We had a pleasant interview with Ms. Emel Babacan Gürbıyık, the Managing Director of A.T.S Advanced Technology Supplies Tic. A.Ş., where we talked about which sectors the company appeals to, and their perspectives on sustainability and R&D studies. Ms. Gürbıyık also told us about his goals for the coming years. Happy reading.
Could you tell our readers about yourself and your background?
I was born in Istanbul. I studied chemistry in the Engineering School of Istanbul University and then obtained my postgraduate degree in Analytic Chemistry and Business Administration. During my 24 years of professional career, I marketed and sold functional products that add value in various areas of the chemical industry. This year, we are celebrating my 20th year with the ATS family. For the past 14 years, I have acted as the general manager, but I still have the excitement of the first day and feel glad to serve our customers for whom we are solution partners.
What would you like to say about your company? What are the criteria for your success policy?
At A.T.S Advanced Technology Supplies Tic. A.Ş. in Turkey, we have actively provided services through our dedicated and specialized operational units to various business
areas such as pharmaceuticals, food supplements, food, cosmetics, veterinary products, feed additives, laboratory chemicals and process equipment since 1987.
Thanks to our strong international connections, we are able to effectively meet the demands of our both domestic and foreign customers. We owe our success to our ability
to bring the innovative and added value products of the world’s leading companies to our customers.
Last year was marked by the negative effects of the pandemic and we are still not in the clear. How did this affect your company and what are the actions you took?
Pandemic caused problems in Turkey, just like the rest of the world. Even though we saw some sort of easing, the situation still persists. For instance, there is currently a
serious energy and logistics problem that has significant negative effects on the industry.
In line with the changing product and raw material needs of the market due to the pandemic, we took necessary actions and began to purchase new raw materials. For instance, the demand for immune system supporting products such as vitamins, minerals, probiotics and prebiotics increased greatly during this time. Similarly, people wanted to buy more disinfecting products.
Our company foresaw the interruptions that would surely come in the supply process and by taking preemptive action, successfully managed its work flow. Our logistics and
supply chain departments did their part perfectly.
How important is R&D for ATS? Could you tell us about the R&D projects you are involved in?
As technological developments, innovative products and sustainability became more important, so did R&D and R&D-related investments. Latest scientific developments
can change the consumption habits of the people around the world. Especially as the societies become more aware of the dangers of using too much salt, producers began
developing new products and we positioned ourselves accordingly to provide such innovative products. We work with our international partners to market the world trends
and carry out innovative R&D projects with them. For example, as the demand for vegan-vegetarian foodstuff increased, we ramped up our offerings of vegetable proteins, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, natural vegetable extracts and gelatin to be used for projects for protein-enrichment of vegetable and dairy products.
In addition to our R&D projects for innovative solutions, we are supporting our business partners so that final products are rightly placed in the market in line with social awareness-building.
What sectors are you catering to? What are your products?
Our company has been active in areas such as pharmaceuticals, food supplements, foodstuff, cosmetic products, veterinary medication, feed additives, laboratories chemicals, process equipment and industrial applications. It also acted as representative of internationally-renowned producer companies such as DSM, CHR-Hansen, CabotNorit, Dr. Paul Lohmann, Ceamsa, Allied Biotech.
For human medication, veterinary medications and food supplements, we supply active substances, vitamins and minerals, process ancillary components, new generation preservatives, vegetable capsules, probiotics, antioxidants, vegetable extracts, proteins and aminoacids.
For food applications, we supply functional food components, emulsifiers, fibers, natural colorants, acid regulators, filtration aids among others.
Our cosmetics portfolio mainly consists of special active components. The most effective active components for skin and hair products include vegetable extracts and oil mixtures, natural emulsifiers, UV filters and functional minerals. In addition, we have special silicone-coated pigments for cosmetics industry and phosphonate derivatives for detergents. We not only act as the representative of leading producers in this area, but also provide necessary technical support and inform them of the new global trends.
What is the view of ATS for a more sustainable world?
The sustainable resources are getting more and more important every day. Since world resources are limited and the population is increasing, it is important that the resources are used efficiently. At
ATS, we are aware of our responsibility for our world and for the future generations and therefore choose sustainable resources. Producers that we cooperate with made their investments and work with sustainable production methods. When we look at new business opportunities, we consider sustainable production conditions and resources.
Could you tell us about your projects for the coming years?
We will expand our supply chain which we currently manage efficiently and continue to work as a business partner for our customers. We minimize the problems that the
producers can encounter during global crisis such as pandemic and support the production processes that affect the final customer. We will follow up the changing market demands and continue to work on our innovative R&D works. As the pandemic begins to ease, we will go back to fairs, trainings and congress and hold seminars to inform our customers of latest trends.
