We Had a Pleasant Interview with AŞUT Fiberglass's Mr. Fatih Aşut

We conducted an enjoyable interview with Fatih Aşut, Board Member and Technical Director of AŞUT Fiberglass, which successfully celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, discussing his professional background in the sector, the company's development from its founding to today, R&D activities and targets.

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

I was born in Mersin in 1967. I completed my undergraduate education in Mechanical Engineering at Istanbul Technical University. Following my education, I studied language in the USA for two years and then joined our family company Aşut Fiberglass Tic. and San. A.Ş., starting work in the production unit. I am now serving as Production/Planning Manager and Board Member, combining our company's 50-year background in the fiberglass sector with knowledge accumulated since childhood and my technical education.

Could you provide brief information about your company's founding process, facilities, production scope and market share?

AŞUT Fiberglass was founded in 1966. Its initial product range consisted of fiberglass-made boats, truck driver cabins and cross-wound pipes, with production directed towards the domestic market. Later, in 1999, it relocated to its current site in the Mersin-Tarsus Organized Industrial Zone, beginning production on 40,000 m² of land with 10,000 m² of covered area. Our production portfolio comprises fiberglass products including filament-wound pipes, filament-wound elbows, tees, wyes, reducers, couplings, profiles, flanges, sheets, tanks, stacks and channels. 40% of our production is directed towards the domestic market and 60% towards the export market.

Could you describe your product groups and product characteristics? Which sectors do you serve?

With its 50-year-old established background, AŞUT Fiberglass today is among the sector's leading companies, specializing in the manufacture of GRP (Glass-Reinforced Plastic) products. Our product range consists of pipes, fittings, tanks, stacks, channels and other equipment. These products are manufactured under the brands EPI-DUR™, VIN-DUR™, ISO-DUR, F-DUR™ and ComPlast. Our products are used in power plants, treatment systems, sulfuric and phosphoric acid facilities (chemical factories) and mining installations due to their corrosion and acid environment resistance.

What can you tell us about your sales activities? Which regions do you primarily sell to?

AŞUT Fiberglass carries out both standard series production and project-based custom manufacturing simultaneously. We conduct our sales worldwide, particularly in power plant, chemical factory and mining projects, to Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, China, Canada, the USA, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Kazakhstan, India, Taiwan, Australia and Chile. Additionally, we continue our work with Turkish project companies within the country.

Could you discuss your R&D activities? Could you provide information about your employee profile and production capacity?

All our products undergo fluid, stress and strain controls in software environment as Ansys-FEA before manufacturing. We conduct detailed R&D studies to ensure products are of higher quality and more cost-effective. We serve our customers' current and future needs through continuous improvements in design, products, services and all other processes. AŞUT Fiberglass, which grows larger with each passing day, operates with a total of 140 expert personnel—16 technical, 14 administrative and 110 production staff—and a quality control laboratory, ensuring high product quality, continuous innovation and dynamic knowledge with sensitivity to people and the environment. AŞUT Fiberglass has adopted R&D-supported teamwork as a fundamental value. Being the only company in the world capable of manufacturing pipes and fittings under one roof, AŞUT Fiberglass today, equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and equipment in its modern factory, easily produces pipes with diameters varying from 20 mm to 20 m and at operating pressures up to 200 atm. Products up to 8 m in diameter are manufactured at the Mersin facility, while larger products are manufactured on-site due to transportation constraints.

What can you say about your internal communications? What activities do you conduct to enhance your employees' performance?

First and foremost, we as company partners and those in management positions believe we are a team with our employees, and we try to convey this to our staff. To create a sense of belonging among our personnel, to foster cohesion among them and maintain high motivation levels, we organize periodic and award-winning sports competitions, art contests and meal events aimed at integrating all employee groups.

Do you provide after-sales support to your customers?

As a responsibility brought by project-based work, after-sales support is considered essential for us.

As a manufacturing company, what activities do you undertake regarding environmental protection and occupational safety?

In addition to strict measures we have taken to fulfill our responsibilities towards environmental protection and occupational safety, we sign contracts with consulting firms specializing in the environment, occupational safety and worker health to obtain their support. Additionally, we classify all our waste according to waste codes and hand them over to licensed disposal companies. We also periodically provide occupational safety training to our employees and conduct risk analyses. Through monthly meetings, we gather employee feedback to enable timely identification of hazards and implementation of necessary measures.

What are your sustainability activities?

With our expert team, we develop strategies that will contribute to production and employment, and we conduct ongoing work that ensures continuity for our region and national economy.

Could you tell our readers about your targets for the composites sector?

Our target is to meet 80% of Turkey's composite sector needs and 15% of global needs through continuous improvements in design, products, services and all other processes. Did you make any new investments this year? This year we expanded our open storage area surrounding our existing production facility, providing better service capability.

Your company successfully celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. What are the distinctive features that brought you to this point and set you apart from competitors?

The most important characteristic of Aşut Fiberglass is its ability to supply quality, problem-free products on time while always providing after-sales support. Its second characteristic is the ability to work on a project basis and produce very different products within a single project from one center and present them to the customer. Through this flexible production approach, we can participate in very diverse projects.

In your opinion, what are the most important problems in your sector and what solutions do you propose?

The chronic shortage of qualified personnel in our country is at a critical level in the fiberglass sector. Due to the nature of the product, finding trained personnel is nearly impossible. For this reason, we train our own personnel ourselves. On the other hand, raw material prices being indexed to currency and protectionist approaches in imports significantly increase our unit costs. The fact remains that for the sector to compete with substitute products and foreign competitors, investments must be accelerated in securing intermediate personnel and obtaining cheap raw materials from within the country.

How do you spend your leisure time to protect yourself from the negative effects of work-related stress?

I would say my family and the time I spend with my family serve as therapy for me. I want to emphasize that I make the most of every opportunity to spend time with my family to relieve work stress.