We had a very pleasant interview with Çağdaş Çağrı, Türkiye Country Manager of Eigenmann & Veronelli. Mr. Çağrı shared with us valuable information about company’s products and services in the field of life sciences, and its domestic and international activities.
First of all, we would like to introduce you to our readers. Could you please tell us about your education life, professional career and personal interests?
First of all, I would like to start by expressing my condolences to all our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake disaster in our country. I believe that we will get through these difficult days when we are united as a nation, heal our wounds and come out of this process stronger as a whole country.
I was born in Istanbul in 1976. After completing my middle and high school education at Istanbul Erkek Lisesi, I continued my higher education at Boğaziçi University to study Tourism Administration. Following my graduation in 2000, I went to the UK in the same year to continue my master’s degree in finance and business administration at the University of Exeter.
After receiving my master’s degree, I returned to my country and started my professional career. After my short-term experiences at Trakya Döküm and Şişecam, and then my military service, I started working in Bayer Türk Industrial Products Department
in 2003 as responsible for the sales of synthetic rubber, rubber chemicals and coating raw materials, and since then I have been in the chemical industry for about 20 years.
It was a great chance for me to start my career in a leading manufacturing company
such as Bayer and the training I received during the five-year period I was in. Then, between 2008 and 2015, I was the manager of the plastic, rubber and paint departments of Brenntag Kimya, one of the biggest players in the field of chemical raw material sales and distribution, and I gained very important experience in the distribution of chemical raw materials.
In addition, I have had the opportunity to take on an international position in this company as responsible for the entire European Market in rubber product groups during the last two years. I have been working as Türkiye Country Manager for Eigenmann & Veronelli since
November 2015.
When was Eigenmann & Veronelli founded? How has your company developed over the past years?
Eigenmann & Veronelli is a manufacturer and distributor of chemical raw materials based in Milan, Italy, founded in 1910 by two cousins, Giovanni Eigenmann and Adolfo Veronelli. Our company, whose main field of expertise is special chemicals, has focused on its activities outside Italy after the 2000s and established its own legal entity in Spain, Russia and finally in Türkiye in 2013, respectively.
Our Türkiye operation, which started with a partnership with a local company, has turned into a 100% foreign partner structure by purchasing the remaining shares of this company in 2016.
Particularly at the end of this process, our company has achieved a very strong growth momentum and has succeeded in bringing its turnover, which was 8 Million Euros, to a very important threshold of 45 Million Euros as of last year, in a period of approximately 7 years.
The main source of this growth, which was created completely organically, was realized both by entering new sectors and by improving our customer depth through new supplier agreements.
Of course, in the organization of our company, especially the correct planning of our human resources, operational improvements, proximity to the customer, as well as using the positive synergy between the raw materials we produce and the products of the companies we distribute have formed the building blocks of this success.
Despite the fact that we are the last company established among the subsidiaries, it is a great source of pride for our entire team that we have achieved the largest sales and profitability.
Eigenmann & Veronelli offers products for many different industries. Could you please give information about your company’s products and services, especially in the field of Life Sciences?
Our Life Sciences unit consists of the main groups of personal and home care products, as well as pharmaceuticals and food supplements. Our expert team, especially in the field of personal care, provides services for the cosmetics industry in Türkiye with a wide product portfolio that includes hair, skin, body care and color cosmetic raw materials.
With our laboratory services that we use for formulation and technical support purposes, we meet the innovation needs of our customers, which change according to the trends that develop over time. We offer raw materials with high performance and efficiency, produced by our headquarters in Italy and our suppliers with distribution agreements, to the Turkish
market.
In which regions, in Türkiye and abroad, and with what kind of product groups do you create solutions for your customers?
In particular, we have almost all of the main products used in the manufacture of personal and home care products in our portfolio. We have a very wide product portfolio consisting of surfactants, emollients, emulsifiers, esters, re-fatting agents, active groups, herbal extracts and oils, vitamins, rheology agents, silicones, preservatives and UV filters.
Although we have established a relatively new entity, I think we have also made important progress in a short time in the supply of active and inactive ingredients for human
pharmaceutical and food supplements.
The export side is a very new structure for our local operation, and we have started selling to some neighboring countries and Turkish Republics in product groups such as esters, emulsifiers, re-fatting agents, antifoam and main processing promoters used in the
rubber sector, which we produce at our own plant in Italy.
In addition, our partners, whom we represent, provide support for exporting through us if there is no other distribution network in these regions. We also aim to develop Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries in terms of export in the future in line with our plans.
Especially in recent years, we see that sustainability issues have gained more and more importance. What sustainability approach do you adopt as Eigenmann & Veronelli?
Eigenmann & Veronelli is our center located in Italy and it has started the production of RSPO-grade versions of some raw materials in its portfolio by doing its part in sustainability, which has gained a lot of importance in recent years.
RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) certification aims to reduce the damage to rainforests by ensuring the sustainability of cultivated palm nurseries. In addition, waste
management, environmental pollution prevention and emission reduction studies are carried out regularly at our production facilities in accordance with all regulations.
Apart from that, almost all of our international suppliers that we represent have training
and action programs on sustainability and social responsibility at the highest standards.
In terms of innovation and R&D, do you have any work you have done as Eigenmann & Veronelli?
Our Eigenmann & Veronelli Italy R&D Center is constantly working on new high-performance raw materials with more natural and sustainable characteristics. Polyglyceryl ester and emulsifiers can be named among them.
Does Eigenmann & Veronelli plan to invest in the near and long term? What criteria do you prioritize when planning these investments?
As Eigenmann & Veronelli Türkiye, so far we did not need a growth strategy through acquisitions due to our very rapid organic growth. However, having reached rather a saturated level along with our new management, I see more opportunities for inorganic
growth over the next years.
We are much more willing to invest, especially in sectors where organic growth will take a long time and have strategic importance for further growth. On the other hand, due to the
fact that we are already the largest subsidiary outside Italy, it is likely that our management will give priority for investment to regions where we do not yet have a presence or our structure is relatively weaker.
With new investments in to different countries in the coming years, I strongly believe
that Eigenmann & Veronelli will become an even more important regional player in the chemical distribution business.
