Interview with Bahattin Şendoğan, Group Sales Manager at METYX Composites

We had a pleasant conversation with Bahattin Şendoğan, Sales Manager at METYX Composites Group, about the company's development process and the products it has provided to the sector.

Bahattin Şendoğan, could you briefly tell our readers about yourself and your educational background?

After graduating in 2004 from Istanbul University Faculty of Engineering, Department of Environmental Engineering, I started working in the sales department of METYX Composites – Telateks A.Ş. I have been working at this company for 13 years.

When was METYX Composites founded? What development process has your company undergone since its establishment?

METYX Composites began its operations in 2003 as a brand of Telateks A.Ş., which has been producing warp, a raw material for textiles, in Istanbul since 1940. At our Tuzla facility, we started technical textile production with a single multiaxial production line, and with each passing year we expanded our product range by adding new machinery and production technologies to our production line. We put our Manisa facility into operation in 2012. In 2013, we acquired the factory in Kapoşvar, Hungary, from North American Bus Industries (NABI) and began production in the heart of Europe. With new investments we made in Manisa in 2016 and 2017, we doubled our production area. The use of approved raw materials, quality consistency, and the comprehensive product range and technical services we provide to our customers have been matters of importance since the company's early years. For this reason, we always wanted to renew and develop ourselves.

Could you provide information about your product groups and the sectors you serve?

Our primary fiber product group can be summarized as glass, aramid, carbon and hybrid multiaxial weaves, glass, aramid, carbon and hybrid woven fabrics, and RTM fibers. We can also add to this our own production of peel ply, vacuum felt, flow mesh and other vacuum consumables. In addition, we have units in Manisa and Hungary where we process core materials; in these locations we can produce ready-to-use kits from PVC, PET and balsa foams. In Manisa, we also carry out composite model, mold and prototype applications. Since our establishment, we have served the marine, automotive, transportation, wind energy, construction and architectural applications, infrastructure, sports and entertainment industries. We currently conduct all our processes in accordance with ISO 9001:2015 standards. In addition to materials we produce ourselves, we distribute a wide range of products for which we hold Turkey distributorship. In this way, we provide our customers with the convenience of sourcing many of the products they need for composite production from a single point.

Could you tell us about your domestic and export sales? Which regions do you primarily serve domestically and abroad?

Our sales are largely in the form of exports. Some of the countries to which we sell directly or through distributors include Spain, Poland, Italy, France, UAE, Slovenia, Portugal, Brazil, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Latvia, Romania, USA, United Kingdom, Ireland, Argentina, Australia, Hungary, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Norway, India, China, Taiwan, Israel, Ukraine, Morocco, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Chile, Venezuela, Uruguay, New Zealand, South Africa, Russia and others. In our country, with the serious increase in incentives for domestic production in recent years, the Aegean Region has become a strategically critical area for the wind energy sector from a logistics perspective. For this reason, our investments and sales within the country, particularly our Manisa facility, are concentrated in this region. Besides that, we can mention Antalya and Istanbul, which are strategically important for boat manufacturers.

Could you tell us about your new targets and projects?

In 2018 we will continue to invest both in Turkey and abroad. We have a 50% investment incentive from the government in Hungary; with this incentive, we will increase our production by developing both our human resources there and bringing new production lines into operation.

Could you tell us about your R&D activities and investments? What are your priority targets in R&D studies?

Customer and market needs are important to us. For this reason, we continue our work in our R&D laboratories to develop ourselves and our products in this direction, and we continue to develop new products.

If you were to assess the composite sector in Turkey, what would you say?

A sector that grows bigger each day. However, I think incentives need to be increased.