Sezgin Gürsu, Lubricants Director of Petrol Ofisi

Petrol Ofisi Mineral Oils Director Sezgin Gürsu spoke with us about the company's activities in mineral oils and chemicals, its R&D work and its importance for Turkey.

Could you tell us about yourself and your professional background?

After graduating from Istanbul Boys' High School, I completed my undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at Boğaziçi University and my master's degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Miami in the United States. I began my career in 1989 as a Research Fellow at the Clean Energy Research Institute at the University of Miami. I then returned to Turkey and continued my career in 1991 at Koç Holding Purchasing Coordination Group in a Project Engineering position. When I joined Mobil Oil Turkey in 1992, I served as Industrial and Construction Sector Regional Manager, Purchasing Manager and Production Manager. In 2000, I assumed the position of Engineering Support Director at Exxon Mobil Turkey and later held positions as Automotive Sales and Marketing Manager, Industrial and Construction Sector Sales and Marketing Manager, and Distributor Sales Manager. In 2006, I joined the Petrol Ofisi family as Mineral Oils Sales Manager. Under the Petrol Ofisi umbrella, I subsequently held positions as Mineral Oils Director, Commercial Sales and Mineral Oils Director, and Retail Director. As of 1 April 2018, I resumed the position of Petrol Ofisi Mineral Oils Director.

Could you tell our readers about Petrol Ofisi?

Petrol Ofisi, established on 18 February 1941 as Turkey's first and national brand in its field, possesses unique storage capacity and infrastructure capable of operating in even the most remote corners of Turkey. In addition to fuel stations, Petrol Ofisi is the sole company that can supply all types of fuel required through its strong subsidiary brands PO Marine and POAIR to land, sea and air vehicles. Today, Petrol Ofisi operates with strong infrastructure of unparalleled scale and diversity in Turkey, including more than 1,700 fuel stations, supply to over 1,400 village pumps, 9 fuel terminals, 3 LPG terminals, 20 airport supply units, 1 mineral oil refinery and approximately 1 million m³ of storage capacity. In addition to more than 800 employees reporting to General Management, Petrol Ofisi creates indirect employment for tens of thousands of people through its dealers and generated TRY 38.5 billion in total sales revenue in 2017. Petrol Ofisi Mineral Oils sells more than 350 products, including primarily Maxima and Maximus, at 16,000 widespread points throughout Turkey, serving the needs of many sectors from automotive to agriculture, from industry to maritime, and from machinery to transportation. Petrol Ofisi achieved sales volume exceeding 100,000 tonnes in mineral oils and chemicals in 2018. Petrol Ofisi Mineral Oils carried out exports exceeding 10,000 tonnes to 35 countries across 4 continents in 2018. Petrol Ofisi consistently maintains the titles of "Turkey's fuel sector leader", "Turkey's mineral oils and chemicals market leader" and "one of Turkey's three largest private companies". As it has for 78 years, Petrol Ofisi continues to advance Turkey into the future with its contributions to all fields, particularly agriculture, and prepares the infrastructure for tomorrow. Petrol Ofisi serves as the fuel supplier for numerous important projects in Turkey such as the Third Airport, Third Bridge, Çanakkale Bridge and highway projects. As a national brand established in Turkey, Petrol Ofisi represents one of the country's most important national values not only through its direct contribution to employment and the economy and its scale, but also through its strong impact across all sectors of Turkey.

Could you describe Petrol Ofisi's activities in mineral oils and chemicals? What are your quality criteria in this area?

Our facility, which was established in 1953 in Derince as a "mineral oil blending plant", has been developed through investments made over time. Most recently, with the transfer of production lines from our second facility located in Aliağa, İzmir in 2008 to our Derince facility, it has become a high-capacity production center at the forefront of the field where all product groups are manufactured. With the establishment of PO Technology Center during this period, and through our investments and developments in storage, capacity, production capability and quality; our facility now has extensive product variety, annual production capacity of 140,000 tonnes, storage capacity of 65,000 tonnes (15,000 tonnes finished products, 50,000 tonnes raw materials/semi-finished materials) and advanced technology. Our facility continues automation and efficiency improvements on all filling machines to address increasing demand and has an average annual investment amount of approximately USD 2 million. Petrol Ofisi mineral oil facilities produce in line with developing technology; serving nearly all of Turkey's requirements in this field in a timely manner. Petrol Ofisi Mineral Oils, through its advanced technology, capability and expert staff, develops more than 350 superior quality products including primarily Maxima and Maximus at POTEM, one of the region's most important centers, and meets all types of mineral oil needs for numerous sectors including automotive, industry, mining, agriculture, machinery, transportation, construction and maritime. Our facility continues automation and efficiency improvements on all filling machines to address increasing demand and has an average annual investment amount of approximately USD 2 million.

With its advanced technology, high capacity and quality, PO Mineral Oils has maintained its traditional leadership in Turkey's Mineral Oils and Chemicals Market continuously for the last 9 years since 2010. Petrol Ofisi completed 2018 as the leader in Turkey's Mineral Oils and Chemicals Market with a 24.7% market share.

In determining quality, there are many fundamental elements from raw or semi-finished materials to production technology. However, beyond providing all these fundamental elements, control at every stage plays a key role in achieving quality and standardizing it. The acceptance criteria for all our products and raw materials are defined in our ERP system and our purchasing specifications and production quality plans, determined to meet the requirements and needs of OEMs and other equipment manufacturers as well as the industry. Compliance with these criteria is controlled and recorded in our ERP systems at a minimum of 5 points by POTEM, beginning from raw material intake through delivery to the customer. Spot checks are conducted at various points in production and our products are inspected for conformance to customer requirements. All our recipes are continuously reviewed from quality, optimization and efficiency perspectives to ensure compliance with the same standards each time in scope of market requirements or alternative raw material R&D work.

Could you describe the Petrol Ofisi Technology Center (POTEM)? How do you interpret the impact of the technology center on your products?

POTEM, located within the Petrol Ofisi mineral oil production facility, has 1,000 m² of enclosed space and USD 6 million investment value, serving with state-of-the-art equipment, expert staff, 78 years of unique knowledge accumulation and experience, and conducting R&D work. At POTEM, a total of 155 different tests can be conducted using national and international methods, with 84 of these accredited by TURKAK. At our center, we perform an average of 150,000 tests annually. Petrol Ofisi Technology Center – POTEM does not only serve Petrol Ofisi with its advanced technology and accredited capability. We provide R&D, quality control and analysis services to numerous domestic and foreign companies, including public institutions and global giants, in short, to the entire sector. Therefore, POTEM is one of the most advanced technology centers in the mineral oil field in the international arena.

How do you define R&D? How do you position this definition with Petrol Ofisi?

By developing products and services for not only today's but also future needs, we continuously pursue R&D work to increase the competitiveness of our company and country in both national and international arenas. As a sector leader, we consider it a fundamental principle and responsibility among our responsibilities to always be a pioneer in the market in this area.

What are the activities you have conducted at the PO Technology Center (POTEM)? Could you also provide information about the R&D work being carried out at this center?

Through the Petrol Ofisi Technology Center (POTEM) and regular R&D work; we continue to continuously improve our products and keep up with the latest technologies day by day, continuing to provide consumers with reliable, economical and need-appropriate solutions.

Could you tell us about the investments you have made at the Petrol Ofisi Technology Center (POTEM)? What investments and projects do you wish to implement in the coming years?

We continue to make equipment investments as required based on our work needs. In line with our principle of 'continuous improvement', we are planning investment budgets to carry out our projects in the coming years. With technological progress, new restrictions introduced to protect the environment are also driving significant developments on the vehicle manufacturer and industrial production sides. Parallel to this development process that we support as Petrol Ofisi, we are conducting projects to support our business partners and customers.

Could you provide information about Petrol Ofisi Laboratory Analysis (POLA)? What makes this service you offer to your customers distinctive?

POLA is our used oil analysis system. Today's increasing competitive conditions, particularly for our business partners operating in sectors such as transportation, construction, mining and heavy industry, are vital. Oil analyses are conducted to continuously monitor and report the condition of equipment to ensure it operates at first-day performance. Users can track results over the internet and compare previous analysis results. More detailed information on the contributions POLA provides to our customers can be found by reviewing our website.

What is the importance of Petrol Ofisi Technology Center and the R&D work conducted at this center for Turkey?

Petrol Ofisi is an independent mineral oil producer with an important position not only in Turkey but worldwide. It conducts all R&D activities within its own organization. With our knowledge and experience in this field, we contribute to Turkey's inventory of value-added products and knowledge in this area. Furthermore, PO Mineral Oils, with more than 350 varieties of superior quality products produced entirely at its own facilities and developed by POTEM, is able to meet nearly all of Turkey's requirements in this field under one roof. Additionally, Petrol Ofisi Mineral Oils are exported to 35 countries across 4 continents.