In the interview we conducted, Davit Banana, Marketing Manager at Pulver Kimya, answered our questions. Davit Banana provided detailed information about Pulver's broad product range.

Could you briefly tell our readers about yourself, your educational background and professional experience?

I was born in Istanbul in 1968, married with two sons. I have been working at Pulver Kimya since 1991, when I completed my degree in Chemical Engineering at Boğaziçi University. I have worked actively in many departments of our company. I served as head of the R&D department for 15 years. Over the last 10 years I have been responsible for the Marketing division and for the last 4 years the R&D Centre. In parallel with my main responsibilities, I held positions in Production and Quality Assurance departments, though for limited periods.

Could you provide information about Pulver's founding process and the stages it has gone through to reach its current state? What is Pulver's structure today?

Pulver is a 100% Turkish-owned family company engaged in the production of electrostatic powder coatings. Powder coating trials began in 1987, and the company commenced operations as a legal entity in 1991 when the potential became evident. Export initiatives were launched in 1994, and from that time to the present we have become Turkey's largest paint exporter, serving Europe, all former Soviet republics that speak Russian and Turkish, the Middle East and North Africa. As of 2016, our sales totalling over 20,000 tonnes include 45% exports. Our 2018 revenue target is EUR 70 million. Together with our sister group companies and international offices, we are a family of approximately 700 employees. Approximately half of this number serves Pulver Kimya. Our factory is the largest in Turkey and the second largest powder coating production facility in Europe.

Which sectors does Pulver mainly serve and what types of products does it supply? Could you provide information about Pulver's products, brands and services?

All our product groups are brought together under the Pulver brand umbrella. Our focus is on exterior facade products, aluminium profile industry and architectural projects. More than half of our products serve these sectors. We also supply products and services to the White Goods, General Industry (furniture, lighting, etc.) and automotive sectors. Among our notable services are our "excellent technical/commercial support before and after sale" characteristic and our "positive approach to all issues/problems". The feedback and responses from our customers are Pulver's most important data source. In light of all information gathered, rapid and quality design, product presentations and training provided to customers, and very fast and effective response to problems and complaints that may arise after sale have positioned our company as an indispensable solution partner. Moreover, our "colour palette production workshop" developed over the last 10 years was quickly adopted by our customers due to the ease it provides in product selection, and has served as an example to many of our competitors both domestically and internationally.

Could you tell us about your domestic and international sales activities? Which regions do you primarily serve domestically and internationally, and what types of products do you sell?

Domestically, with our sales and collection teams providing direct service to all medium and large-scale customers, particularly in the Marmara Region, we have dealerships in provinces where industry is concentrated. Internationally, while we initially provided service through dealerships in the past, we have since established our own offices and warehouses in various locations, ensuring that our direct sales teams remain in close contact with our customers. Today we have 7 sales/warehouse offices: 4 in Russia and 1 each in Germany, Ukraine and Romania. We also have a large technical service team serving all domestic and international locations. We place great emphasis on duplication. All our proven successful products are offered to all our domestic and international dealers and customers.

What kind of work do you carry out at Pulver in the areas of innovation and R&D? Do you have projects developed within the scope of university-industry cooperation, and if so, what are they?

Pulver Kimya has held the R&D Centre designation for 4 years. The scope of our centre includes not only electrostatic powder coatings, but also R&D development work on thermoplastic elastomer, sealing gasket and thermoplastic powder coating products of our sister companies. Our R&D Centre has 82 employees, half of whom focus on electrostatic powder coatings, working 6 days a week, 16 hours a day solely on design and new product development. We maintain close contact with vocational secondary schools, vocational colleges and universities, and are developing joint projects. To give a few examples: we have a joint 1505 industrial project with Boğaziçi University to develop a polyester powder coating system for exterior facade use. We have a joint project with Zaft and Fraunhofer institutes operating in Germany concerning the coating of construction reinforcement steel. We will launch a joint training project with Kocaeli University in the second term of the 2018-2019 academic year. We maintain close contact with vocational secondary schools in the Gebze region. We have students conduct their workshop activities 1-2 days per week in laboratories within Pulver.

Could you provide information about Pulver's environmental policy and sustainability approach? What can you say about your work related to occupational health and safety?

We hold ISO 14001 and ISO 18001 certifications. Environmental responsibility is a focus for all our group companies. Although powder coatings are known to be environmentally friendly, we have a large team working on the evaluation and (if necessary) disposal of trace amounts of waste generated during production. The health and safety of our employees are continuously monitored. Annual health screening checks and mandatory safety and orientation training at the start of employment are among our essential activities.

Could we learn your thoughts on industrial paints and coatings sectors in Turkey? In terms of these sectors, what do you think are Turkey's advantages and disadvantages?

Turkey is quite advantageous due to its strategic location, and the powder coatings sector is making high use of this advantage. Ten years ago, Turkey ranked after Italy, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Spain-Portugal in powder coating production in Europe, but today with production capacity of 90-95,000 tonnes per year, Turkey is number 1 in Europe. Our proximity to Russia and other Russian and Turkish-speaking republics has enabled our high-quality products to be used very rapidly in their industries. The fact that Turkey is the second largest source of powder coatings for Russia today, without manufacturing there, is the most important proof of this situation.

What criteria do you prioritize when formulating Pulver's investment plans? Do you have investment plans for the coming periods, and if so, what are they?

Pulver is known for investing a large portion of its profits in technology. Our infrastructure, machinery and technology are always updated to the most modern standards. Since there is no remaining space on our campus for expansion of Pulver and our other sister companies, construction of a new factory building is underway and will become operational by the end of 2018. Construction of a factory in Atlanta, USA for our sister company Elastron Kimya is nearly complete. Our other sister company Conta's factory in China is operating successfully. At the same time, investments continue for 2 different business units in their infancy, and we are preparing for the future.