We had a Pleasant Conversation with Mr. Samet Genç

We had a pleasant conversation with Mr. Samet Genç, Design and Project Responsible at Atılım Makina, about the company's turnkey projects, export activities and R&D studies.  

Could you please tell our readers about yourself and your professional background?

Hello, first of all, I would like to thank the editors of Chem Media for this interview. Between 2002 and 2006, I studied design in the field of plastic technology at PAGEV Anatolian Vocational High School. In the following years, I completed my education by graduating from Ege University's Plastic Technology program and then Anadolu University's Business Department. After working in several different companies, primarily in the plastic injection mold sector, I joined Atılım Makina in 2015 and moved into the machinery and chemical industry sector. As Design and Project Responsible for seven years, I have carried out the design of many machines, process designs and factory installations. I had the opportunity to work with leading companies in the sector both domestically and internationally. Designing the facilities we have established in many countries and taking an active role in their installation has added very valuable experience to my professional life and provided me with the opportunity to meet influential figures in the sector.  

Could you please give information about the establishment process of Atılım Makina and the stages it has gone through until today?

Since 1986, our company has undertaken the construction of all types of processes, turnkey facilities, steel construction, standard and special manufacturing machines required by the chemical and paints and coatings industry. We are one of the oldest companies in the sector, with 70% export share over the past 10 years, and we have been serving many countries worldwide, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. We are aware that experience and education together produce excellent results. We achieve excellent results with our experienced technical staff and our workers who have been with us for more than 30 years since our establishment. In this challenging process that we began many years ago, we are executing projects in many countries worldwide through our work on design-oriented technology.  

What are the main sectors and product groups that you serve as Atılım Makina?

We are adding new companies to the chemical and paints and coatings sector by establishing turnkey production facilities. In this process, we take all responsibility from machine production to facility setup, initial product production and personnel training. We possess the process know-how and technology for plasticizer facilities, polyester facilities, P.V.A facilities, styrene acrylic facilities, alkyd resin facilities, formaldehyde facilities, biodiesel facilities, thinner facilities, varnish facilities, water-based and solvent-based paints and coatings facilities, ink facilities and hot-melt facilities. Additionally, through our new R&D activities and incoming customer process information, we can establish all types of chemical plants. We are providing machinery production and mechanical solution partnerships to major companies in the chemical and paints and coatings sector in many countries worldwide, primarily in Turkey. Reactors, mixers, basket mills, stock tanks, heat exchangers, decanters, bunkers, filters, columns and washing systems are our main products.  

Could you please describe your export activities? What kind of products do you mainly sell to which regions abroad?

We are operating with an 80% export share. In general, we carry out the installation of "turnkey chemical plants". In addition, paints and coatings machinery and process equipment are also part of our exports. When it comes to turnkey plants, we handle the entire process from all necessary equipment, lines, automation and software systems through to initial production and personnel training. In short, we execute the entire process that transforms a project from construction into an operating manufacturing factory. Due to proximity to chemical raw materials, we primarily export to Middle East countries. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Iraq and Syria are the Middle East countries to which we have generally exported facilities and machinery. Additionally, Bulgaria, Greece and Hungary are among the European countries where we have established facilities in recent years. We also export facilities and machinery to countries with different markets such as Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine and Bangladesh.  

Could you please tell us about your R&D activities? How do you evaluate the contributions of university and industry cooperation in the field of R&D?

Our work continues on establishing an R&D center within our company. On the other hand, we are the only company in the sector with pilot facilities in two different universities in Turkey. We have a pilot facility and laboratory at Gebze Technical University, where we have been conducting R&D activities for many years, and we can also use the university's own laboratories. We have been conducting R&D studies on chemical processes for many years with support from our professors at the university. The next-generation DOTP production process supported by TÜBİTAK is one of the outcomes of these studies. Additionally, we are recently beginning joint R&D studies with Istanbul Technical University and have established a pilot facility there.  

Have you recently developed an innovative machine that you have presented to the sector?

Over many years we have developed many innovative processes and machines that have contributed to the sector. I would like to mention three important studies. First, I want to discuss the R&D study on "Development of Oil-Based Polyester Polyol Production Process". Polyesters and polyols are basic plastics used in textiles, packaging, plastics, construction, automotive, electronics and other industries today. The polyester-polyol formula to be developed within the scope of the project improves polyurethane foam production used in the construction and insulation industry. Within the project scope, we aim to develop a production process that will add value to the PU product. After the polyester-polyol polymerization reaction is completed, before it is converted into a polyol mixture, it provides a homogeneous mixture by loading "vegetable oil" under optimum process conditions (temperature and mixing speed) and at the rate determined in the laboratory. It provides improvements in material properties important to the sector, such as mixture homogenization, fire rating, adhesion to metals, trimer structural strength and dimensional stability. Through these developments, we aim to increase the competitive power of the end user on a global basis, thanks to the superior quality properties of the vegetable oil-based polyester polyol product, which is in demand domestically. Second, it is the machine that we built in past years but which I consider very important both for the environment and worker health—a gratifying project for someone like me who cares about nature. Mobile Vessel Washing Machine: Although vessel washing machines are demanded and designed to reduce labor, time and cost losses, they have a very important role in employee health and reducing environmental pollution.   The best approach to environmental pollution in the chemical and paints and coatings industry is to produce as little waste as possible and recycle it. Vessel washing machines are a system that accomplishes both of these goals in their field. Mobile vessels of different sizes and capacities are used in many companies producing in paints and coatings, food, adhesive and other fields. Like many equipment in this sector, equipment needs to be cleaned during product changes. Solvent-based dissolving agents are used to dissolve and clean certain chemicals. The cleaning of the portable vessel is usually done manually by workers. In this process, the solvent is used once and the worker must constantly breathe the solvent and have direct contact with it. The vessel machine, developed utilizing TÜBİTAK R&D support, closes vessels of different diameters and lengths, minimizes solvent usage and circulation in a short time, while also allowing the solvent to be separated and recovered by design. Finally, I would like to discuss a chemical process we have developed that has made our name well-known in the industry: DOTP (dioctyl terephthalate) production process. DOTP is a non-phthalate (plasticizer) organic compound that is a diester of terephthalic acid and branched-chain 2-ethylhexanol. It is a product that is expected to be banned in Europe and has been banned in other countries in recent years, based on evidence that the chemical substance DOP has carcinogenic effects. DOTP is a type of plasticizer that has been developed as an alternative to this product in recent years. It is a direct replacement for DEHP and DINP in many applications. As a result of our many years of experience and trials, we have succeeded in reducing energy and labor costs by 75% compared to conventional production methods and reducing production time from 18 hours to 8 hours.  

Could you please talk about your quality policy? What are the main points you pay attention to in order to better serve your customers?

We manufacture special production machines and processes on order. Since we do not conduct mass production, we first analyze customer demands. Do their demands truly meet their needs? Are there any more suitable solutions we can suggest? What will be the profitability of the project, and what is the breakeven point? We start by seeking answers to all these questions, and many of our customers typically want the result of the work and leave the solutions to us. If their demands are incorrect or insufficient, or if we have a better solution, we direct them accordingly. Our job is to produce mechanical and physical solutions, so first of all we want to understand the result our customers want to achieve or the problem they want to solve. After the appropriate solution is identified, the required quality standards, ISO and CE certificates are the standard certificates of our company and our products. Additionally, we can also issue certificates such as ASME, ATEX, API650 or domestic goods certification when requested.  

What are your goals for the coming years?

We are moving forward under three main headings to build our future: R&D, quality and process development. Every year we are undertaking larger projects. We want to undertake mega projects and mega investments in the future. By developing more environmentally friendly chemical materials and production processes, particularly products not currently produced in our country, and ensuring profitable and long-term sustainable growth, are among our main goals.