Teknik Kimya's Development Process and Innovations Brought to the Industry

We conducted an engaging interview with Ayla Akdere, Commercial Director at Teknik Kimya, about the company's development process and the innovations it brings to the sector. [caption id="attachment_124515" align="aligncenter"] Ayla Akdere[/caption]  

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

I graduated from the Physics Department at Istanbul University in summer 1999 and immediately started working in the sales department at a joint-venture company in the plastic raw materials sector that same summer. Over fifteen years, we carried out wonderful projects and maintained strong relationships with Turkey's most valued companies in the automotive, white goods and electrical sectors. After working in various sales positions for fifteen years, I wanted to look at the business from a different perspective and moved to the other side of the table at a different company, taking on responsibility for all procurement activities. Three years ago, I joined the Teknik Kimya family—a 100 percent Turkish company and one of the sector's most important players—which I had admired for a long time. I started as a Procurement Manager and now serve as Commercial Director. Together with our expert team, we manage a broad range of activities including sales and marketing, procurement, logistics and warehousing, corporate communications, and construction investments.

"I believe that being a global manufacturer requires 'continuity' and 'openness to change' as fundamental conditions."

Could you describe Teknik Kimya's development process from its founding to today?

Our company, Teknik Kimya, entered the sector thirty-three years ago by producing textile chemicals. Over time, in line with global developments and by identifying gaps in Turkey's market at the right moment, the company shifted toward polyurethane auxiliary chemicals. By making serious investments in production and R&D activities, it continued its growth in this direction. Today, we are a dynamic chemistry company that has particularly emphasized R&D and marketing performance in the specialty chemicals field over the last decade, blending experienced and expert staff with a younger generation, continuously developing and innovating alongside suppliers and customers, and "adding value to life" with our new products. For the past two years, we have also been the Turkey distributor for polyurethane raw materials in the flexible foam segment for Dow Chemical, one of the world's largest chemical companies.

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

Our main products include water and solvent-based mold release agents, liquid colorants, and performance chemicals (which encompass foam suppressants, viscosity reducers, food-contact varnishes, and rubber and EVA auxiliary chemicals). The sectors we serve include automotive, footwear and soles, furniture and foam, detergents, food, pharmaceuticals, and textiles. Beyond these, our products are also used in many other sectors, large and small, where polyurethane is applied.

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

Our sales activities can be grouped under two main headings: domestic sales and exports. We provide commercial and technical services across all of Turkey and to 48 different countries from a total area of 12,000 m² in Istanbul Esenyurt and Gaziantep. Our Product/Sector Manager teams, who are active in the field, conduct marketing and sales activities, while our Technical Service teams work on continuous improvement at the facilities they serve, based on our customers' requests or gaps they identify themselves. In Turkey, due to production and supply shortages, foreign companies hold significant positions, especially in the chemical sector. As a result, chemistry sector activities in Turkey are largely conducted through representative firms in a buy-store-sell process. Consequently, sector activities have increasingly become focused solely on price, financing, and inventory discussions. Our advantage as a manufacturer and technical company makes the difference at this point; we develop products tailored to our customers' processes based on their individual requirements, and we follow the process at customer manufacturing facilities with our technical teams until it stabilizes. After the process is stabilized, we continue improvements and developments through regular visits. Most importantly, we apply this service worldwide. For a new project, we were able to organize flights for our colleagues to the other side of the world within 2 days even during the pandemic. Obtaining approval for the project and their proud return was our reward. This enthusiasm, our speed, and our technical and theoretical knowledge have been instrumental in our steady growth in both domestic and international markets. We could say we work professionally with an amateur spirit, and we are determined to continue this approach.

"In our company, we blend human intuition, spirit, and intellect with technology."

 

In your view, what are the conditions for being a global manufacturer?

I believe that "continuity" and "openness to change" are paramount conditions for being a global manufacturer. The continuity of the service and quality we provide is very important to us. Among our business partners are global leaders in the automotive, detergent, foam, and footwear and sole sectors. Never allowing our business partners to fall behind their competitors, clearing the path for them, prioritizing quality, keeping pace with global developments and technology, and reinvesting what we earn in technology—these factors make us a company sought after worldwide. At the same time, our greatest differentiator as Teknik Kimya is "our teams." As a company, we place great emphasis on the continuous training and development of all our teams. Our stable core staff's project management and relationship development both domestically and internationally are very important for long-term project and relationship execution. On the other hand, we are at the threshold of very serious global collaboration. However, since it is not fully finalized, we cannot share details yet. We hope to launch a much better period by the end of 2021.

Have you recently developed an innovative product that will make a difference in the polyurethane field?

Not in polyurethane itself, but as I mentioned above, we have recently developed products in the performance chemicals field where we have proven ourselves among global companies. As a result of our R&D work, we have succeeded in replacing imported products used by many business partners with our own products. These new products have taken us to good places both in the sector and in our country as the Teknik Kimya family. The satisfaction of localizing products has given us justified pride. On the other hand, obtaining the representation for Dow Chemicals has opened different doors for us in the business. Working with this world giant in all capacities—as a customer, supplier, and distributor—has given us a valuable perspective. We have a wonderful partnership with Dow, and from 2021 onwards, we are developing collaborations in new sectors we had not previously entered. When this partnership of ours combines with our strength in sales, marketing, and distribution, it will make a positive contribution to the sectors we enter.

What are Teknik Kimya's initiatives regarding Industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 entered Teknik Kimya's operations many years ago along with the rest of the world. We conduct all production and management tracking with smart equipment. Our devices communicating with each other in their own language, digital connections between our R&D equipment and production kettles, recipes prepared in Istanbul reaching Gaziantep simultaneously, and field teams accessing all data through smartphones and remote connections—these all facilitate our operations in this very intensive tempo. With serious budgets allocated to technology each year, we ensure these processes remain continuously updated. Otherwise, it would be impossible for us to follow developments, track figures, or carry out our controls.

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

Given the sector in which Teknik Kimya operates, it is a company with very important responsibilities in sustainability. We take great care with the work we do together with our R&D teams to leave a beautiful world for future generations. We have a very rigorous chemical waste process managed by our Quality Department. In addition, for a simple example, for a long time our company has been separately collecting batteries, plastics, paper, and other waste. We also have the Teknik Kimya Memorial Forest in the Çandarlı region of İzmir. Similarly, our company obtained ISO 14001 certification in 2015, and in this context, we have reinforced our commitment by adding this goal to our working objectives to minimize harm to the environment and create a more sustainable environment in the future.

Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are critical in all industries, as they are in the chemical sector. What types of advantages do these technologies provide to your company and the sector in general?

With Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things, we see that even companies of this size can sometimes be managed while traveling or between meetings. Thanks to software developed by our software partners and our IT and R&D departments, all data can be entered into the system through smartphones during conversations. In this way, customer requests and complaints receive very quick responses. When we think on a larger scale, our IoT technology has become part of our operations in many areas, from adjusting fire suppression systems in our factory to remotely controlling and completing half-finished tests in R&D with our computers and sending results to our customer on the weekend. We have found that by using technology at this intensity in our companies, we can establish faster and more active processes with our teams. Because in addition to hard work for success, "keeping pace with change" is equally important. In our company, we blend human intuition, spirit, and intellect with technology.

What do you do in your spare time? What are your hobbies?

I am fortunate to live in an area very close to the waterfront. In my spare time, I would say my greatest pleasures are long walks with Istanbul's unique scenery before me, sitting at cafes along the way having coffee and chatting with friends, and spending time with my family. We will continue to "add value to life" for our business partners and through their products with our technology, experience, knowledge, and sector strength. I thank you for this wonderful conversation.