Poleks Kimya's Innovations for the Polyurethane Sector

We conducted an interview with Cihan Küçük, Board Member and Executive Board Member of Poleks Kimya, discussing the innovations and services they offer to the polyurethane sector. Küçük shared Poleks Kimya's innovative projects and objectives with us. [caption id="attachment_129569" align="aligncenter"] Cihan Küçük[/caption]

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

I was born in Istanbul in 1978. I studied Public Administration at Uludağ University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences and obtained an Exc MBA in Marketing from Preston University. I am married with one daughter. I began my professional career at Doluca Şarapçılık as an Internal Audit Specialist, followed by a 10-year tenure as Sales Director for a National Chain Store. Subsequently, I took on responsibilities as Administrative Director responsible for sales and marketing operations at Öztiryakiler Madeni Eşya San.ve Tic. A.Ş., Oynurden Kimya San. Tic. A.Ş., and Gentuğ Teknik Tekstil A.Ş. Since August 2018, I have served as Sales and Marketing Director at Poleks Kimya San. ve Ticaret A.Ş.; I also continue as a Board Member and Executive Board Member.

Could you tell us about PolexChem's development process from its establishment to today?

Our facility, which manufactures polyurethane systems, was established in 1999 with 100% domestic capital and operates in a 45,000 m² enclosed production area. At our facility with an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons, polyurethane systems and all components of these systems (polyester resin, polyol, prepolymer, and catalyst systems) are produced entirely in-house. While the market in the categories we serve experiences average annual growth of 5-6%, our Polexchem brand continues to outperform the market average. With the inclusion of new product groups, we have increased the share of our exports in our turnover to above 30%. We plan to continue accelerating our investments in this area.

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

Since the day we began polyurethane production in 1999, we have adopted scientific power and customer proximity as our objectives. Today, under the Polexchem brand, we provide professional solutions to customers in different sectors spanning many countries worldwide, particularly Turkey. Our Istanbul facility with an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons is Turkey's first domestic polyurethane system manufacturer brand known and trusted by hundreds of customers in more than 30 countries under the Polexchem brand. Poleks Kimya provides effective solutions to its customers across 7 different business units for various applications. These are: footwear polyurethane systems, flexible foam polyurethane systems, rigid foam polyurethane systems, CASE systems, polyester polyols, EVA copolymer (Ethyl Vinyl Acetate), and raw materials (TPU, carboxylic acids, MDI, PMDI, mold release agents). Through customer collaboration and proximity, our commitment to innovation and technology, and our environmental sensitivity, we at Poleks Kimya continuously work to add value to our customers in the construction, automotive, heating-cooling, footwear-slipper, and furniture sectors. What technologies do you use in the production area? We perform our production under full automation thanks to the SCADA systems we use. Full automation is an important step for standardizing production and products and improving quality. The operating conditions (temperature, pressure, etc.) of all our reactors and production systems are continuously and "on-line" monitored, controlled, and recorded by our Scada system. Thanks to the warning and alarm system integrated into the system, whenever production deviates from standard specifications, necessary interventions are immediately implemented. Energy efficiency has been among the most prominent topics in recent years. Our efforts focused on increasing energy efficiency continue without letup.

What are the conditions for being a global manufacturer in your view?

The leading actors of national wealth are companies that dominate global markets and possess competitive advantages in global marketplaces. This reality is something Poleks Kimya recognized from the outset and established when determining our company's vision. As a condition for manufacturing for international markets, alongside our continuously renewed technological capabilities, our existing facility designs its products based on two main principles for all our customers: products that are 'suitable for the development of the sectors' they operate in and 'provide advantages.' I am fully confident that the Turkish polyurethane sector is one of few sectors with the potential to produce global players. Our sector has kept pace with global developments through the expertise it has accumulated over many years.

Could you tell us about your innovative products in the polyurethane field that will make a difference in recent times?

The first example I can give on this matter is our work in the footwear sector. In this sector, low density and softness are becoming increasingly important. A few years ago, general usage for slipper systems was accepted at 0.27 g/cm³, whereas currently systems at 0.25 g/cm³ mold density stand out in certain markets. Our slipper systems developed at Poleks Kimya at densities of 0.25 g/cm³ and below are gaining acceptance domestically and internationally. Our 2545 slipper polyurethane system stands out here, providing both low density (0.25 g/cm³) and softness (45 ShA) simultaneously. Additionally, in 2021, we presented to our customers our Hot Fussbett system, which can be considered among the softest in the sector, with a hardness of 20-23 ShA. Besides its use as an inner sole, due to its polyester-based nature, with its quite durable structure it can also be used as a middle or outer sole.

"As a condition for manufacturing for international markets, alongside our continuously renewed technological capabilities, our existing facility designs its products for all our customers based on two main principles: products that are 'suitable for the development of the sectors' they operate in and 'provide advantages.'"

Recently we also worked on viscoelastic (memory) polyurethane systems. With our specially developed formulation, our pneumatic-effect, long-return-time viscoelastic systems have put us one step ahead of our competitors. Among our viscoelastic systems are inner sole systems used at higher densities together with pillow sponge. We also made additions to our product portfolio, particularly in Rigid systems. We added discontinuous panel systems, refrigerator systems, and wood-imitation systems to our product family. In the near future, Poleks Kimya will attract further attention domestically and internationally in Rigid systems.

Could you tell us about your R&D and sustainability efforts?

The polyurethane sector is one where innovative products and innovation are very important and prioritized. Every year we witness significant changes in many product groups. In this respect, I can say it stands apart from other chemical sectors. As Poleks Kimya, we also place great importance on R&D and the development of innovative products. We continuously develop and expand our product portfolio. Within this scope, we continuously develop our R&D infrastructure. In 2021, we doubled our R&D laboratory space. We are developing both the competence and number of our R&D team. The Poleks Kimya R&D team consists of specialist chemists and chemical engineers with many years of experience in the sector and top-level expertise. We carry out our basic R&D projects together with our country's leading universities. Many of our high-value-added production efforts benefit from this collaboration. Furthermore, we continue to apply for R&D projects from KOSGEB and TÜBİTAK for more systematic project implementation and infrastructure development. As you know, polyurethane system houses produce their products as semi-finished goods. Semi-finished goods take their final form at our customers. Therefore, customer technical support becomes very important in this sector. We have a system for our customers that not only supplies material but also provides technical support and R&D assistance to meet their expectations regarding the quality or results they wish to achieve in the final product. Technical support at Poleks Kimya is provided by the R&D department. R&D experts who conduct product development work and are familiar with product structure and formulation quickly provide support to customers' needs and problems in the field.