Meet the team: Paul Martin

We had the opportunity to chat with Paul Martin, our Commercial Manager at Premier Galvanizing Corby, to find out a bit about him and his role within the company.

Can you give a brief overview of your role at the company?

I originally started at Joseph Ash Telford in 2021, and have been with Premier Galvanizing Corby since 2023. I’m the Commercial Manager at the site and manage a team of three wonderful sales people, I would say the best sales team in the group! I’m responsible for looking after all of our existing and potential customers. I link with all other departments here in Corby to make sure we’re offering the best service and quality. I also liaise with the other sales teams within our group to keep up with all the market information. 

What was your career like before joining the company, and why did you want to join Joseph Ash?

Originally, I started out working in the Events industry hiring out cutting-edge IT and AV equipment like Giant LED walls, VR and AR kits. I then moved into sales in industries such as Waste Management, before starting at Joseph Ash Telford. I’m passionate about speaking to people, and I enjoy understanding their needs and finding a solution to their problems.

Since I’ve been here, the team have been great in helping me develop my skills and knowledge in galvanizing. I’ve now become a qualified galvanizing inspector and enjoy helping our customers to understand the process and explaining how galvanizing can benefit them in their work. 😊

What do you enjoy about working at Joseph Ash/Premier Galvanizing?

It’s great working for the number one galvanizer in the country and having a fantastic team around me in all areas, but a special mention to Sales and Production in Corby – you guys rock!!

I also like the benefits the company offers, including the Save to Share scheme we have, as well as the discounts app the company has which helps save money on everyday spending.

What are you looking forward to in the coming year?

The continued growth for Corby and expanding our reach and services, and continuing to work with our fantastic customers!

Is there anything you’d like to tell us that we haven’t asked you?

I have had nine knee operations from sports related injuries, and I have some steel in my knees because of them (not galvanized!). 

Tell us something people might find surprising about you.

I have met and partied with the likes of Pete Tong, Calvin Harris, Fabio & Grooverider, Pendulum, Mumford and Sons and many others in my previous career. 

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As part of Hill & Smith PLC, the teams at Premier Galvanizing took part in Sustainability Week – a week to reflect on all things sustainability. It was a fun-filled week where colleagues were encouraged to take part in a number of activities (or come up with their own) to boost green credentials and have some fun in the process.

Best Birdbox Competition

The original idea for the energy saving treasure hunt was developed in 1999 by Toyota, and is a great activity for all companies to conduct, regardless of industry.

Plant pots

Team also took the time to plant their own plant pots and add a bit of colour to the grey weather that was had in the week.

Extra competitions

Prizes are also due to awarded across the Group for a number of categories, including “Most Engaged Site”, “Most Improved Site”, and “Most Sustainable Site”. Winners will be calculated based on their efforts throughout the week, both in terms of effort and in outcomes achieved.

You can find out more about the full list of activities across the week here.

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We’ve recently launched a new set of company values for Premier Galvanizing (as part of the wider Joseph Ash Group). They are collectively called ‘Our Chemistry’ – to reflect our excellent relationships with each other, our clients, suppliers and partners, and the chemicals we use in our galvanizing processes.

To create the values, we held several focus groups across the plants to find out what was important to our team members and what values they wanted to live by at Premier Galvanizing and Joseph Ash. We spoke to colleagues on the shop floor, administration and service teams at Head Office, and Commercial Teams at our different divisions. Everyone was offered the opportunity to share their thoughts on what our culture and behaviour look like when we’re at our best and what needs to be added to ensure the Joseph Ash Group thrives and grows.

The resulting values are:

Growth through teaching and learning (internally and externally) is the catalyst for everything we do. We lead with experience and heritage, but we’re also enthusiastic about advancing and improving our products, processes, the industry and ourselves.

We thrive on team spirit, whether we’re looking out for each other’s safety or working together to meet targets. Providing help and assistance, celebrating achievements, and laughing are the elements that bind us together. We have each other’s backs.

We respect each other and our differences and treat people as we want to be treated ourselves. We mix kindness with good manners and listening skills. We also appreciate family: not only in our home lives but also in the family we have at work.

The safety and success of our business and our future sit in our hands. We know what is expected of us as individuals and teams and demonstrate a ‘can-do’ attitude to get things done.

If you’d like to know more – or if you’d like to join our team – please get in touch!

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Patrick Fromant has joined our Corby plant as the new Commercial Manager, responsible for the commercial activity and the sales team.

No stranger to the construction industry, Patrick brings with him a wealth of experience as a Graduate Trainee Manager, a District Sales Manager and Territory Sales Manager at Hanson UK, where he was responsible for several different concrete plants.

Patrick is driven, strategic, analytical, solution-focused, and customer-centric.

When asked why he joined the Joseph Ash Group, he said “After meeting the leadership team, it felt like a fantastic opportunity to join a great business with forward-thinking management. I am keen to utilise and develop my skillset to bring commercial success to the Group.”

In his spare time, Patrick is a regular gym goer and a food fanatic.

Please join us in welcoming Patrick to Premier Galvanizing.

Great to have you with us Patrick!

You can reach Patrick on 01536 409818 or at patrickf@premiergalv.co.uk.

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Our Health and Safety Officer climbs Three Peaks

We’re pleased to share the news that our Health and Safety Officer at Premier Galvanizing Hull – Rebecca Lee – recently challenged herself to climb the Three Peaks to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Rebecca (or Bex as she’s fondly known) took part in the challenge with her sister and two friends, to raise the funds for this important charity.

The intrepid team climbed Mount Snowdon (1085m ascent), Y Lliwedd (910m ascent) and Scafell Pike (970m ascent) across a period of two weeks in September.

In total they hiked and climbed a distance of 24.1km. An amazing achievement!

Bex and her team managed to raise a huge £3000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Which is just brilliant!

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Millions of people every day face the reality of living with a mental health illness – an illness that others may not see, know about or understand. Whether it’s anxiety, stress, depression or low moods, to illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar or Alzheimer’s, these conditions can have a dramatic effect on a person’s life.

At Premier Galvanizing we believe we have a duty of care and a moral obligation to our employees to help them have good mental health, especially as the workplace – regardless of industry or type – can sometimes be a place of additional stress or anxiety.

The Mental Health Foundation says: “We believe in workplaces where everyone can thrive. We also believe in the role of employers, employees and businesses in creating thriving communities.”

We believe in this too, and it’s why we have recently engaged in B.U.D.I.E.S training for good mental health.

The Mental Wellbeing B.U.D.I.E.S. virtual classroom is a one-hour programme to initiate mental health support in the workplace. The virtual classroom course is helping to give our staff the listening skills and B.U.D.I.E.S. framework to support their colleagues throughout the year.

The B.U.D.I.E.S. framework focuses on:

B – Build a helping relationship
U – Understand 
D – Determine if your colleague is in crisis
I – Inform about self-help
E – Encourage professional help
S – Safety at all times

The course stresses the importance of listening skills and how to deal with a crisis. It also encourages people to have ‘Wellbeing B.U.D.I.E.S.’ at work – someone to talk to if you’re in need of a friendly ear.

Before COVID, we were due to complete some Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training courses, but as these were going to be face-to-face, we’re pleased to have found an alternative in the B.U.D.I.E.S. virtual classroom.

Two members of our team have already taken the B.U.D.I.E.S. training, and we have more sessions scheduled.

Later this year, we will complete the MHFA training and we’ll also provide colleagues with full contact details for support including:

• Their local BUDIE (telephone, email, Whatsapp)
• Contact details for our Employee Assistance Programme
• Local support networks

The Mental Health Foundation says: “Mental health is something we all have. When we enjoy good mental health, we have a sense of purpose and direction, the energy to do the things we want to do, and the ability to deal with the challenges that happen in our lives.”

At Premier Galvanizing we aim to promote good mental health, and foster purpose, direction and the ability to successfully navigate through life.

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We’re pleased to introduce some team members at our Corby plant. From left to right we have David Prattis, Lisa Sutton, Daren Stevens, Anna Stocks, Bob Preston, Heather Elmore and John Frankland.

Find out more about the team below:

David Prattis joined Premier Galvanizing Corby as General Manager in September 2019. He has over 30 years’ experience in Steel and Aluminium Coil Coating, supplying product into the Construction and Leisure Industries. Before joining Premier Galvanizing, he spent 10 years as Plant Manager for an International Coil Coating Company based in the UK and The Netherlands.

Lisa Sutton is the Corby Office Manager. She is a long-standing member of the team, having worked for the company for 14 years, ensuring the smooth operation of all business administration.

Daren Stevens has been with Premier Galvanizing since it originally opened in September 2002 as an experienced Operative. He previously worked with Bob Preston (below) at Clark Steel. Working his way up from Shift Supervisor, he became Works Supervisor, then Galvanizing Manager. He was promoted to Operations Manager last year. Having worked at the plant for many years, Daren has expert knowledge in running a busy galvanizing plant.

Our Corby plant operates eight dedicated lorries to service customers’ needs giving a fast turnaround of typically 2-3 days. As Operations Manager, Daren also ensures these collections and deliveries run smoothly. 

Anna Stocks is the Financial Controller for Premier Galvanizing and operates across two plants (Corby and Hull). She is a valuable member of the team and has worked for the company since 2016.

Bob Preston has a wealth of experience in galvanizing, having worked in the industry since 1972. Throughout his career, Bob has progressed through the galvanizing business from Shift Operative, to Works Manager, to Production Manager and onto his current position as Production Director. In this role Bob supports all other members of the customer focused team in delivering an exceptional all-round service.

Heather Elmore is experienced in administration, bookkeeping and credit control. She has worked with the Corby team for over three years providing much needed assistance in the office.

John Frankland joined Premier Galvanizing in September last year as Sales Manager. John is new to the galvanizing industry and has a background in Capital Equipment Sales to the manufacturing and metal fabrication sectors. John works at our Corby plant providing hot dip galvanizing services from Mansfield and Nottingham in the north, following the A1, M1 and M11 routes down through the country and covering the north half of London from Essex in the East through to Berkshire in the West.

The entire Corby team take pride in delivering an unbeatable service in terms of quality, turnaround and doing exactly what they promise. If you have any questions or queries, or if you’d like to place an order, please get in touch with them.

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It’s always good to put a face to a name… With this in mind we thought we’d introduce some of the team at Premier Galvanizing Hull.

From left to right we have: Steve East (Production Manager), Conner Harman (Business Support Officer), Alex Camp (General Manager), Chris Young (Commercial Support Officer) and Andrew Tweddle (Commercial Manager).

Steve East, Conner Harman and Chris Young oversee the production and transport side of the operation at Hull. Always willing and able to assist with any collection and delivery needs, keeping customers up to date with the progress of their work. The team are available from 5am to 5pm Monday to Friday and can be reached on 01482 587587.

Alex Camp – General Manager

Alex has worked for Premier Galvanizing for over 12 years and has a wealth of knowledge in hot dip galvanizing. He always takes service to the next level and ensures that all customers are at the heart of the business. Most recently he has been overseeing a significant overhaul of the plant including the installation of new automated systems to further the growth and efficiency of Premier Galvanizing Hull. Alex is available to assist with any technical queries and quotes.

Andrew Tweddle – Commercial Manager

For any enquiries or quotes for hot dip galvanizing work, or for any technical questions, contact Andrew on 07776 592008. Andrew is out and about visiting customers on a daily basis ensuring service levels are at their best and customers are happy with the work we produce for them.

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Congratulations to the runners and riders of the Velo Birmingham.

A couple of weekends ago the inaugural Velo Birmingham took place in the Midlands.

The course was 100 miles long and 15,000 cyclists of all abilities took part, criss-crossing through the picturesque Worcestershire and Staffordshire countryside before returning to Birmingham.

The event – which raised funds for various charities – was also created as part of the Birmingham Cycle Revolution, whereby Birmingham City Council are trying to encourage more people to take to the roads on two wheels, rather than four.

As per an earlier story on our website in March, we’re proud to say that team members from Premier Galvanizing and the Joseph Ash Group, including Stuart Cobourne and Richard Hall, took part in the race. They enjoyed the event and achieved very respectable times between 5.30 and 7.11 hours.

A Premier Galvanizing client, Stephen Harvey, also took part.

Congratulations to the team!

You can see some of the photos of our team members at the event here.

Here’s to the Velo Birmingham 2018!

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As training and development of our people is one of the areas which Premier Galvanizing lays great emphasis on, Steve Sylvester (Production Manager) recently completed a four year degree course in Business Management and Logistics at the University of Hull.

The course, alongside his demanding day job proved testing at times on his social life, however Steve really appreciated the knowledge and experience he has gained at Premier Galvanizing in helping him produce some excellent work in each of the modules which included Business law and ethics, finance, logistics, marketing and human resource management.

“The support the company gave me throughout the four years was invaluable. I am delighted that Premier Galvanizing encouraged me to continue my education as a mature student and thus gaining a business management degree. This will prove invaluable throughout my career.”

Here’s to a bright future for Steve and we look forward to a long and prosperous journey through life!

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