This is my rather tardy report on the shareholder facility tour...

This is my rather tardy report on the shareholder facility tour this week. Tuesday's tour was a great opportunity for learning as well as a chance to meet fellow shareholders.



I didn’t ask too many questions during this week’s shareholder tour of the POH facilities. Actually, I chose not to prepare any beforehand, as I strongly suspected that all the questions I would love to have answered were exactly those for which there would be no answers. Besides, TL’s list was as long as his arm and we had to be out before midnight!

The main purpose of this tour was for us to get a feel for the company, speak with some of the key personnel, see how the laboratories and manufacturing facility work and educate ourselves a bit on the R&D process.

As anticipated, I didn’t walk away with too many answers. What I did gain instead were impressions. You shouldn't discount impressions as they can be valuable so that’s what I’ll share.


Impression 1

Both the HQ and manufacturing facility are fairly modest set-ups. Function reigns over style; thus spending on lab equipment appears to be prioritized over expenditure on statement foyers or designer chairs. The frugality and lack of arrogance reflected in the surrounds was reassuring to me as a shareholder. Clearly funds are being very carefully allocated.


Impression 2

Our tour was given by VP of R&D, Dr Paul Gavin as well as Formulation Development Manager, Dr Mahmoud El–Tamimy (Macca) and VP for Bioanalytics and Chemistry Manufacturing and Control, Dr Divyang Butala. I was struck by the intelligence, broad grasp of issues and frank attitude of these gentlemen. Importantly, I found their energy and enthusiasm to be quite inspiring. My general impression was that the company R&D is in very good hands.


Impression 3

Although the company’s main goal remains constant,other influencing factors are in a constant state of flux. Clearly key personnel wouldn’t last long without possessing flexibility, adaptability and patience in spades. The incredible complexity of decision making on multiple levels was apparent, with all decisions ultimately guided by the goal of successful product commercialisation.


Impression 4

Loose lips sink ships and this company knows it. Unfortunately for us that meant no scoop information. I’m not sure that even a headlock from TL on David was going to extract the kind of information we wanted. Which, although disappointing on one hand, was reassuring on another. Because, in my opinion,that’s exactly how it should be.


Impression 5

The scientists exuded a sense of genuine belief, excitement and confidence in the extraordinary technology that is TPM. There may still be some “whens”, but there don’t appear to be too many “ifs” at the Clayton facility.


Impression 6

My final impression was formed on the flight back home. I thought for the first time ever about the process of flying. I had initially chosen my destination and then decided on a carrier, taking into account the quality of its product and the company reputation. I then tried to time the purchase of my seat at the lowest price (which of course went up between opening up the website and booking!). Some passengers slept through the whole flight, some flew nervously, some whinged and one changed her mind and bailed before we set off. There were some bumpy bits, the inevitable delays and a bit of unscheduled detouring. As I couldn’t fly the plane myself, I had to trust the flight crew, who in turn were relying on the aircraft design and maintenance engineers and air traffic controllers to know their stuff, be alert and make constant adjustments to ensure we got to our destination safely. And we did.

My final impression was that learning can sometimes result from changing perspective rather than from asking questions.