'AkzoNobel's Global Innovation Power Gives Us the Opportunity to Develop Innovative Products Worldwide'

Özgür Orçunus, Country Sales and Marketing Director & Marshall Boya Board Member, explains the impact that being part of AkzoNobel's global structure has brought to Marshall in Turkey. We conducted an interview with Orçunus about the Turkish paint market and Marshall's future targets.

Could you briefly tell us about yourself and your professional background?
After completing my undergraduate degree in German Business Administration at Marmara University, I finished a master's program in Finance and Accounting at the same university. Later, I obtained a second MBA degree in Business Administration at University of Houston in the United States.

I began my professional career in 1996 at Siemens. Before joining Marshall, I held management positions in marketing and sales at both leading Turkish companies and international firms. Since 2015, I have been working at Marshall Boya ve Vernik A.Ş., AkzoNobel's decorative paint business unit investment. As of this year, I have added responsibility for Marketing Director to my Sales Director role. Additionally, since 2020, I have served as a Board Member of Marshall Boya ve Vernik A.Ş.

How do you assess Marshall's position in the Turkish market and its role in the paint industry?
Marshall Boya's journey began in Istanbul in 1954. Until 1998, our company grew by achieving many firsts in the Turkish decorative paint sector, and in that year it joined forces with global giant AkzoNobel. Marshall, adding AkzoNobel's global experience to its strong heritage, today holds a solid position as one of the three strongest players in the Turkish decorative paint market.

As Marshall, we adapt to changing market demands over the years and continuously develop ourselves. Being aware of being one of the sector's leading players, we not only provide quality products but also make efforts to contribute to our society through our corporate responsibility projects.

At this point, I would like to briefly mention the "Let's Colour" initiative, AkzoNobel's global initiative. Through the "Let's Colour" initiative, AkzoNobel carries out various improvement projects in needy areas in the geographies where it operates. As Marshall Boya, we have also signed many valuable projects in our country as part of this global responsibility.

For example, following the major earthquake disaster we experienced in 2023, we quickly delivered our aid convoy to the disaster area. Additionally, in Hatay, one of the epicenters of the earthquake, we partnered with the Provincial Directorate of National Education and focused our "Let's Colour" project on education. In Defne, Hatay, we identified schools that could continue operating with minor repairs, and with the support of the district municipality, we carried out repair and painting works on these schools. In this way, we aimed to touch the lives of our teachers and students with the healing power of colors, helping them move away somewhat from the traumatic effects of the earthquake.

In short, as Marshall Boya, we not only serve as one of the sector's leading players but continue to add color to society and the future.

What are the most innovative solutions that have stood out in your product range recently?
As Marshall Boya, we work with the aim of continuously developing our innovative product portfolio. In this context, I would like to mention two important innovative solutions that we recently introduced to the market: SİL-PAK and Akrikor Elastomerik.

Our new SİL-PAK product, produced with 'stain-resistant technology', has high coverage, excellent spreadability for easy application, and a silicone-based, semi-gloss appearance. SİL-PAK creates a film layer over the paint that makes walls resist dirt more effectively. Moreover, when walls get dirty, even if cleaned multiple times, it prevents the paint from being damaged. Thanks to this, walls painted with SİL-PAK can look as if they were painted just yesterday even after a long time. In tests we conducted at independent laboratories, we found that Marshall SİL-PAK's cleanability is 10 times greater compared to interior paints.

Our other innovative product, Akrikor Elastomerik, stands out for the difference it makes in bridging cracks that form on building facades. Akrikor Elastomerik not only protects building facades but also enriches them aesthetically. Its elastomeric structure prevents subsequent cracking and deformation in buildings. Akrikor Elastomerik helps protect buildings with its water-resistant property. At the same time, its UV-resistant structure prevents color fading and maintains aesthetic appearance for a long time. In this way, I can say it provides both functional and visually superior performance.

Can you provide information about Marshall's export activities and international market presence?
As Marshall Boya, we see our overseas operations as an important responsibility in contributing to our country's economy. Today, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Georgia are among the main regions where Marshall operates actively. Thanks to our sales and marketing efforts in these geographies, we have managed to more than double our regional sales in volume terms over the last 10 years.

To make our success in international markets sustainable, we regularly inform our business partners through training sessions about our expanding and continuously renewed product portfolio. In these trainings, we bring together important professionals in the decoration and construction sectors with paint specialists. In the trainings, we provide both theoretical knowledge and practical applications, allowing participants to experience Marshall quality firsthand.

In summary, as Marshall, we demonstrate strong growth performance abroad; both through our products and support we provide to our business partners, we strengthen our market presence with each passing day.

How does being part of AkzoNobel's global structure benefit Marshall in Turkey?
Being part of AkzoNobel's global structure offers us many strategic advantages. In important areas such as production innovation, production processes, and R&D capability, this significantly increases our competitive advantage as Marshall Boya.

AkzoNobel's global innovation power provides us the opportunity to develop innovative products on a worldwide scale. By evaluating the information and developments obtained from global R&D centers with our R&D team at our facility, we can rapidly provide solutions most suitable to the needs of consumers in our country's market.

Having access to global production processes enables Marshall Boya to manufacture according to world standards. Thanks to AkzoNobel-provided manufacturing facilities based on the latest technology and efficiency-focused processes, we can use our production capacity most effectively while minimizing both costs and environmental impacts.

Finally, I would like to mention R&D. As Marshall Boya, we are among the rare organizations with an on-site R&D center at our facility. This important characteristic of ours, together with the support of AkzoNobel's global R&D infrastructure, gives us the opportunity to follow the latest technologies and trends in the sector firsthand. By being part of the global R&D network, we develop innovative products addressing needs that stand out in the local market and move through technical processes very quickly. This infrastructure creates a significant advantage in terms of continuously improving the quality of our products and responding quickly to consumer demands.

In conclusion, AkzoNobel's global structure strengthens our success as Marshall Boya in the market, while through our production innovation, advanced manufacturing processes, and strong R&D infrastructure, we maintain our position as one of the strong players in the Turkish paint sector.

Can you share Marshall's short and long-term strategic targets with us?
As Marshall, we base our strategic targets on strengthening our position as one of the leading players in the Turkish decorative paint market. Therefore, increasing our market share both in volume (liters sold) and value (sales revenue) in a regular and stable manner is among our strategic priorities.

I can summarize our short-term strategic targets under the heading of closely following consumer expectations and market dynamics to develop innovative products, expanding our existing customer portfolio, and increasing our effectiveness in sales channels. Additionally, we continue to invest in marketing efforts to strengthen our brand awareness and perception.

In conclusion, as Marshall, we can summarize our target as continuing to add color to our customers' lives while remaining a pioneer of growth and transformation in our sector.