Altekma Group's Development Process and Structure

In the interview we conducted, Celal Dağ, Sales Manager at Altekma Group, answered our questions. Dağ explained the development process and current structure of Altekma Group, and provided information about the company's products and services for the Paints and Coatings sectors. [caption id="attachment_126355" align="aligncenter"] Celal Dağ[/caption]

Could you briefly tell our readers about yourself, your education, and your professional background?

I serve as Sales Manager of the Machinery Group at Altekma A.Ş., which is part of Altekma Group. After completing my degree in Mechanical Engineering at Kocaeli University, I began my career at Altekma A.Ş., my first employer, where I have served in various positions for 17 years. For the last 5 years, I have been serving as Sales Manager.

Could you provide information about the founding process of Altekma Group and the stages it has gone through to reach today? What is the current structure of Altekma?

Altekma Group's flagship company, Altekma A.Ş., was founded in 1997 in İzmir by Chairman of the Board Hulusi Durmuş with the aim of providing solutions to the sector in surface preparation and coating methods. Our company initially operated as an importer, and later became a manufacturer and exporter of the products it imported through R&D activities it carried out. In addition, Altekma continued to grow by identifying gaps and opportunities in the sector. In the same year, it established Boytekma A.Ş., which performs horizontal and vertical markings in accordance with KGM standards and provides road line contracting services, meeting 30% of Turkey's needs in this field. Boytekma A.Ş., which applies thermoplastic, two-component, and cold road line paints to municipalities, highways, and private enterprises, continues its work with expert teams in this area. In 2007, Altekma A.Ş. made another investment move and established Signatekma A.Ş., Turkey's largest production facility producing only road line paint, to better serve the sector and achieve higher quality results, and began producing its own road line paints. Through its R&D activities, it has pioneered many firsts in its field. Altekma Group exports road line paints and machinery produced at world standards to Balkan countries in the region near our country, Turkic Republics, Middle Eastern and North African countries. In 2017, Altekma Group expanded its areas of operation and established Turkey's most modern traffic sign production facility with Yoltekma A.Ş. Yoltekma also applies the signs it produces in the field with its experienced assembly teams within the framework of occupational health and safety. Most recently, Altekma Group established Boyamak, its fifth company, and has expanded its areas of operation to become a solution partner in meeting the line and sign needs of the private sector. It has begun providing services for horizontal and vertical markings at airports, shopping mall parking lots, factories, schools, and residential complexes. Thus, as of 2021, Altekma Group consists of 5 group companies, each specialized in its field.

What types of products and services does Altekma Group mainly provide to which sectors? Could you provide information about the products, brands, and services that Altekma Group offers, particularly for the Paints and Coatings and Surface Treatment sectors?

Altekma, in brief, handles the sale and after-sales services of equipment that enables the transfer, spraying, metering, proportioning, mixing, and distribution of all fluids. With regard to the coatings sector, in addition to equipment manufactured in-house, it continues to represent Graco, Wiwa, and Gama brands, which are world leaders in their field. The main items we sell can be summarized as: high-pressure airless paint machines, blasting surface preparation equipment, top-coat finishing products, adhesive and sealant application equipment, paint shop solutions for automotive and related industries, process and engineering services.

Could you discuss your domestic and international sales activities? What types of products are you primarily selling in which regions domestically and internationally?

As Altekma, we serve many sectors. Construction, heavy industry, finishing, automotive and related industries, furniture, and surface preparation work are our main areas of operation. With the blasting systems in which we manufacture all components in-house, we will continue to increase our international activities and transfer all our knowledge and experience. One of our most important R&D projects is the "Atar Pump" airless high-pressure paint pumps, which provide solutions to many sectors and were developed entirely by our Turkish engineers, drawing inspiration from German and American technology. We believe that with the "Atar Pump," we will increase our sales activities from road line equipment onwards, both domestically and internationally. We particularly conduct our domestic sales activities on a permanent basis in 3 different regions. We provide our sales and after-sales services with qualified and experienced personnel.

What kind of activities does Altekma Group conduct in the fields of innovation and R&D? Do you have projects developed within the scope of university-industry cooperation? If so, what are they?

Innovation is always of great importance to us. We continuously pursue R&D activities to contribute to the development of the sector and domestic production, increase employment, and create different technologies with our knowledge and experience. In these activities we conduct, we always contact universities and work in cooperation on many issues such as how new technologies can be integrated into systems.

Could you provide information about Altekma Group's environmental policy and sustainability approach? What can you say about your work related to occupational health and safety?

In all our group companies, we implement the ISO 9001 Quality Management System along with ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System. We continue our work with the aim of continuously improving and enhancing the performance of our management systems. We comply with and monitor all legal processes related to the environment. We segregate all waste that may occur in our work areas at source and ensure its management by licensed companies. We carry out emission measurements regularly. With the aim of increasing the environmental awareness of our employees, regular training sessions are provided by experts in environmental and waste management. By conducting regular drills related to emergency situations that may be encountered in environmental matters, we ensure the active participation of our employees. Occupational health and safety is a primary priority in all our group companies. We continue our work with the goal of eliminating all potential hazards and risks at source. Representatives from all our group companies participate in our monthly OHS council meetings, and we continue our work as a team to ensure the continuity of OHS culture. Our employees are regularly trained on OHS matters by expert personnel. Drills on methods of responding to possible emergency situations are conducted with the participation of all our group companies. Periodic health surveillance of our employees is carried out. During the pandemic period, we created safe working environments for our employees with top-level precautions. In the coming years, we will continue our work together with all our group companies with the aim of continuous progress and improvement in environmental and OHS matters. Beyond our approach in our companies, among our activities in this field, we also produce OHS Line Paint for use in companies where OHS activities are important, production facilities, factories, and also schools and residential complexes. Within the framework of our environmental and sustainability approach, with the water-based road line paints we have been producing for many years, we eliminate harmful agents to the environment and human health.

What criteria are prioritized when Altekma Group formulates investment plans? Does Altekma Group have investment plans for the coming periods? If so, what are they?

When planning investments, our most important criterion is to ensure the production of high value-added, advanced technology products in Turkey in a way that will minimize our dependence on foreign imports. With recent work, we are producing 100% domestically in our company high-pressure-piston pumps that will serve many sectors, equipment with rotor-stator pumps that will work in the construction field, and three different blasting systems suitable for all sectors in surface preparation. With the same thinking, our R&D, design, and production work continues for different equipment needed by many sectors. We are confident that we will continue our work steadily and without interruption, and will bring innovations to it.