Name: Andy Perry
Job title: Group Ceramist
Tell us a bit about yourself
I realised in my early 20ss that my real passions were anything on two wheels and playing in or on the sea. That pretty much then dominated most of my life and decisions. I have a great family and a big daft lazy dog. My daughter is a professional singer and going to see her perform is a special experience
At the moment I tend to spend my free time mountain biking, wing foiling and having a few off-road motorcycle adventures (normally involving throwing myself at the ground a few times), which I’ll keep doing until my already partly broken body finally stops me.
Describe your job to a five-year-old
We are one of the few businesses that takes materials that you would recognise from the ground – such as sand and clay – then grinds them up, mixes it all together to produce a completely new material, which is incredibly strong and durable, that we use in our bathroom every day. My job is to decide which materials we blend together and how much of each material is used to produce the final finish that will look great in your bathroom and last for a lifetime. Helping all of the different ceramic factories to do that with the least amount of waste and at the lowest cost, in the most efficient manner.
What do you like most about your job?
Working with a huge range of great, open minded people – all over the group and effectively all over Europe and the Middle East. Creating solutions to control a process that is fundamentally volatile and creating technical solutions.
How did you get here?
I started working in the ceramics industry 40 years ago – making glazes for a small company in what was the sprawling range of pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent, then moved to Ideal Standard Middlewich, as Assistant Ceramist. During this time I achieved my BSC in Ceramic Technology (part time) became Group Ceramist for the Hull and Middlewich plants. Then Group Process Analysis Control Engineer within the Six Sigma continuous improvement period, then became Group Ceramist. Then I left the company after 28 years to work as a consultant Ceramist for Lucideon. Four years later I returned to the Ideal Standard group, where I have been for the last five years, giving a total of 33 years service.
What motivates you?
Out of work, I treat every weekend as a chance to get out and do daft stuff. In work – improving understanding and control of the ceramic processes that are still considered a “black art”, plus helping the next generation of process and technical leaders to learn and avoid all the mistakes I have made.
If you could swap jobs with anyone, who would it be?
The beach inspector in the Hebrides (which I think maybe a made up job) or an adventure bike developer for [motorbike manufacturer] KTM.
Your favourite song lyric or line from a film
“It’s 106 miles to Chicago, its dark and we’re wearing sunglasses.” – The Blues Brothers
Your favourite app?
Windy or Trailforks.
Biggest facepalm moment at work?
Many years ago at the Middlewich plant, we were trying to spray five different colours on a machine designed to spray a single colour. Part-way through, one of many “crisis moments”, the factory manager was walking through the plant with a visitor. He asked me “How’s the multi-colour spray system going?” to which I gave him a few obscenities, a bit of a mouthful of what a bad idea it was, how it would be better if we consolidated over a few days and so on. Then I excused myself and ran off back to glaze prep, where the lab leader said the factory manager was looking for me with John Costanza, the guy who pretty much invented flow power (at the time) and was responsible for the “multi-colour daily approach”. Let’s say we had a couple of meetings to review next steps and from then on I always tried to remember the names of important folks, but to be honest I’m still not good.