturing Manager at Ferrybridge was to continually push myself out of my comfort zone, I Tried my best to utilise the knowledge and skills of the people around me to enable me to learn and continually develop. The business has allowed me the opportunity to go through each step of my progression with the support, Training and development to allow me to succeed.

What gets you out of bed every day, other than your alarm clock?

When my alarm clock goes on a morning I know there are going to be challenges ahead, However I know I
am set up to meet those challenges by knowing I have good people around me. I have people who are
working at the right levels and delivering on expectation. There is a real drive to continually improve and
strive to be the best in class. It’s not just about plasterboard, It’s about doing the right things. If everyone
does the right things then great performance follows. There is a real sense of teamwork at the Ferrybridge
plant with people genuinely wanting to do a good job.

What do you do to have fun at work?

At times the Job can be stressful and the workload can be heavy, However there is always
time in a the day for someone to make you smile, We have a board in the office where we write the words that people have got wrong when they have been tongue twisted and we reflect on these to make us smile when the times are tough. There are a few people who have words on the board but there is a standout contributor that will remain anonymous who regularly get their words mixed up. The team ethic and alignment to do well makes the job fun, There aren’t many days when I go home without having had a laugh at some point during the day.

What steps did you take to get to where you are today? 

I started working for this company back when it was Lafarge Plasterboard over ten years ago as a forklift driver/yards man. I did this for about a year until a role within our Bagging Plant came up, I applied and got it. I did this for about two years and gained valuable experience within the manufacturing side of things. My next move was working as a Goods Inwards Unloader which I also gained additional qualifications paid for by Siniat (Etex). I then saw a role as a Waste Management Coordinator which I got, recently my very supporting manager and the company have adjusted and reevaluated this role into a more in depth role. Now I am a Site Waste & Environmental Advisor. This role will be extended again in January where I am looking to become the Goods Inwards Manager.

What gets you out of bed every day, other than your alarm clock?

I am very much a family man so time at home is very important to me, however I have always been very dedicated to my work and have enjoyed working here so finding the balance has to be just right. Working at Etex BP is perfect for me as I feel I have the support from my manager and the business whilst working with a great bunch of people who I see as my extended family. I like what I do on a daily basis and enjoy some of the challenges it faces. I have saved the company money, increased recycling figures and recently won an International Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice, something I am very proud of.

What do you do to have fun at work?

This is a fun place to work, with such a range of different personalities working here there is never a quiet moment. I have had a few nicknames over my time here (of which I won’t mention!!) and we all get on together. I have great relationship with everyone here and feel the day wouldn’t be right without a little banter.

What steps did you take to get to where you are today?

Started at Etex building performance in April 2011 as a warehouse team leader , to which I found very challenging as I had previously come from a food manufacturing background . With the right support from my manager and other team leader I thrived at the challenged to succeed . After 18 months I was approached to apply for the team leader role on the production line , to which I got . The transition from warehousing to production was always going to be difficult but with the right guidance and mentoring I took the role flying and really got into the swing of things. After 2 years of team leader role I was then offered a secondment of shift team manager , this was going to be my biggest challenge to my career so far and it was a difficult period in my career but again with excellent coaching and guidance the company stuck by me and here I am today in a secured full time role of shift team manager . Etex building performance really do promote with in and encourage people to be the best they can at what they want.

What gets you out of bed every day, other than your alarm clock?

No day at Etex is the same , with fantastic training opportunities and incentives the company really lives its values and for myself this is a big part of my job. The people who run the production line are the people who make the money and make the customers happy by delivering a 1 st class product , communication with these people is key and having the chance to work with so many different characters always brings its challenges . What do you do to have fun at work? Etex always think of its work force and there family , with regular annual family day’s and also the festive seasons celebrated there is always something to look forward to . Success is a big thing within our sites and celebration always take place from the smallest gestures as a free buffy to the bigger ones which can see you be financial rewarded for your creativity and innovation ideas.

What do you do to have fun at work?

Etex always think of its work force and there family , with regular annual family day’s and also the festive seasons celebrated there is always something to look forward to . Success is a big thing within our sites and celebration always take place from the smallest gestures as a free buffy to the bigger ones which can see you be financial rewarded for your creativity and innovation ideas.