We’ve grown, but we’re all pulling together in the same direction

At Gallagher, we always aim to put people at the heart of what we do, and we’re proud to build lasting relationships that inspire and empower us. When we look, we can always find great examples in action involving our customers, partners and, importantly, our people.

We sat down with Hamilton-based Senior Project Manager for Animal Management, Martyn Chandler, to recap his 43 years with Gallagher. Listening to his stories, there’s a clear theme that we have moved with the times, but the sentiment of what we stand for and how we approach things hasn’t changed.

Martyn joined Gallagher in 1981 after studying Electrical Engineering at Wintec, but says he was always destined for a career in product development.

“My family are always telling stories about when I was little, and how I would be the one that was pulling torches and other things apart, so working on the design and development of products is just me to a T. I feel really lucky that I continued on a course of working on things I love and made a career out of it.

“I first joined Gallagher as a Production Technician Intern, working around all of the different departments and supporting electronic projects.

“I remember we used to see Bill Gallagher Senior wander around the office occasionally and having a look to see what people were working on, so that was quite neat to see.”

From printing and building PCB circuit boards, to converting PCB plates in Gallagher’s own dark room, from building plywood enclosures and making all sorts of DC power supplies, and then making the move into R&D, Martyn has had a hand in many influential Gallagher projects. This includes the Mini Energizer, which was first developed nearly 40 years ago, and is still being made today as the B10 energizer.

As one of the very early R&D credited laboratories in New Zealand, Martyn stepped up as the face of the new Alison Labs opening – a project which still to this day enables us to certify our products for the market.

Understandably he feels proud to have played a role!

“We’re doing what it takes to be the leaders in the market, to have fantastic reliability and continuous innovation. It was always Sir William’s approach; if you had a good idea and you think you could get some pay out, then give it a go, investigate, and invest. It’s one of the things that has kept me here, that constant focus on R&D and the family atmosphere – it’s been so consistent.

“Around the time I joined, R&D was going through probably its first major growth, and the move to the new building signaled that. Previously we had been in a small office – all the same gear, and not a lot of space to move around.

“I think at some points we were down to just three or four people in the R&D team, but in the early 90s we really focused on growing the team. It was funny because I still remember to this day, we had always had up to about 10 people in the team, and our new manager was telling us that the plan was to grow to 25. We just couldn't believe it – how could you have 25 people doing this stuff? Eventually though, we grew to almost 200!”

One project highlighted by Martyn also demonstrated Gallagher’s engrained customer-first approach to product development. How many of us can remember the coloured energizers? Probably not many. Today, the naming conventions across a product suite (such as energizers) are standardised, but imagine a time when names were unconnected – who would think that the MP2, the BEV3 and Super60 were all part of the same product family? To make things easier for customers, Martyn talks about adjusting our approach.

“We made all the energizers different colours, so when there were any issues or customer feedback, and they couldn’t remember what the model name was and would say ‘it's the purple one’, or ‘the brown one’. But as a team, we took on the challenge to change how we brand and name products to make everyone’s lives easier. We still use the name and design standards that we developed then, and people can easily tell that our latest products, such as the S20, S30 and so on are part of the same product group.”

As a Project Manager, Martyn is always looking for these kinds of opportunities for improvement.

“I love working on a product from start to finish and being involved in the discussions with the end users, but you can never deliver the perfect project. There’s always something you would do better if you could do it again, and you apply those learnings to the next project. It’s good because that keeps you energised and feeling challenged.”

At the end of the day though, it comes down to the people, and from meeting his wife (through Gallagher teammates), to making lifelong friends, Martyn says that Gallagher people are just really good people to work with.

“I remember when John Gallagher started Toastmasters for the team in the 90s. It started with just one member of R&D joining, and gradually the whole team got involved. Of course, it wasn’t easy to get up, but putting yourself out there and just supporting each other was great.”

“The company structure has grown since then, but at our core we've never really changed from what we were always trying to achieve as a team. The whole mindset and culture within the company and the R&D teams has always been commitment, positive attitudes and caring for those around you.

“It always feels like we’re pulling together in the same direction.”