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NEWS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Unforeseen R&D results can lead to anything
Developing new products, and finding innovative answers to specific customer applications, is all in a day’s work for the research and development (R&D) division at Pratley. This two-pronged approach has resulted in ongoing success for the manufacturer.
Pratley tests everything in every way possible.
Hard at work in the lab.
A
“
strong R&D mind-set means the team
However, a strong R&D component goes
The R&D team is always open to find new solutions.
Palm Cleaner got stuck to the fine hairs on the back
is always open to finding solutions to
hand-in-hand with the ability to shelve products that
problems,” CEO Kim Pratley comments.
aren’t working in the market, and Pratley has had a
Together with sons Andrew and Charles,
few of those. “Sometimes even the best products
R&D process so exciting, and occasionally
don’t find a product-market fit,” Kim notes.
unpredictable. “We look for problems that have
who are highly passionate about the R&D side of the business, Kim points out that Pratley as a company is
In one memorable case, this was simply because
of people’s hands. It’s these experiments that make Pratley’s
not been solved, or where we can do it better. That
predicated on its R&D capability. It also underlines its
the product worked too well. “We launched a
involves a lot of trial and error, and we do not always
universal customer manifesto that any of its products
product called Wham a few years ago because
get it right,” Charles stresses. “That is the cost of
will outperform its global equivalent.
customers kept requesting an ultra-quick
R&D. You cannot let your ego or personal feelings
Sometimes Pratley’s R&D efforts result in happy
super-glue,” Andrew recalls. “We wanted to design
get in the way of product research.”
coincidences. For example, Pratliperl was originally
the fastest adhesive in the world, and we did. But it
Pratley has a department that tests everything in
developed with low-cost housing in mind. This
ended up being practically unusable. It was just too
every way that the market could use it. “Interestingly,
lightweight, thermally insulating cement aggregate
quick for the end user. It was an interesting lesson
we often find that we test a product for one thing and
is now widely used in high-end houses and structures
for the team in giving customers what they need,
end up finding a whole host of other applications for
as a fireproof plaster that doubles the thermal
and not necessarily what they ask for.”
it. Sometimes the larger market is the one we didn’t
insulation of walls.
Kim’s favourite experimental product was
Such an eco-friendly application saves energy
Palm Cleaner, essentially a glue that stuck to dirt
originally develop the product for,” Kim elaborates. “It’s an interesting process. You can’t make
and running costs. It is also ideal as a screed where
and then rolled off the hands in little balls. “We wanted
assumptions about any market, even one you
additional building floors are required. Such has
a solution for dirty palms after you have changed
know well, and if you aren’t looking at solutions
been the success of Pratliperl that it is has been
a tyre, for example.” While extremely effective,
from every angle, you could miss a huge opportunity.
used from Loftus Versfeld Stadium to the
consumers did not read the instructions, and
This thinking has become ingrained at Pratley,”
Sandton City parking lot.
thought it was a hand cleaner. The result was that
Kim concludes.
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FEBRUARY MARCH 2020 2020 DIY & DIY INDUSTRIAL & INDUSTRIAL TRADE TRADE NEWS NEWS
