Interview with Ali Rıza Eroğlu, Founder of Dorakim Endüstriyel Kimya A.Ş.

We conducted an enjoyable interview with Ali Rıza Eroğlu, founder of Dorakim Endüstriyel Kimya A.Ş., whose 20-year success story we explored, discussing the sectors served by the Dorakim-Chemsoll brand, product varieties, and R&D activities.

Could you briefly tell us about yourself and your professional background?

First of all, hello. My name is Ali R. Eroğlu, born in 1977 in Sivas. I am a Chemical Engineer. I completed my bachelor's and master's degrees at Istanbul University. I entered Istanbul University in 1994 and continue my academic career there.

Could you tell us about Chemsoll's success story and the company policies that shaped it?

I can say that the researcher identity provided by the academic foundation has fully integrated with and come to life through the Chemsoll brand. Throughout our 20-year commercial journey, I constantly remind myself and my colleagues that chemistry is a scientific discipline that continuously renews and develops itself. Because the chemical sector advances in line with science and technology, our team places importance on following new analysis methods and new production processes. I believe that continuously improving our existing products with the knowledge and experience gained, and producing products that cannot be manufactured in Turkey for the first time and putting them at the service of Turkish industry is our duty to the land where we were raised and to the Turkish people. Setting this as company policy and seeing it as a principle that all our employees truly believe in brings me great satisfaction.

Which sectors do you serve?

We produce chemical substances used in all industrial sectors during production, maintenance phases, and in auxiliary facilities, without sectoral distinction. The automotive and white goods sectors, which are the locomotives of Turkish industry, along with their suppliers, form our main customer portfolio. Within this, you can consider many sectors including metal, casting, plastics, textiles, construction, and service sectors.

R&D is an important department that every manufacturing company should have. What are your product varieties? What do you attribute the quality factor in your products to?

Industrial solvents and cleaners are our area of expertise as Dorakim Endüstriyel Kimya A.Ş. Metal surface treatment chemicals, Nano Ceramic Coating Technology, water conditioning, water-based and solvent-based degreasing, paints and rust removers are among the main topics we work on most intensively. We are quite successful in developing special products for different needs and applications ranging from parts washing machines to conveyor systems. We have products used in immersion/spray degreasing operations in metal surface preparation before painting and coating, in phosphate coating and nanoseramik coating processes. "Water conditioning additives" used to prevent scale and corrosion in steam boilers, cooling towers, and chiller lines constitute another work area where we compete with global competitors operating domestically and internationally. Additionally, industrial hygiene and disinfectant products are included in our standard production and catalog. We experience great advantages from being a company that manufactures across so many different product groups. Primarily, in a sector where you operate without compromising on quality, the experiences you gain can be demonstrated across all other product groups as well, bringing growth with it. As in every branch of engineering and even science, we believe that analysis and measurement capability is very important in chemical production. With a parameter you can measure and a value you connect it to, you have a chance to improve it, and this is how you can ensure continuity. Our factory has an active instrumental analysis laboratory. With the equipment investments we have made recently, it has been transformed into a technologically advanced laboratory. To ensure and maintain quality, we frankly receive the greatest support from our own laboratory.

I believe that producing products for the first time that cannot be manufactured in Turkey and putting them at the service of Turkish industry is our duty to the land where we were raised and to the Turkish people.

 

What are your domestic and international sales activities? In this context, how do you position Chemsoll locally and globally?

In terms of product and service quality, we are a leading company in our field domestically. Besides product supply, we provide laboratory and training support to every region of Turkey on time and without issues. The fact that our academic staff resolves incoming chemical documentation support requests in a short time also puts us at the forefront among foreign capital companies in Turkey. Our foreign trade team has operational experience capable of sending samples and products to anywhere in the world and is expert in finding and developing new markets. We participate as exhibitors in trade fairs aimed at increasing revenue in the Middle East, Turkic republics, and Russian markets. Our existing agreements in Iran and Greece and our business partners position the "Chemsoll" brand in European and Middle Eastern markets with increasingly growing sales potential, which excites us about finding and developing new markets.

Would you share your thoughts on R&D with our readers?

I believe we are living in a period where the progress of technology is very clearly seen in 5-10 year periods. Looking at the tools we use, from electronic goods to mobile phones, the extent of the development is evident. Believe me, development in the chemical sector is progressing at the same pace. I absolutely do not believe that a company that does not pay attention to R&D can survive in the long term. R&D is an important department that every manufacturing company should have. Especially in our company, the R&D department and personnel are of great importance to be able to respond to and be pioneers in demands coming for changing, increasing, and different production processes.

What are Chemsoll's R&D investments? Which factors are effective in determining these investments?

As of February 2018, when we moved to our new factory in Tuzla Chemists Organized Industrial Zone, our first goal was establishing a new well-equipped laboratory. I believe we have been successful in this. Besides that, we have completed a second project, numerous TÜBİTAK projects, and continue to allocate resources to new projects. As you know, TÜBİTAK provides support in acquiring technology that does not exist in Turkey and manufacturing chemical products. To speak frankly; TÜBİTAK's support in these projects has been quite substantial in terms of technical and equipment aspects. Apart from the equipment obtained, I actually believe that the greatest investment in R&D is investment in people. We have Chemistry professors supporting our company on a contractual basis. Our company employs PhD graduates in chemistry, senior engineers, and chemists.

Could you discuss the technologies you use and the advantages they provide to your products?

Seeing that our production and analysis capacity has reached the highest levels with our new facility makes us quite happy. Technically, you provide competitive products through your R&D gains, and economically competitive products through your production technology and machinery. As a company that produces and sells technology, as you understand, I refrain from sharing machinery and equipment names. We have no doubt that our new production facility will make significant contributions in both respects.

Could you tell us about your work for protecting human health and the environment?

When the subject is chemistry and chemicals, protecting human and environmental health is a very critical issue. There is no need to go far; there are dozens of bad examples that have occurred recently in our country. As a team carrying out this work with academics, I believe we need to take on more responsibility. The method you use, quality certificates, etc., are certainly important, but the major factor in this matter is the selection of raw materials used. You can even control certain risks before they turn into finished goods through proper raw material use. If you have slightly less concern for commercial profit, you can produce better products for the future of our children. As "Dorakim Endüstriyel Kimya A.Ş.," we produce using environmentally and human-friendly active ingredients in all our products without exception. Dorakim Endüstriyel Kimya A.Ş. has held the ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System certificate from the initial stages of its establishment and conducts all its activities within this scope.

What innovations and initiatives would you like to implement in the coming years?

Our most recent joint work with TÜBİTAK is the production of an environmentally-friendly (Green) solvent with no negative impact on human and environmental health, entirely as a Turkish engineer project and effort with domestic capital. We plan to achieve first production within approximately 18 months. Additionally, we are actively working to market our newly developed nanoseramik coating product globally, which we developed as an alternative to phosphate coatings in metal surface preparation before painting. We intend to introduce this technology, which does not exist among our major international competitors, to the global market as pioneers, and this will be our top priority in the short term.

What would you like to say about the sector? How will the chemical sector in Turkey shape up in the coming years?

As I mentioned before, chemistry is a scientific discipline and is open to innovations and developments every day. I believe that companies that cannot keep up with this development will not be able to sustain their existence under current competition conditions. From now on, only companies that are experts in their field and technically strong will survive.

You provide technically competitive products through your R&D gains and economically competitive products through your production technology and machinery.

The world has truly globalized. If you consider internet access, with sufficient time you can procure anything you want, including chemical substances, from anywhere in the world. If you want to procure the product domestically, you can also view the current product specifications and spectra worldwide over the internet and question the content of the product offered to you. For this reason, I believe that chemical companies in particular that do not pay sufficient attention to R&D, companies offering old technology products to the market, and substandard production will rapidly disappear. Finally, I believe that the occupational safety concept in Turkey reaching the consciousness level and legal responsibility point it should have will shape the chemical sector positively. Harmful chemicals used only for economic reasons, the required "Safety Data Sheets" SDSs, occupational safety and health, municipal, environmental, and urban planning ministry inspections have substantially prevented such practices. I am fully confident that we will be freed from the risks created by substandard production with no chemical infrastructure and not employing personnel with chemical education, thanks to these inspections.