Winning teamwork drives Pro Plaster's customer promise

Teamwork, continuous improvement, and a customer-centric mindset allows Pro Plaster to deliver a consistent customer promise of fast, reliable service.

Nowhere is this more evident than the company’s delivery promise—giving our customers the tools and compounds they need within a tight, agreed timeframe after their order is placed.

"From the time the customer places the order, we are working to get the materials out to them within the shortest time possible to meet our customers expectations and for the Pro Plaster team to meet its agreed  KPIs ," says Susan Hardy, Pro Plaster’s Supply Chain Manager.

“We're Australian based and manufacture plaster product on site, so we have the ability to be flexible to meet customer demand."

The responsiveness to customer needs means that Pro Plaster is leading the charge for exceptional service every time. 

To Susan, it’s the business’ teamwork that plays a crucial role in delivering this customer promise. 

“The team at Pro Plaster works closely together, with a high level of collaboration and transparency. We have daily huddles to discuss what happened the previous day and plan for the current day, ensuring everyone is on the same page,” she said.

“Everyone has a flexible, ‘all hands on deck’ mentality, and are willing to step in and cover for each other as needed. This means we can maintain our customer promise even when individual team members need to take time off.

“As the Supply Chain Manager, I see a correlation between the teamwork and leadership behaviours that make our brand ambassador, Adam Reynolds, effective—and the approach I take in my own role.

“It's all about teamwork and establishing trust within the team. Adam uses these qualities to lead the Broncos. Like him, I’m all about instilling that same sense of trust and lead by example with my own team.”

Pro Plaster’s end-to-end service model, where the company handles the entire process from order placement to final delivery, is another win for customers according to Susan.

“This means customers don't have to worry about the logistics,” she says.

“We've done a lot of work with our transport providers to optimise the logistics and ensure timely deliveries, which contributes to us providing the shortest possible lead times for our customers.

“This teamwork across the supply chain allows us to provide a truly streamlined experience.

"Our end-to-end focus sets us apart and strengthens our customer-centric approach. Managing the full supply chain, from manufacturing to delivery, allows us to deliver an exceptional experience for our customers.”

Prior to joining Pro Plaster, Susan's background was in the food industry, where she held leadership roles focused on planning and operations.

She said her work's core principles—efficiency and continuous improvement—remain the same in both the food and plaster industries.

"A lot of my experience has been centered around Lean Six Sigma school of thought, where we strive for continuous improvement,” Susan said.

“Whether it's food manufacturing or plaster manufacturing, those skills translate directly to the challenges we face in managing the end-to-end supply chain. It what I try to embody in my role as Supply Chain Manager."

Susan said she is constantly navigating external factors that impact costs, like currency fluctuations, especially in the US dollar.

“As a company that both imports tools, raw materials and exports finished goods, Pro Plaster is exposed to currency exchange rate fluctuations. This means we are constantly evaluating our suppliers and services to absorb these increased costs from currency movements,” she said. 

The bottom-line is keeping the cost of goods for our teammates, Pro Plaster customers, down and affordable while remaining the quality that has become synonymous with the brand. 

“We work diligently to find efficiencies and cost savings across our operations. But importantly, we focus on passing those savings directly to our customers,” Susan said.

“We work closely together, with a willingness to ‘get up in each other's business’ to find solutions. This shared understanding of the challenges allows us to collectively evaluate and adapt as issues arise.

“Ultimately, our winning team dynamic is a key competitive advantage for Pro Plaster. By leveraging our collaborative spirit and flexibility, we can overcome challenges and provide the exceptional, reliable service our customers expect."

To Susan and her Supply Chain team, basic tenants of good sportsmanship, teamwork, and communication mean that they are delivering Pro Plaster’s customer promise every day on site and in the field. 

Find out more about Pro Plaster’s ‘Winning Team’ here.