Following the Technology Trail in Paints: Onur Color's Journey

Report: Faruk Yazıcıoğlu

From electrostatic powder coating technology to industrial coating solutions, Onur Color stands out with its range of pioneering products that lead the sector. Ahmet Kaya, Chairman of Onur Color Group, shares with us his objectives of making a mark in the global market through domestic production capacity and R&D-focused operations.

Can you describe the establishment process of Onur Makina? What were the factors that prompted you to establish your own company between 2001 and 2007?
I began an internship in the private sector in 2001 and continued working there after completing my studies. After developing myself in electronic machinery, I noticed a significant gap in the market for technical service and spare parts. In 2007, I left the company I was working for and established Onur Makina Güç Sistemleri Yapı San. Tic. Ltd. Şti. The reason for our establishment was to provide after-sales spare parts and technical service. Between 2007 and 2014, we successfully made a name for ourselves. After 2014, we started manufacturing powder coating equipment under the Micron brand and subsequently began distribution and sales to one or two countries. With the slogan "Everyone is happy with Micron," we currently conduct distribution and sales to more than 25 countries.

What are the most important factors that enabled you to specialize in electrostatic powder coating technology? How do you evaluate the development in this field?
Electrostatic powder coating is a technology that offers environmentally friendly, durable and aesthetic coatings. The first step in specializing in this field involves learning the fundamental principles and advantages of the technology in depth. This coating method provides substantial benefits to both manufacturers and the environment by enabling coating without releasing harmful gases. Understanding this technology has enabled us to maximize the environmental and economic advantages it offers.

Our continuous investment in R&D activities has played an important role in making electrostatic powder coating machines more efficient, user-friendly and energy-saving. We shape the development of machinery, taking into account customers' needs and global market trends. By developing new materials, coating methods and painting systems related to the technology, we gain competitive advantage in the sector.

Electrostatic powder coating is known as an environmentally friendly technology. During our specialization process, we placed great importance on sustainability. This technology offers advantages such as low energy consumption, minimal waste generation and the use of recyclable paints. Environmental consciousness was a driving force in our development in this field and became part of our company's long-term strategy.
Understanding customer expectations and providing solutions tailored to their specific needs has played an important role in our specialization in electrostatic powder coating technology. Developing project-specific solutions enabled us to maintain customer satisfaction at the highest level and respond quickly and flexibly to the demands of different sectors.

We evaluate the development of electrostatic powder coating technology with a positive momentum. Our specialization in electrostatic powder coating technology is based on understanding the technology in depth, investing in R&D, adopting environmentally friendly approaches and producing customer-focused solutions. We foresee that innovation and sustainability will play important roles in the sector's future development.

How has your growth strategy taken shape in domestic and international markets? What challenges has Onur Makina encountered in the international market?
We expanded our customer network by participating in both domestic and international trade fairs. We shaped our strategy by reaching companies working intensively from Turkey abroad that produce powder coatings. Along with our bilateral contacts, we expanded our network through references from companies we have worked with at facilities and post-facilities, and through our own achievements. We strengthened our advertising strategies across countries and the world through social media.
We provide technical service and spare parts sales after manufacturing powder coating ovens, powder coating booths, guns and equipment for both domestic and international markets. I would say each one is a piece of the puzzle. We are present in every province throughout Turkey, but we actively work with our dealerships primarily in Istanbul and its surroundings, as well as in Izmir, Bursa, Zonguldak, Kayseri, Antalya, Mersin and other cities. In the international market, we actively work in Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Sweden and Algeria markets.

Most importantly, we face difficulties due to low-cost products introduced by competitors in the Far East, geographic conditions and the high costs of our products in the market.

How does your company approach prioritizing quality and customer satisfaction?
In our production processes, we strictly adhere to national and international quality standards. Every product is put through quality control stages to ensure it reaches the highest standard. We closely follow innovations in electrostatic powder coating technology and adopt the continuous improvement principle. This increases product quality and makes our processes more efficient. Working with a qualified and experienced team is an important advantage for us. Our personnel are subjected to continuous training on current technologies and best practices.

This contributes to both production quality and establishing trust in our communication with customers. We are in constant communication with our customers to best understand their needs and expectations. We design, manufacture and deliver each project specifically tailored to customer requirements. This ensures that our products exceed our customers' expectations. Quality, along with timely and reliable delivery, is of critical importance in terms of customer satisfaction. We carefully evaluate customer feedback and include it in our continuous improvement processes. This is a critical step in increasing customer satisfaction. Through these approaches, we both maintain our competitive strength in the sector and provide long-term satisfaction to our customers.

Based on your broad product range, which product groups see greater demand?
In the domestic market, our Oven, Coating Booth, Powder Coating Robot and Coating Equipment product groups are in demand. While the product segments we sell the most vary according to demand and needs, coating equipment is among our best-sellers. We sell Coating Equipment and complementary equipment together as a package. In the domestic market, we serve our customers with our B 300 Manual powder coating machine. In the international market, our semi-digital YB 400 Manual powder coating machine and fully digital YB 500 Manual powder coating machine see demand.

Can you provide information about the electronic cards and indicators you manufacture in-house? How did this production process develop?
We manufacture 10 circuit cards in-house. Eight of these cards are for equipment we manufacture, and two are for our robot groups. All of the cards' PCB designs and software belong to us. We perform the assembly of the cards ourselves.

What is Onur Makina's approach to sustainability and environmentally friendly manufacturing?
Maximizing energy efficiency is among our priorities in the design of our powder coating machines. This ensures minimum energy consumption during coating processes, while also reducing production costs. With heat recovery systems and optimized oven technology, we reduce energy losses and minimize our carbon footprint. With advanced powder collection and recovery systems, powder coatings used in our machines can be recovered at nearly 100 percent. This both reduces costs and significantly reduces waste generation. These characteristics that improve waste management contribute to a sustainable production process.

Powder coating machines have technology that completely eliminates water use during the coating process. Unlike traditional wet coating systems, this not only provides water savings but also minimizes environmental impact by eliminating the need for chemical cleaners used in coating operations. The durability and longevity of our machines prevent frequent machine replacements, which contributes to the conservation of natural resources. By providing customers with equipment that requires less maintenance and has a longer lifespan, we both reduce resource use and minimize the environmental impact of machines. To realize our sustainability goals, we provide training to our customers and employees on environmentally friendly manufacturing processes and energy savings. By raising this awareness, we ensure machines are used most efficiently and further reduce environmental impacts.

We continue to invest in sustainability and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. Our R&D department is focused on developing next-generation powder coating machines that consume less energy, generate less waste and have minimal environmental impact. We continuously pursue innovation to ensure that technology is aligned with environmental sustainability. Sustainability and environmentally friendly manufacturing in the powder coating machine sector are among our company's core strategic priorities. In both our production processes and the machines we develop, we provide solutions that protect the environment and offer sustainable approaches regarding natural resource conservation, energy efficiency and waste management.

What innovations or technological developments do you foresee in the future in electrostatic powder coating machine manufacturing?
New energy-saving methods that provide significant reductions in machine energy consumption will be developed. These developments will support sustainable manufacturing by being both environmentally conscious and reducing operating costs for businesses.

Advanced recovery technologies that minimize material waste in powder coating processes will gain great importance. In future machines, almost all unused powder will be recoverable and reusable. This will increase paint material efficiency and reduce waste to the lowest level. Additionally, I believe these systems will be more precise and user-friendly.

Modular designs will come to the forefront in powder coating machines. Machines will be easily adaptable to different production needs and able to respond quickly to changing production demands. This offers major advantages for both small-scale operations and large industrial facilities. Flexible systems will provide optimized solutions for different production capacities and coating processes.
Efficiency and speed in the coating process will be an continuously developing area.

Faster coating operations, shorter curing times and less material consumption will be possible in future machines. Through advanced atomization techniques, paint will be applied to surfaces more evenly and thinly, which will reduce material consumption while improving coating quality.

Advanced sensors and camera systems will be able to monitor coating thickness and paint distribution in real-time during the coating process. This will ensure that coating is more controlled and compliant with standards. Technologies such as laser-based measurement systems will accelerate the quality control process by instantly analyzing coating quality.

New coating techniques will provide thinner and more homogeneous coatings, reducing the amount of paint used, while preserving surface durability and aesthetics. These developments will provide an environmentally friendly approach by preventing material waste, while also reducing costs.

Future innovations in electrostatic powder coating machine manufacturing will focus on automation, energy efficiency, environmentally friendly technologies and more flexible, fast and efficient production processes. These developments will both increase environmental sustainability and enhance the competitive strength of businesses.

Can you tell us about your factory's production capacity and technological infrastructure? Do you have any plans for new investments or expansion?
We conduct manufacturing within our factory spanning 5,000 square meters.
Through R&D and innovation, we are not lagging behind the digital age, leaving behind voltage-controlled equipment from the 2000s, and investing in voltage and current controlled, digital-screen paint machines. We are revising our cards, guns and equipment.
In 2025, we have spent TRY 10,000,000 on R&D and innovation. We will make a mark in the sector by visually presenting at the 2025 Paint Expo fair the Opti Center fast color-changing PVC booth and the fast paint-changing paint center connected to it, along with the paint centers feeding them and the transfer pump.

How do you evaluate competitive conditions in the sector? What are the most distinctive features that set Onur Makina apart from its competitors?
We want to first state that competition in the sector does not concern our company and we have not been lost there. Because we do our job from day one with the same passion, confidence and integrity, we do not lose business. Since the day we established our company, we have grown 90 percent through referrals; with our management team and team that provide light to the future by placing customer satisfaction first, we are at the top of the working sector.