40 Years. 40 Faces. | Marilyne, Cost Analyst

"For me, what's important is feeling that I'm making a difference and contributing to the company's growth."

Even though she has been with Plastiques GPR for just over a year, Marilyne has already discovered what motivates her most in her role: knowing that her work has a direct impact on the company's decisions and development.

As a Cost Analyst, she helps establish production costs, analyze variances, assess profitability, and provide decision-makers with the information they need to guide their actions.

"The overall goal is to ensure the company's profitability."

A large part of her role involves calculating production costs, establishing standards, comparing actual results against forecasts, and understanding why certain variances occur. Behind the numbers, there is often an investigation waiting to be conducted.

"It's a bit like detective work."

When a variance appears, Marilyne focuses on understanding what is truly causing it. Production scrap, equipment performance, process efficiency, or cost fluctuations: every situation requires tracing the issue back to its source to identify root causes and find solutions.

The objective is not simply to observe that a problem exists. The objective is to understand why it exists and how to prevent it from happening again. In her view, everything begins with a solid foundation.

"You need to establish production costs as accurately as possible."

This information serves as the basis for setting selling prices, conducting profitability analyses, and supporting many important business decisions. In a manufacturing environment where numerous variables influence costs, achieving that level of accuracy is an ongoing challenge.

"If we sell at too high a price, we may lose sales. If we don't charge enough, we lose profitability."

To succeed in this profession, Marilyne believes that strong analytical skills are essential. Curiosity is equally important.

"You have to enjoy finding solutions."

Understanding the causes of a problem, digging deeper, and seeking the information needed to make better decisions are all part of her daily work.

Yet what she enjoys most about her job is ultimately quite simple. She likes seeing the tangible results of her analyses.

"When I identify an issue that will have an impact on a decision, it's extremely satisfying."

For her, it is important to feel that her work serves a purpose and directly contributes to improving the company. Even though her role is primarily behind the scenes, her analyses often highlight issues that might otherwise go unnoticed.

"Our analyses can be extremely valuable for decision-making."

Some situations reveal simple one-time anomalies. Others expose broader trends that can lead to process improvements or lasting organizational changes.

Like many analytical roles, her work is sometimes less visible than other positions within the company.

"Sometimes it can seem a little mysterious."

Yet behind every report, dashboard, and recommendation lies a significant amount of research, validation, and critical thinking. Beyond the numbers, what has particularly stood out to Marilyne since joining GPR is the quality of the relationships among colleagues.

She speaks enthusiastically about the work atmosphere and the collaboration that exists across departments.

"Everyone is very willing to help."

Lively lunch conversations, daily interactions, and strong connections among coworkers are some of the factors that helped her quickly find her place within the team.

"There's a lot of interaction, even between different departments."

This collaborative culture is one of the reasons why she feels so at home at GPR today.

Outside of work, many people would be surprised to learn that Marilyne is at the beginning of a second career.

A single mother of three children, she made the decision, after turning thirty, to return to university.

Without attending CEGEP, she pursued a bachelor's degree in accounting, completed the additional studies required, and earned her CPA designation last fall.

"Even though I'm 37 years old, I'm just at the beginning of my career."

It is a journey that required a great deal of determination, discipline, and courage.

"I really had to be certain about my choice."

This decision reflects her personality well: when she chooses a direction, she fully commits to it.

When asked what she would like people to remember about her role at GPR, her answer returns to the strategic importance of her work.

"It's a role that is extremely important from a strategic perspective."

Cost analyses, profitability assessments, pricing decisions, and process improvements all directly influence the company's direction and the decisions made every day.

After just over a year at GPR, Marilyne continues to do what she enjoys most: understanding, analyzing, seeking answers, and contributing to the company's continuous improvement.

And for her, there is no greater satisfaction than knowing that her work helps move things forward in the right direction.