Interview with Sertaç Kıter, Co-Founder of Kairos Makina

In our interview with Sertaç Kıter, Founding Partner of Kairos Makina, we discussed the company's establishment and development process. Kıter shared important details regarding the innovations they have brought to the sector. [caption id="attachment_128410" align="aligncenter"] Sertaç Kıter[/caption]

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

I was born in İzmir in 1972. After completing my university education in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Hacettepe University Faculty of Engineering, I had the opportunity to work in management positions at Turkey's leading paints and chemicals companies. In 2014, together with my business partner Deniz Sülar, an Electrical-Electronics Engineer with similar experience, we established Kairos A.Ş. with our entrepreneurial spirit.

Could you describe your development process from the establishment of Kairos Makina to the present?

Our company culture is founded on understanding the needs and requirements that we experienced in technical units during our professional careers and that our colleagues in similar sectors also faced, and producing the most appropriate solutions. In this direction, we became the first domestic producer of dispensing systems used in the paints and chemicals sector. Particularly our expertise in Ex-proof systems enabled us to be a good solution partner in filling systems, mixers, and automation needs in solvent-based production areas.

"Over the past seven years, with our brands ADA Color, ADA Fill, and ADA Mix, we have completed the sale and installation of more than 150 systems in 14 countries across 3 continents."

Over the past seven years, with our brands ADA Color, ADA Fill, and ADA Mix, we have completed the sale and installation of more than 150 systems in 14 countries across 3 continents.

What are Kairos Makina's products and product groups? Which sectors do you serve?

At the center of our company's operations are solvent-based and water-based automatic dispensing systems for ink and paint applications produced under the ADA Color brand. Especially since the beginning of 2020, when we felt the effects of the pandemic very heavily, serious disruptions have occurred in supply chains across all sectors worldwide. During this challenging period, ensuring sustainable and uninterrupted business processes became a priority need for our stakeholders. Dispensing systems succeeded in becoming a solution partner to the paints and chemicals sector, particularly for the packaging industry and industrial paints, by providing our business partners with the ability to produce the desired product whenever desired. Our dispensing systems come in S1 models for up to 18 components and S2 models for up to 36 components. They are used primarily for the production of special and intermediate colors, and for the automatic and precise dosing of recipes composed of color pastes, binders, and other components stored in a database on the system. The automatic production process prevents operator-related errors while guaranteeing product quality consistency. Additionally, the storage of all operations performed in a database provides backward traceability. The use of components within a closed system also prevents problems of evaporation, drying, or skinning. The ability to produce the desired product instantly and only in the required quantity on the system also reduces idle stock levels. In addition to this, our production portfolio includes single or multi-head semi-automatic Ex-proof filling systems designed for filling buckets up to 30 liters and drums up to 200 liters, and ADA Mix pneumatic mixers of different sizes and capacities that we produce for mixing products in buckets, drums, and IBCs, allowing us to also meet our customers' Ex-proof mixer needs.

Could you tell us about your sales activities? Which regions do you primarily sell to?

Due to the impact of the projects we undertake with our multinational business partners, we expanded our market, which started with Turkey and neighboring countries, to include Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Travel restrictions caused by the pandemic once again demonstrated the importance of brand awareness in reaching our customers. During this period, with the awareness that the digital world plays a decisive role in every area of social life, we keep our website current and actively use our social media accounts.

Have you recently launched an innovative machine production that makes a difference in the sector?

Occupational safety must always be a priority in all products manufactured especially for flammable environments. All our products designed to work in flammable environments are manufactured with ex-proof equipment suitable for the zone classification of the environment. As is known, ex-proof equipment significantly increases costs. In solvent-based dispensing systems, control units and PCs are generally placed in a separate safe room in order to both avoid excessive cost increases and ensure technical safety. We focused on creating a solution from a different perspective to improve this situation. Our new ADA Color solvent-based dispensing system model, which incorporates our solution that eliminates the need for a safe room without significantly increasing costs and is nearing completion of R&D work, will be announced very soon.

"Our new ADA Color solvent-based dispensing system model, which incorporates our solution that eliminates the need for a safe room without significantly increasing costs and is nearing completion of R&D work, will be announced very soon."

What are the projects you have completed recently and are planning for the coming period?

One of our strongest aspects as Kairos Makina is our ability to carry out the engineering designs and software of all our product groups in-house. This allows us to provide solutions suited to the sector's and customers' needs quickly. We plan to exhibit our innovative products at the paintistanbul & Turkcoat Fair to be held in March 2022. For domestic investments, in order for our customers to benefit from the incentives provided by our government both to facilitate new investment costs and to support domestic producers, we obtained the domestic product certificate for our machinery in 2020.

What strategies do you apply to determine customer expectations?

With our "customer-centric" philosophy, our main objective at KAIROS is to ensure customer satisfaction in all products and services we provide. By sharing all our knowledge and experience with our customers, we serve as not only suppliers but also solution partners to our customers. As Kairos Makina A.Ş., our goal is to become a global brand. Europe holds a very important place in our medium and long-term sales and branding targets.

What work do you do regarding occupational safety in Kairos Makina's products and applications?

Electric mixers used to mix products in IBCs are quite heavy and their electrical connections pose risks from a technical safety perspective. Generally, IBC mixers are desired to be mobile and easily transferred to different IBCs for mixing. The ADA Mix AK-01 IBC mixers we designed for this purpose can be easily attached to and removed from IBCs by a single operator thanks to their light structure. Additionally, their operation with compressed air also ensures safe use especially in flammable environments.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

The past 1.5 years of the pandemic period brought new ways of doing business and a new world order to every area of life for countries, companies, and individuals. One of the greatest lessons this period, in which many negative developments occurred, has taught us is how important self-sufficiency is. As Kairos Makina, the products and solutions we provide increase the production capabilities of all our customers. With this awareness, we will continue to grow and develop with our products that add value to production.