What’s your job?Â
How long have you worked here?Â
Since 2012
What does your job involve, what are some typical tasks?
I spend most of my time as a Development Technologist, working with our French sales manager to provide technical support to customers and develop the materials they need for their projects. Mostly that means providing testing and formulating the materials to be just right, but sometimes it means travelling to see customers to help them use our materials to make their products.Â
Technically I spend one day a week focusing on sustainability, but it really runs into my development work too as more and more customers are keen to work with materials that have a smaller environmental impact. It means I get to spend time with the marketing team, coming up with ways to communicate the work we do in terms of new TPE materials, and also the progress we’re making in how we operate too.  Â
What makes your job interesting?Â
I studied languages, so getting to speak French most days is great, as I can keep practicing when chatting to our French colleagues and customers too. Developing materials also means that I can see the product of the work I do, which is very satisfying. I might spend a lot of time at the computer, looking over test results, data and specifications, so it’s really enjoyable to be able to go into the lab and make materials myself. It’s a hands-on process, and I really like having the balance of desk and lab work.Â
I’m really interested in sustainability, so working with our internal teams and customers to work towards a more sustainable version of what we do today is fulfilling. I’m still learning a lot, and working with the members of our team that are also passionate about sustainability is a great experience.Â
What's your favourite thing about working at HEXPOL TPE?
It’s not an anonymous workplace, with hundreds and hundreds at each site, so you feel like you know every single person you work with. We may be spread across a few sites, but we get to know our colleagues at the other TPE sites too. The technical teams actually know one another, same for the other teams too. It means when we do meet- in person or virtually- you can really chat to people and you’re listened to as well. That translates into professional development too, it’s not hard to chat to a manager as they’re just as accessible as everyone in the team, making it much easier to have honest conversations.Â
Kirsty Wood
Development Technologist & Sustainability Lead, HEXPOL TPE
