With 28 years of service to the company, Shawn Summerton retiring but has generously agreed to stay on until the end of the year, offering assistance and passing along knowledge. 

Shawn began his career at Board24 as a runner on Corrugator 1, quickly progressing to a shift manager, before being promoted to production manager only 8 years later. The success he has achieved as Operations Manager is a testament to his hard work and dedication. With 12 years’ experience in this role, he has been instrumental to numerous projects and changes within the business.

Dominic Drew, Group Managing Director commented, “Shawn has been a pleasure to work with over the past two years, earning my trust and respect. He has shown hard work and dedication throughout his career, and now maintaining his professionalism through this transition. He will be very much missed, and we wish Shawn a very happy retirement and all the best for the future”.

As an effective leader of a 120-person team, Shawn’s main function was to maintain a safe working environment for factory employees. He was responsible for the performance of corrugators 1 and 2, pallet lines, maintenance, finished goods and despatch operations, which reflect his skills in man management and technical understanding of corrugated board.

He has always been highly dependable and has a reputation for excellent housekeeping and organisation skills which our customers frequently mention. Whether in the board room or on the double backer, Shawn has been able to communicate with all levels within the company and has inspired many to become long serving employees.

In true selfless fashion, Shawn has taken on the responsibility of sharing his knowledge before he retires by training the team across all shifts. His knowledge of systems and dedication to the business is a significant loss. Key changes to the business structure will ensure the success and development of the business. The new site management team have a huge amount of experience collectively relative to our competitors, demonstrating our commitment to meeting our business aspirations. Project Fox Phase 1 was a key stage in business change which has been paramount in meeting customer demand and efficient process flow.

With a head start on his retirement plans, Shawn has been riding a motorbike through Europe during August, with Dubrovnik as the final destination. There are sure to be plenty more plans in the new year, whether it’s on the back of a motorbike or on two sticks down a mountain or travelling to Ireland spending time with his new born grandson.