Hüseyin Dağlar, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Dağlar Kimya

We conducted a pleasant interview with Hüseyin Dağlar, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Dağlar Kimya. Dağlar shared his company's success story and goals with us.

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

I was born in Izmir in 1966. After completing my secondary education in Izmir, I graduated from the Chemical Engineering Department of Anadolu University. I began my professional career in 1989 as a Production Engineer at a printing ink manufacturing company in Izmir. Later, I worked for many years at Yaşar Holding's Dewilux Paints, Varnishes and Polyester Factory Synthetic Resins Operations and DYO Paint Factories Synthetic Resins Production Facilities. I gained experience in formula design, production and application of many resin groups, including alkyd resins, polyester resins, acrylic resins, melamine resins, and isocyanate hardeners. I do not particularly like the word "expert" as it carries great responsibility. For this reason, I always avoid using the phrase "specialized." Resins, in my view, are among the deepest subjects in chemistry, and a lifetime is not enough to master them. After these two prestigious paint companies—both giants in the sector—of Izmir and indeed our country, I served in senior management for a period at Molteks Paint Factory. Subsequently, I worked with Aydın İshakoğlu at Aykim, one of the respected companies in the raw material supply chain, from whom I learned much about sales and marketing. I recall him with affection and respect. My accumulated knowledge, the circumstances of that time, the spiritual motivation of my late grandfather Hüseyin Dağlar, and the persistent encouragement of my father Hasan Dağlar led me to decide to continue my career with a different and uniquely ours initiative, and I established Dağlar Kimya as a sole proprietorship. There is a saying in the paint sector: "If paint gets on your finger, the stain will never come out." In other words, if you start working in the paint sector, you can never escape it or move to another sector—this is a brief and spirited analogy to that saying. I am one of those living this reality. I began my business life in the paint sector and continue it in the paint sector to this day. I have never separated from paint.

Could you tell us about the development process of Dağlar Polimer Boya Kimya Ltd. Co. from its foundation to the present and its structure in Turkey?

The interest, affection and sympathy toward chemistry in the Dağlar Family goes back academically to the 1950s. Dağlar Kimya was established as a sole proprietorship in 2002 and took its place in the sector as a supplier company, or in sector terminology, briefly a raw material dealer. In principle, we have stayed away from and remain away from the sale of raw materials that we cannot technically stand behind, that lack continuity, and for which we cannot provide solutions to customers in case of any technical problems.

"In our laboratory, beyond new raw material input inspections, competing chemicals are compared and from time to time customer requests and suggestions are studied".

For this reason, the companies from which we sell raw materials, namely our business partners, are firms specialized in their production, those that make us feel they are always with us, possess high recognition and reliability, and are important companies directing the paint sector in particular in our country. We work with our companies based on trust, in perfect harmony, in a transparent manner and within the framework of friendship. Over time, the participation of important companies in our raw material supply chain and the expansion of our customer portfolio, as well as the increase in the number of sectors we serve, made it necessary to become limited, and our Dağlar Kimya sole proprietorship began to continue its activities as Dağlar Polimer Kimya Boya Ltd. Co. Sectoral requirements, professional curiosity, our entrepreneurial spirit and accumulated knowledge led us shortly thereafter to the process of producing performance chemicals. The production of performance chemicals opened the path to Dağlar Kimya not only in paints and construction chemicals but also in textiles, detergents, paper, treatment, partially food, agriculture and latex sectors. The financial mobility of our merchant and manufacturer stance and sectoral diversity initiated a process of establishing a new company. With the addition of my dear son and colleague Hasancan Dağlar to our team, we established DYK Kimyevi Maddeler Üretim İthalat ve İhracat Ltd. Co. in 2016. Dağlar Polimer Kimya Boya Ltd. Co. operates as a raw material dealer/merchant in the paint sector, while DYK Kimyevi Maddeler İthalat İhracat Ltd. Co. operates with a manufacturer identity. Alongside raw material supply, Dağlar Polimer Kimya Ltd. Co. also produces industrial maintenance chemicals serving many sectors, different sectors' needs, under the Green Globe and Kompetan brands, and delivers them directly to customers. DYK Kimyevi Maddeler Ltd. Co. set out with the acquisition of a manufacturer company with quite strong know-how and the combination of our business experience. I would like to note particularly that my son Hasancan Dağlar's extensive research and academic contacts increased product variety in a short time. Currently, the strongest product group of DYK Ltd. Co., which serves many sectors, is defoamers and dispersants. DYK supplies paints, construction, textiles, agriculture, treatment, paper, detergent and fertilizer sectors with 100% in-house production, including mineral oil-based, silicone-based, powder and emulsified defoamers under the FoamOut brand. Particularly in powder defoamers, DYK, reaching the quality of many imported powder defoamers, contributes to the national economy as a domestic manufacturer. Our defoamers are also exported to various countries by some major companies.

What are the products and product groups of Dağlar Polimer Kimya Boya Ltd. Co.? Which sectors do you serve?

Viewed together, the group companies Dağlar Polimer Kimya Ltd. Co. and DYK Kimyevi Maddeler Ltd. Co. serve paints, construction, building, textiles, agriculture, latex, composites, paper, detergents, treatment, paraffin and other sectors. Without spreading the subject too widely, to our locomotive sectors of water-based and solvent-based paints and the construction sector, we supply: alkyd resins, epoxy resin and hardeners, paint driers, defoamers, pigment pastes and pigments, water-based acrylic binders, what we define as performance chemicals—additives (anti-settling agents, film-forming agents, dispersants and wetting agents, spreading agents, thixotropic agents, gloss-enhancing additives, UV resistance-enhancing additives, flame-retardant additives), water-repellent silicones, silanes, titanium dioxide and other fillers.

Could you inform us about Dağlar Kimya's sales and marketing strategy?

In my commercial life, which started selling water in the market as a child and selling paper bags my grandfather made from newspapers to grocers and greengrocers, I could never like money. To be honest, I do business but I cannot claim to understand commerce. I am a technical person, a chemical engineer. My technical side has always been to the fore. I tell new customers I visit directly that I have come not to sell goods but to solve your problems and contribute. I never and will never criticize or defame competitors or the chemicals they sell in a negative way. For a raw material we do not have, I directly direct the customer to other local companies. Raw material dealer companies based in Izmir were my colleagues in the past. With us, friendship comes before competition. I do not know if it is good or bad but I conduct emotional business, making money is not the first priority even in my commercial relationships. According to my life philosophy, what matters is sharing, solving problems if they exist, honesty and transparency, providing service and finishing the job. Money comes later or does not come. Let the relationships established be pleasant and lasting, let there be friendship, then I can say I have won. I have a good team and I trust my team. I have responsible, hardworking, enthusiastic, young colleagues. And hopefully new colleagues will join us soon. We will expand our service and supply network to a wider base in different sectors. We are experiencing this process with intelligent strategy, careful steps and a good action plan. Fast growth frightens me and I do not think it is very necessary and good at this stage of growth. [gallery size="medium" ids="eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvd3d3LnR1cmtjaGVtLm5ldFwvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAxOVwvMDlcL0RZS18yLmpwZyIsInRpdGxlIjoiRFlLXzIiLCJjYXB0aW9uIjoiIiwiYWx0IjoiIiwiZGVzY3JpcHRpb24iOiIifQ==,eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvd3d3LnR1cmtjaGVtLm5ldFwvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAxOVwvMDlcL0RZSy5qcGciLCJ0aXRsZSI6IkRZSyIsImNhcHRpb24iOiIiLCJhbHQiOiIiLCJkZXNjcmlwdGlvbiI6IiJ9,eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvd3d3LnR1cmtjaGVtLm5ldFwvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAxOVwvMDlcL0RZS18zLmpwZyIsInRpdGxlIjoiRFlLXzMiLCJjYXB0aW9uIjoiIiwiYWx0IjoiIiwiZGVzY3JpcHRpb24iOiIifQ=="]

"In principle, we have stayed away from the sale of raw materials that we cannot technically stand behind, that lack continuity, and for which we cannot provide solutions to customers in case of any technical problems".

As I mentioned earlier, working with a distributor system is a system I enjoy. In the raw materials I sell, I like to be associated with the producing companies. I like teamwork, creating synergy. We have always been transparent and clear to the companies we work with. In this situation, there were rare cases of companies that hurt us, and we were disappointed and hurt to see snow on mountains we trusted; but that is how we are. Meeting customer needs from our suppliers, our business partners, is one of our main principles. If it is not available with our supplier, we do not procure that raw material elsewhere that we sell as a distributor. We proceed with our amateur spirit and emotional business approach.

Could you tell us about your research and development and sustainability activities?

First and foremost, I would like to emphasize that we are a company serving the paints, construction, composite, textiles, detergents, paper and treatment sectors as a raw material dealer. Dağlar Kimya, as a raw material dealer with a laboratory, is among the few companies that provide such service. In our laboratory, beyond new raw material input inspections, competing chemicals are compared and from time to time customer requests and suggestions are studied. I have made dozens of visits to domestic and foreign manufacturing companies. I would like to note that the laboratory conditions we possess are not found in many manufacturing companies in our sector. Companies with strong laboratories have always had more reliable products. We become the first stage testing all new raw materials entering our sales portfolio. Every new raw material entering our portfolio is first converted into a product in our laboratory. Extensive comparison is made with other equivalent raw materials and products. For issues beyond our laboratory conditions, we consult a few valued customers whose opinions are personally very special and important to us and who always support us. As a result, the new raw material is presented to the customer in a highly transparent manner with its foundations, positive and negative aspects. One of the minor problems in our sector is the burden that sample testing and testing places on R&D. Unfortunately, some samples cannot be tested for long months due to work intensity. Although every manufacturer wants to see the new raw material in their own formulas, as Dağlar Kimya we also aim to reduce this burden somewhat for our customer and to get to know the raw material we will sell.

What activities are you undertaking to ensure brand recognition?

Dağlar Polimer Kimya Boya Ltd. Co. has operated predominantly as a distributor/dealer in the paint sector from 2002 to the present. Therefore, it is an old, well-recognized and trustworthy company in the paint sector. Our name is our brand. However, in the performance chemicals we produce, we are trying to elevate the FoamOut brand and increase its recognition. FoamOut's wide sectoral range, product reliability, rich field of application, positive feedback from customers, domestic manufacturer position and increasing monthly tonnage show us that we are on the right path in this regard and that branding will be positively completed in the future. Branding comes naturally more from quality than from advertising. If your quality is good, your price is suitable, your product meets customer expectations, you have made considerable progress on the path to branding. This branding can also be accelerated through advertising. As you know, our FoamOut brand has begun to become a brand through product quality, price and domestic origin, and through your valuable magazine advertisements it has increased its pace and raised its recognition. I would also like to thank your General Coordinator Mr. Cengiz Yaman for sharing his experience with us, guiding us on the path to branding and his valuable contributions. Outside the paint sector, the industrial solution chemicals group we produce as Dağlar Kimya, including our Green Globe and Kompetan brands, are progressing on the path to recognition and branding in the sectors they serve. Branding in this sector will also be realized through strategies determined by professional brand managers.

What management system certificates does Dağlar Kimya possess?

As Dağlar Polimer Kimya Ltd. Co., we only compete with ourselves, trying to surpass and renew ourselves. In brief, I would like to emphasize that I was among the first to engage with Management Systems—ISO Standards when they arrived in Turkey. Management systems, apart from my chemical engineering, is the leading field I have worked with with great interest. I believe that management systems bring great benefits to enterprises if implemented correctly. I also established a company called A1Z9 Consulting in this field. Since we have both our role as a raw material supplier and, as mentioned, our manufacturer role, we wanted to create some differentiation for ourselves. We like to do different things and differentiate, and for this purpose we have: ISO 9001 Management System, ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, ISO 10002 Customer Satisfaction Management System, ISO 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System certificates.

The conversation is leading us to different questions. Management systems are a new topic for us. Could you briefly provide information?

As I mentioned earlier, I believe I was one of the first to engage in the private sector when ISO Standards first came to Turkey. This interest has always led me to serve as a Quality Management Representative alongside my main duties at the companies I worked for. Alongside my technical and managerial responsibilities, I have always willingly taken on management systems responsibilities. I have received numerous trainings on management systems, provided trainings and possess many certificates. I am the lead auditor for several ISO Standards, and in an internationally accredited management systems and certification company, I audit companies in the chemical sector and provide trainings. Contributing to enterprises is a spiritually satisfying endeavor for me. I wanted to professionalize this work somewhat and shortly before, within the group, in a different sector outside the chemical industry, I established our A1Z9 Education and Consulting Services company with the slogan "Time to Share Knowledge." Through A1Z9 Education and Consulting Services, we provide KOBI consulting, management systems consulting, corporate trainings, personal development trainings and OSH services. We have professional business partners and a team accredited in management systems with whom we work.

We know you have initiatives in different sectors. Could you briefly provide information?

Our locomotive business is raw material dealing. This is essential to us. We dedicate and concentrate a large portion of our energy and time here. We are aware of our responsibility. As I mentioned earlier, we have a young but experienced, energetic and enthusiastic, highly motivated team. With such a team, I can also devote time to side sectors. As mentioned earlier, my father Hasan Dağlar and his partners are among Izmir's oldest customs sector leaders. With our fathers' generation beginning to transfer their work to us as the second generation, I had to engage with another sector. I am both a board member and partner in Sakaoğlu Antrepo Lojistik San. Ve Tic. A.Ş. Our logistics company is an operation with 5,500 m² bonded warehouse, 3,000 m² closed warehouse and 2,000 m² open warehouse in Izmir/Kemalpaşa Region. I am also a board member of Altın Gümrük Müşavirliği A.Ş., one of the oldest companies in its sector in Izmir. I am the founder and responsible person for the Information Security and Quality Management Systems of both our companies. Our companies hold ISO 9001 Management System, ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, ISO 10002 Customer Satisfaction Management System, ISO 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System and more importantly ISO 27001 Information Security Management System certificates.

What do you do in your free time? What are your hobbies?

I fanatically love dogs. I have dogs of different breeds at our workplaces and at home. Beyond this, I try to take an active role in dog adoption and shelter support. I have been the chairman of the board for four years of the Management Synergy Association (YSD), a society where friends who left Yaşar Holding gather. My friends considered me worthy of this position. Management Synergy Association, as an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization), strives to develop social responsibility projects, fulfill our social responsibility and make contributions. For these activities, we cooperate with various universities, some official and private institutions and organizations and local administrations. From time to time, when invited, I participate in lectures and conversations with student colleague candidates at universities. Sharing my business experience with them makes me happy. Teaching is another field of work for me. Like many people, playing sports and swimming, listening to music, writing essays and articles, going on nature walks and occasionally scuba diving are among my hobbies.