Interview with Ali Mert Özgen, General Manager of Anton Paar Türkiye

Anton Paar Turkey General Director Ali Mert Özgen spoke with us about the technologies the company uses and the advantages it brings to the sector in a pleasant interview.

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

After completing Istanbul Boys High School, I finished my studies in the Electronics Engineering Department at Istanbul Technical University. I pursued my master's degree at Munich Technical University. Following my experience in the automotive industry, I have been working as a manager in the field of measurement instruments for 10 years.

What are your product varieties? Which sectors do you serve?

Anton Paar, in addition to organic growth, now offers different solutions for every laboratory together with companies it has acquired. I can already see this in our sales reports—almost every sector carries nearly equal weight, with no dominant sector. Our company, stemming from R&D and university origins, is of course a world leader in the characterization field. There are few who do not know us in rheometers and particle size measurement instruments. With Quantachrome, which we acquired two years ago, we have become able to offer surface area and porosity instruments as well. Beyond characterization, however, we have a very broad portfolio in quality control instrumentation that is standard in laboratories. For example, our density measurement instruments are well-known, but for the past few years we also have instruments starting from entry level in the rotational viscometer field. I believe our rheometer specialist company has brought serious innovations to the stationary viscometer field. Microwave instruments in the combustion and synthesis area are another field where we have made significant strides.

Technological advances make life easier. What is the importance of technology for Anton Paar?

We allocate approximately 20% of our turnover to R&D activities. This is a very high percentage compared to sector averages. As Galileo said, we continue to work to measure what can be measured and make measurable what cannot be measured. We are growing rapidly by both developing instruments within our own organization and acquiring companies where we see potential. The future looks very bright for Anton Paar. Friends who wish to contribute to this growth locally and globally can apply for positions. Our hiring continues and will continue in the coming days. We value working with "good" people in a peaceful environment, and our doors are open to those who wish to contribute to this.

What after-sales technical service do you provide to your customers?

As of this year, we have extended our standard warranty period to 3 years. This is because the durability of our instruments is well-known in the market. Rather than trying to explain this in words, we wanted to make it visible and verifiable. Our customers' reaction has been very positive, and we hope to set an example in our sector. Another area we place importance on is application support. For relatively complex instruments like rheometers and surface area instruments, we have specialists who focus solely on applications. These colleagues have no commercial targets; they are tasked only with supporting customers. Directing and supporting customers so they can produce better products is our team's most important goal and a pleasure. In fact, I believe the main reason for Anton Paar's local presence is to bring the company's vast global knowledge base to Turkey.

Could you tell us about the work Anton Paar is undertaking for a sustainable world?

Anton Paar is a company founded in 1922, before our Republic. Its focus, however, dates back even further: developing technological solutions to support scientific research. In 2003, it was converted into a foundation company, and since then revenues have been spent on projects for public benefit. Within this scope, scientific projects are supported and anti-addiction projects are developed. One of our latest projects is hosting young people from countries like Afghanistan and Syria who have had to seek asylum in Austria in a dormitory within our factory. These young people receive technical training here and are developed into individuals useful to both themselves and society. In the interest of being useful to society, I see that the family's sincere effort is recognized within the company, and this makes me happy.