Paul Murphy is the type of man that you won’t forget meeting.
He brings something unique to even the briefest of interactions. It’s probably best summarised as ‘energy’. Paul, known as ‘Murph’, is what would happen if the Duracell Bunny took human form and set up shop in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. He gives off the impression of being ‘present’, it’s a quality you don’t often get these days.
As we interact, over a series of video call conversations, the Pure Transfer founder can’t disguise his enthusiasm for the business he created. “I want them to get the whole ethos of what we stand for,” says Murph of his customers. “We’re about more than just supplying the highest quality products. Our goal is to solve our customers’ problems. In fact, until they’re solved, they become our problems too.”
PURE VISION
It’s clear that a passionate belief in what Pure Transfer (a leading supplier of high purity components to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries) should deliver for its customers runs through Murph like Blackpool through a stick of rock. “We only supply high quality. That’s a given. If it doesn’t work amazingly well, then we don’t stock it. Our customers expect products with a proven level of efficacy – we always deliver that. Oh, and ‘No’ doesn’t feature in our vocabulary. We solve problems – within our field that is. It’s no good asking me to fix your car. Although, even then, I’m pretty sure I’d get it running!”
Murph flashes a cheeky grin, before his focused expression returns. “Seriously, we remove every barrier that gets in the way of good old-fashioned service. We build relationships, people rely on our expertise. They appreciate that our focus is on the end result, not blindly shipping merchandise. No matter how high quality a product is, if it’s the wrong part then it’s next to useless.”
“We’re the emergency service for manufacturers whose production lines may have given up the ghost…”
Paul Murphy
Our conversation must take a hiatus as Murph is called away to talk with a customer. After several hours, bleeping signals the Pure Transfer founder’s reappearance on my laptop screen. Was he having a ‘full on’ day?
“You might say that,” he says, sipping tea from a Pure Transfer mug. “We never forget that our customers often come to us at a point where they’re having a bad day. In some cases, a very bad day. We’re the emergency service for manufacturers whose production lines may have given up the ghost because of a badly installed, faulty or failing high purity component. So, however stressful it is for us, it’s 1000 times more so for them.” It would seem communication is central to this enterprise. “A lot of my job is trying to extract the right information out of our clients, so I can really help. Not always easy when they’re up against it. It’s worth the extra time and effort to ensure we’re supplying what they need, not just what they think they need. There is, very often, quite a difference between the two. Once we understand what is needed, we move heaven and earth to supply it.”
“At the end of the day, though,” says Murph, “customer service alone is not the answer. Even if we were the loveliest people in the world, if we supplied products that, frankly, don’t make the grade, people wouldn’t come back.” He begins to rummage around in the boxes that surround his desk. Finally, Murph produces a round circle of plastic, about the side of a coaster. “It might not look like much, but this is what we’re all about. This isn’t just any old gasket, oh no. This is THE high purity gasket and it’s precision made bits of kit, like this, that keep high purity lines running safely. Yes, there are other versions of this gasket, but we don’t stock them. Why? Because this is the best one. Our customers rely on us providing the best. They don’t have to do extra homework. If we recommend it then they know it’s what they need and will do the job perfectly.” With that, Murph gently replaces the gasket in its box, with a noticeable degree of reverence. “A great bit of kit, that,” he says, more to himself than to me.
As we chat, it becomes clear that a strong focus on family is what drives Murph. “They’re a HUGE part of the reason I get up in the morning, the reason I want to be successful, to set great examples, to be a good person.”
It’s notable that, every time we interact, the idea of embracing the moment and enjoying life is a dominant theme. “For me, happiness is a passion. A zest for life, a zest for your family, an engagement with your current & future dreams. They’re all so important, and, frankly, achievable. There’s no magic spell, it’s just a commitment to positivity and working damn hard at it. You should work as hard at your family life as you do in the office… harder in fact. Being happy is a choice we must each make.”
“There’s no magic spell, it’s just a commitment to positivity and working damn hard at it“
Paul Murphy
The final time Paul Murphy and I video chat together, the future becomes the topic of our conversation. It’s not surprising to hear family ambitions at the forefront of his mind: “My personal goal is to see the world, give my children a broad set of experiences and to equip them with the best tools they will need to have a successful and fulfilling life.”
As our conversation moves back to the business, Murph takes on a more focused aspect. “I see it changing a lot and, to be honest, not much at all. What do I mean? Well, it’s all about maintaining the heart of what makes the business work, you know? So, in terms of the quality of our products and customer service, I see it as being exactly the same. In scale, however, I’m pretty sure we’ll be providing excellence to a truly global audience. That’s the vision for Pure Transfer.”
And the career goal for Paul Murphy himself? “I want to help other people, like me, in the business world. What I’d like to do is spread my philosophy, that being passionate at work can facilitate a relaxed homelife, with as many people as will listen. Life’s too short not to enjoy every minute. I think some people have forgotten that.” I can’t help agreeing, many people have forgotten how to enjoy themselves.
Yet, as the video call ends – with the Pure Transfer founder called away to an online quiz night with the family – it’s clear to me that Murph isn’t one of them.
