Saint-Gobain Cultilene is celebrating its 45th anniversary. To mark this milestone, we’re travelling back in time with various current and former employees. They’ll share their memories and wisdom, as well as their visions for the future. This time it’s then turn of Kamil Aslan, who as an operator has been a valued member of our factory team since 1994.

Kamil moved from Turkey to the Netherlands in 1991. Despite having several years of experience as an operator in his home country, it took him a while to find his dream job in the Netherlands due to the economic crisis at the time. In 1994 he joined Wibro, a company later acquired by Cultilene. 

Over his 30-year career as an operator, Kamil has witnessed significant changes in the factory. He says: “The factory was very different back then – low ceilings, lots of separate rooms and fewer machines. Almost everything was done by hand: sticking plugs, filling trays and cutting cubes. It was physically demanding work. Now it's clean and a lot of the work has been automated.”

First aid
The number of people working in the factory has also changed. Kamil: “When I started, there were at least four people at each machine. We also had forklift drivers, foremen and people loading the truck. We were always a big team. Now there’s only one person per machine, and the factory is organised so efficiently that forklifts aren’t needed near the machines any more. That has made the shop floor a lot safer.”

As the factory’s designated emergency response officer, this is a significant improvement for Kamil. He adds: "I rarely need to take action these days, but I have had to use my knowledge in the past. I had to administer first aid for hands trapped in machines a few times. This doesn’t happen any more because there are extra safety guards on the machines. Also, someone once dislocated their shoulder while lifting a slab. It had to be reset by the doctor in the hospital, but after some painkillers the person was fine again.”

Learned a lot
Kamil has many more happy memories of his work at Cultilene. The directors he worked with in his early years left a lasting impression on him. He says: “I learned a lot from Peter and Mark. They were always ready to help out if someone was off sick. They would work a night shift in the factory if necessary, in addition to their daytime work as directors. I have a lot of respect for that."

Other lessons from Peter and Mark were also helpful, Kamil says. “They taught me how to do my job in the best way and how to treat people well. Mark is a particular role model for me. He taught me how to work with the machines, explained how to identify problems and told me what to do to fix them.”

Favourite line
Although the factory is his usual workplace, Kamil remembers once going to a greenhouse to clear slabs. He says: “Four of us went along to a customer who was having problems with their slabs. That was completely different work from what we were used to: it was heavy and hot and we were hunched over all the time. We ended up working there for several days, but we solved the problem together. Everyone was happy afterwards, so I was, too.”

Kamil has worked in almost all departments in the factory. His favourite is the cube line. He says: “We used to mainly make standard cubes which we sold to all customers. Nowadays, there’s a lot more customisation involved. One grower wants a cube with a water chamber, another wants two holes and yet another wants to be able to plant as many plants as possible in one cube. As an operator, I aim to make these products as good as possible for them. That’s how I make sure our customers remain Fit for the Future.”

Continuing the journey
With an impressive 30 years of service, Kamil is one of our longest-serving staff at Cultilene, and he has every intention of staying on for a long while yet. He concludes: “I love my job! I'm 56 now and I have no plans to look for another one. I’m proud to be part of such a wonderful organisation. The Fit for the Future theme also applies to me: I hope to stay here until I retire!”