Meet the team – Kristine Cirule, Machine Operator

At the heart of every well-made corrugated box is a skilled operator who understands the importance of precision, quality and timing. In our production team, the corrugated folding and cutting machine operator plays a vital role in turning board into right sized packaging that is ready to protect your high value products. One of our operators, Kristine Cirule, talked to us about her role at ASC Direct and particularly the new machine she has been working on.  

Starting at ASC Direct

Kristine has been with ASC Direct for 18 months, “I have done many jobs in the past to support my family and was looking for something that enabled me to use my skills of attention to detail, being organised and enjoying getting a good job done well.” 

Beginning in the warehouse and then moving to machine operator, Kristine has learnt a lot about production and corrugated materials while becoming skilled in operations. “I enjoy learning about the machines and making boxes. The team were always helpful around me.” 

Operating the machines

Kristine’s role includes setting up the machine, checking specifications, and making careful adjustments to ensure every fold, cut and crease is accurate. “I use my knowledge and skills to make sure the machine is running correctly. I check board alignment, monitor machine speed and finished quality and make sure production is running smoothly and efficiently.” 

New machine investments

Recently Kristine has moved on to operating the new, BM2508-Pro and BM1800-Mini Corrugated Box Making Machines, which were installed earlier this year. Both machines are highly versatile and advanced, enabling rapid design changes, greater flexibility and can handle oversized carton boxes in a single pass, eliminating the need for multiple processing steps and reducing turnaround time. 

Kristine has been particularly impressed with the new machines, “Previously some elements of operation were more manual, now, with the new machines, you program the box size specified into the operating screen and the machine automatically enables the set up and running to the correct size. This is much quicker and means we get more boxes produced in the same time.” 

Kristine really enjoys her job, “It’s great work - no two jobs are exactly the same, and I keep an eye on the smooth operation of the machine while looking for any potential issues that could affect production. I also really enjoy working with the team around me.”  

Although customers may not see the work happening on the factory floor, they see the results in every strong, neatly finished piece of right sized packaging. Kristine is an essential part of the team, helping manufacture and deliver packaging that impresses customers and protects their products. 

Outside work 

Kristine has two grandchildren which keep her very busy! She also likes going to the gym to keep fit. Her passion is sculpting flowers from soap which allows her to use her creativity to create beautiful unique structures to show. 

Our production team are there to make sure ASC Direct customers get the best in right sized packaging for all of our customers. When you need custom packaging for your high value products, call our sales team on 0800 0731 126 or get in touch.