Purdy on… Production

In the first of a series of interviews with the brand, we spoke to Christina Rowe, Head of Product Marketing at Purdy to find out about the testing and development process behind
Purdy’s product range.

Where do new Purdy product ideas come from?

When developing new products, we seek to create solutions that fulfil a requirement in the market. For example, a product that will solve a problem or make a painting job just that bit quicker and easier for our customers, so they can be more productive and therefore more profitable.

To do that, speaking to our end users is critical, whether that’s through focus groups, attitude and usage studies, process mapping, market research or ethnographic interviews.

We use these avenues to gather information about the challenges and problems faced by painters and decorators that do not currently have product solutions. Often, by simply observing painters, we are able to identify unarticulated needs, as we have with the products like the Painter’s Backpack and Purdy Pail, for example.

What goes into the development of a new product?

Following customer research, our R&D engineering, marketing and production teams work together closely to design prototypes that we then test with a core group of field experts, utilising their feedback to optimise the design.

This stage is then followed by a wider field validation with end users in different regions and customer types trying out the product. Once we, and the customers, are happy with the design, we work with our manufacturing plants to scale up production and prepare the product for sale.

How long does it take to reach the shelves?

This process can vary in length from less than six months to several years depending on feedback received during trials and the tweaks required. We constantly have several products going through the research and development process at the same time though, so things are always moving. Since 2009, our Applicator Lab & Marketing groups have been granted a whopping 70 patents with more applications under review.

What testing is carried out for the UK market?

We have developed a number of internal testing methods to confirm that our products will meet and exceed customer expectations here in the UK. One of these is a polymer characterisation process which helps us to optimise filament and fabric performance.

We also work closely with our internal coatings R&D teams to align the performance of our brushes and rollers to suit a variety of coatings. Furthermore, when curating our range of brushes for the UK market, we carried out a variety of testing with other leading paint manufacturers, to see which of our brushes would work the best with the specific chemical formulation of UK paints.

Are you currently working on any new products?

We have a robust road map to ensure we are continuously bringing new solutions to the market. Our next big launch to the UK is the highly anticipated Painter’s Storage Box which we can’t wait to share as it is a truly game-changing storage system which is already proving to be very popular in the United States.

Like all our products it’s got the Purdy difference: it’s made for pros, by pros, delivering quality craftmanship every time.