Q&A: Martin Murdoch
10 June 2022
Martin Murdoch has decided to retire after a career that includes 34 years in the portable sanitation industry, most recently as Proprietor of the PS Consultancy business.
How did you get into the portable sanitation industry?
I’d been a marine engineer in the Merchant Navy with Shell Tankers (UK), and then I worked in Qatar as a water engineer until returning to the UK in 1987. The following year, a friend told me he had seen the perfect job for me and had put my name forward for it.
What was this job?
It was with Poole Rent Equip Ltd. But when I found out it was to start a portable toilet hire operation, I virtually told him to get lost. However, I met the owner Keith Furniss on a Friday afternoon and he convinced me to become general manager of what would become Site-A-Loo. I bought a suit over the weekend and wore it to work the following Monday, but within an hour I’d changed into a boiler suit and was unloading a 40ft container of toilets from PolyPortables, the US-based manufacturer. I never wore the suit again!
Portable sanitation hire would be in its infancy then.
Yes. We were distributors for PolyPortables and Keith saw the opportunity. We actually helped a number of other hire companies become established in this market. The challenge was to convince construction site managers about the value of hiring portable toilets along with a weekly cleaning service.
Eventually a sub-division of the HAE (Hire Association Europe) was created in 1992, PSE, which in late 1999 split away to become Portable Sanitation Europe Ltd.
How did things develop in your career?
In 1993 Site-A-Loo started an operation manufacturing toilet tanks, wash basins and other items at the company’s own facilities in Bournemouth. We had our own rotary moulding machine and ran two shifts. Site-A-Loo was sold to what was then Brandon Hire in 1996. They didn’t want the PolyPortables distributorship so I took it on and established PolyPortables Ltd with Tony Ray and Richard Philpott of Andy Loos in 1997. I later worked for the manufacturers Shorelink International, Thal and finally Satellite Industries before forming PS Consultancy in 2008 to offer advice to others. In 2010 I worked in New Delhi, alongside Rajeev Kher of 3S India on providing portable sanitation at the Commonwealth Games. On returning home in late 2010 I was asked to take over the Secretariat of Portable Sanitation Europe Ltd, finally stepping down in 2015 and I now believe the time has come for me to put my rubber gloves away.
What’s the most challenging hire request you ever received?
At Site-A-Loo I once supplied three toilets to a frightfully posh lady in Salisbury who was organising a garden party that afternoon. Our standard units had a drop-tank toilet and a urinal. When she saw them she almost fell through the floor and demanded I took them away: her guests were all ladies who “couldn’t possibly” use a unit with a urinal in it.
So what did you do?
I asked her to give me an hour. I went to B&Q in Salisbury, bought a bag of soil and some pot plants and turned the urinals into planters. The lady customer was bowled over; and we supplied her with toilets for the event every year after that – but they had to have the ‘planters’ in them.
What frustrates you?
Lack of communication between client and contractor, or poor customer relations. Keep people informed and if there’s a problem say so: then it can be worked out.
What was your favourite school subject?
Geography, which I suppose stood me in good stead in joining the Merchant Navy and living in Qatar!
If things had been different, what other career might you have chosen?
From a very early age I knew I wanted to go to sea. My father had been a merchant navy deck officer during the War. I tried for the Royal Navy but my eyesight wasn't good enough, and the only other route to becoming an officer was as an engineer, so I did my four-year apprenticeship with Shell.
What’s the best piece of advice that you would pass on to others?
Work hard and be honest. And if you make a mistake admit it, put it right and learn from it.
Do you follow a particular sport or team?
I’m a rugby fan and support Bath. To a lesser extent I follow Liverpool FC because I went to college in the city.
What new skill would you like to learn?
How to stay young! To be honest, you’re never too old to learn. And you can always learn from people who are younger than yourself.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
I’d help my two sons and families with their mortgages but there’s little else I’d need. I don’t want a fast car or a big yacht and I’m very happy with my house to the north of Christchurch in the New Forest.
Finally, what future plans do you have?
I’ll be spending more time with my three grandchildren. And I do like gardening and watching the seasons change.
