Kale Group Celebrates Three Milestones at Once

Kale Group Celebrates Three Milestones Together Kale Group marked three significant occasions at its traditional Ceramic Festival this year. On the special day celebrating the company's 66th founding anniversary, Kaleseramik, the Group's flagship company, went public with plans for new investments. The opening of the Porcelain Slab facility, which commenced operations to meet upper-segment demands in the ceramic coatings sector, took place with the attendance of Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır and TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş. Kale Group Chairman and CEO Zeynep Bodur Okyay stated, "We are maintaining our momentum for growth and investment focused on increased exports, more sustainable production, digital transformation required by the times, and innovations that will shape the sector. We will invest a total of USD 300 million more during 2023-2025." At the traditional Ceramic Festival celebrating Kale Group's 66th founding anniversary, Kaleseramik's initial public offering and the inauguration of the Porcelain Slab facility, whose foundation was laid last year, also took place. At the ceremony attended by TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş and Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, it was emphasized that the Group's new investment roadmap was drawn with a holistic approach encompassing human resources, business processes and technology elements, as well as stakeholders in the ecosystem.

Zeynep Bodur Okyay: "With our country in mind and the future in our hearts, we will move forward on our path"

Kale Group Chairman and CEO Zeynep Bodur Okyay began her remarks at the ceremony by expressing pride in accompanying Turkey's 100-year history for 66 years. Zeynep Bodur Okyay said, "We are working with all our might to carry the century-old and noble Republican tradition and the light of the Republic into the future. As industrialists, we are focused on changing the destiny of our country and our people through the factories we have built, the technology we have developed, and the employment opportunities we have created for tens of thousands of people to this day. As exporters, we are bringing significant income to the country's economy while waving the Turkish flag even in the most distant lands. As social impact investors, in education, culture, arts, and in short, in every place we touch, we always advance in line with the founding values of the Republic. With the motto 'Look After the World Well,' we care for every inch of our country's land, every drop of its water, and every person. As we have done so far, we will continue to move forward with determination saying 'With our country in mind and the future in our hearts'" she said. Emphasizing that Kale Group is maintaining its growth and investment momentum, Zeynep Bodur Okyay continued, "Our strategic objective is to further expand our Group through export-driven growth, digital transformation, sustainability, innovation and initiatives in new high-value business areas. This year we are targeting a 40% increase in exports and a 20% increase in revenue on a dollar basis compared to the previous year. To support our growth, we will invest USD 100 million in 2023, with a total of USD 300 million more during 2023-2025."

Live connection made to Borsa Istanbul for Kaleseramik gong ceremony

One of the proud moments for Kale Group during the Ceramic Festival was the ringing of the gong at Borsa Istanbul in representation of Kaleseramik's initial public offering. At the gong ceremony where the protocol and Kale Group management participated via live connection from Çan, excitement and joy were experienced together. Kale Group Chairman and CEO Zeynep Bodur Okyay noted that Kaleseramik has shown a fourfold increase in performance over the past three years and continued her remarks as follows: "To further strengthen its strong position and performance in the global market, we have planned investments exceeding USD 50 million specifically for Kaleseramik this year. In addition to capacity increases with new investments, we will also expand the segment and product range. Today we have taken a very important step for Kaleseramik's march towards ambitious global targets. We will allocate half of the IPO proceeds to the ongoing Slab-Sinterflex investment, 15% to sustainability investments, and 6% to overseas investments." Following the demand collection process conducted last week under the leadership of Ak Investment and Yapı Kredi Investment, Kaleseramik, which received over 2 million applications from institutional and individual investors, will have a public float of 21.25%.

70% of porcelain slab production will be exported

Kale Group, which implements an investment or announces a new investment project every 27 July, crowned its 66th year with an important investment. The opening of the Porcelain Slab production facility, whose investment decision was made in line with changing customer demands in the ceramic coatings sector in the world and Turkey, and whose foundation was laid at last year's Ceramic Festival, took place. The facility will produce granite in thicknesses of 6, 12 and 20 millimetres and 160x320 dimensions with a total capacity of 3.5 million square metres. With the facility coming online, initial employment generation of 70 people will be created, and 70% of the products manufactured here will be exported. Zeynep Bodur Okyay stated, "One very important and valuable aspect of this production facility, which will make a difference in our sector, is that it symbolizes the progress we have made towards achieving zero waste and low energy consumption through full digitalization. With this production line, we are achieving 42% lower carbon emissions compared to standard production and enabling the recycling of used materials through technologies such as recovery; we continue to support with new investments our corporate approach of 'Look After the World Well'."