We Conducted an Interview with Alp Sarıcı, General Manager of Derkim Kimya

We conducted an enjoyable interview with Derkim Kimya General Manager Alp Sarıcı about his professional experience in the sector and the products the company has offered to the industry.

Mr. Sarıcı, could you briefly tell our readers about yourself, your educational background, your position at your company and your professional background in the sector?

I was born in Istanbul in 1967. After completing Istanbul Boys' High School, I graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Yıldız Technical University. I then completed my MBA at Chicago Dominican University, where I earned a Master's degree with a dual specialization in International Business and Finance. Upon returning to Turkey, I became acquainted with the Chemical Industry when I started working at Bayer. Since 1993, I have been serving the Chemical Industry in various fields. Between 1993 and 2013, I worked at Bayer Turkey and Bayer International SA in Switzerland, most recently as European Manager of Polyurethane Special Systems. Later I worked at Wanhua Borsodchem, and after serving as Deputy General Manager at Poliser (Flock) for 3.5 years, I am now managing Derkim Kimya's General Management with great pleasure and enthusiasm.

Could you provide information about Derkim Kimya's development process and the sectors it serves?

Derkim Kimya is itself a great success story. Starting in 2002 with the distributorship of Coim, one of the most successful companies in shoe systems, and then entering the paints sector in 2003 by bringing the Helios Group brand to Turkey, Derkim has progressively expanded into performance chemicals and polyurethane systems production in line with sector needs, and later established a cooling group, structuring numerous brands in the Turkish market in this field. Parallel to its rapid growth in the Turkish market, Derkim Kimya has also developed its exports. In the restructuring process completed in 2017, Derkim Kimya classified its product groups as Paints and Coatings Materials, Performance Chemicals, Polyurethane Materials, Cooling Systems, and Thermoplastic Polyurethanes, and aims to increase these product groups with new business areas.

Could you tell us about your product groups for the paints sector and product characteristics? Could you provide detailed information about the solutions you offer your customers?

As with our other product groups, in our approach to the paints sector we always try to measure the added value we will provide and the positive impact of our presence on the industry. With products of the highest quality and recognition in their field, combined with years of experience and a vision committed to long-term partnerships, we live closely with the paints sector. With our specialized sales team recognized by the sector and continuous technical support from the brands we represent, we aim to continue producing solutions as a permanent and accepted supplier in the paints sector. In the paints sector, we mainly supply solvent-based acrylic, saturated polyester, MMA resins, and isocyanate derivatives for industrial paint systems including automotive repair paints, industrial paints, road marking paints, cable protection and metal packaging inks. In line with market expectations and global sustainability trends, we support the transition to water-based resins and are trying to lead in this area. We serve the paint industry, which works with multi-component formulations, through our logistics centers located at three different locations, providing flexible and immediate solutions.

Could you tell us about your domestic and international sales activities? What types of products do you mainly sell to which regions?

Our domestic activities are mainly focused on products with frequent demand: automotive repair and road marking paints, furniture and industrial paints. Our product palette mainly addresses the industrial paints sector, and we believe we can add value to the sector in this high segment. Since we are the Turkey representative of Helios Group, which has an extensive network in the EMEA region, our international activities in the paints sector are mainly focused on Turkic Republics and the Middle East. In these regions, we support the sector in the development of automotive repair and road marking systems. Outside the paints sector, particularly in the polyurethane raw materials field, thanks to our close cooperation and good planning resulting from years of good business collaboration with our suppliers, we have further developed our export channels during the global raw material shortage experienced over the past approximately 1-1.5 years, and continue to contribute more to our country's exports.  

How was the first half of 2017? What would you like to say about your company's targets and projects?

We work with reliable and global suppliers. We convert good relationships built on trust over many years into business opportunities. Despite increasingly frequent supply difficulties in the sector, we were able to provide uninterrupted service. Looking at the paints sector, we achieved growth of approximately 20%. Within the framework of sustainability and considering changing climate conditions, we support efforts to replace solvent-based products with water-based systems, and through our business partner Helios Group, we are positioning new products in this area on the market.

What are your views on the Turkish paints sector? What can you say when evaluating the sector in general?

New investments entering Turkey, particularly increased export opportunities for locomotive sectors, growth in gross national income—all of these are factors that increase developments in the total paints sector and most importantly, per capita paint consumption. In our country, where per capita average paint consumption has reached approximately 11-12 kg, the local market size has reached one million tons, becoming a market worth over 2 billion dollars. The Turkish paints market, ranked fifth in Europe, will grow further with new developing sectors and business opportunities that will arise in the Middle East's restructuring process, and with the lifting of sanctions on the Iranian market. With this momentum in the globalization process, Turkey's market becomes increasingly attention-grabbing. We expect the Turkish market to continue to attract foreign investors and for the competition among major global brands in the market to increase quality and standards, and for our country's ranking within the world paints sector to rise.

Finally, what else would you like to add?

Following Helios Group's merger with Kansai, with its increasingly strengthened product range and innovative products, we will continue to expand our product palette within the framework of sustainability and market expectations, and continue to provide lasting and sustainable solutions to the increasingly dynamic paints market. Derkim Kimya, functioning as a bridge between global specialist companies and local market dynamics, will continue to add value to the paints sector.