An Interview with Saydun Gökşin on PÜRKAY’s Founding Story, Vision, Polyurethane Technologies and the Future of the Industry
Founded in Istanbul in 1978 by Cevat Gökşin, PÜRKAY Boya ve Kimya Sanayii A.Ş. has been active for nearly half a century in the development and production of polyurethane- and epoxy-based industrial coating systems.
Since taking over the management of the family-owned company in 1992, General Manager Saydun Gökşin has been leading PÜRKAY’s operations. We spoke with him about the company’s founding story, the production and formulation culture passed down through generations, the advantages of polyurethane flooring technologies, R&D activities, and the future role of artificial intelligence in the chemical industry.
Could you briefly tell us about yourself and your professional background?
My name is Saydun Gökşin, and I serve as the General Manager of PÜRKAY Boya ve Kimya Sanayii A.Ş. I took over the management of PÜRKAY in 1992, and since then, I have been actively involved in managing the company’s production, product development, sales, export, and technical application activities.
Most of my professional career has been spent working with polyurethane and epoxy-based industrial/decorative and sports flooring technologies. Throughout this period, I have been directly involved not only in company management, but also in raw material selection, formulation evaluation, product development, production processes, reviewing technical specifications, and field applications.
In my view, particularly in the field of industrial chemicals, being a general manager does not simply mean making administrative and commercial decisions. It is necessary to evaluate the chemistry of the product, its manufacturability, application conditions, field realities, and the technical problem the customer is trying to solve as a whole.
There is a very strong relationship between the laboratory and the field in polyurethane and epoxy systems. A product that performs successfully under laboratory conditions may behave differently in the field due to surface moisture, ambient temperature, application thickness, mixing method, equipment used, or applicator practices. Therefore, my professional approach has always been based on evaluating theoretical knowledge, production experience, and field observations together.
Today, when reviewing a new project, I first look not at what product the customer is requesting, but at what technical problem they are actually trying to solve. Because the right solution is not always the product initially requested. Some projects may require a more flexible system, while others may need a harder, faster-curing system with higher chemical resistance or greater suitability for outdoor conditions.
How would you briefly summarize PÜRKAY’s founding story and its position in the industry today?
PÜRKAY was founded in Istanbul in 1978 by my father, Cevat Gökşin. The company was established during a period when industrialization was accelerating in Türkiye and the need for polyurethane-based technical products was beginning to increase.
When founding the company, my father’s fundamental approach was not simply to trade standard products, but to understand and develop chemical systems and provide solutions tailored to the needs of the industry. The formulation and manufacturing culture that PÜRKAY has maintained to this day was also built on these foundations.
Over time, the company’s activities evolved toward polyurethane-based paints, varnishes, coating materials, resin systems, and industrial flooring systems. Epoxy and polyurethane flooring systems gradually became one of the company’s core areas of expertise.
I took over the management of the company in 1992. From that point onward, we sought both to preserve PÜRKAY’s production and technical knowledge inherited from the past and to adapt the company to changing industrial needs and new technologies.
Today, PÜRKAY is a joint-stock company with three shareholders. I am one of the company’s shareholders and serve as its General Manager. Therefore, I consider PÜRKAY’s development not as the achievement of a single individual, but as the collective result of the shareholders working within the corporate structure, the technical team, production personnel, sales team, and field experience.
Today, it would not be sufficient to define PÜRKAY simply as a company that manufactures paints or resins. Our primary area of expertise is developing technical systems that bring together the right products by analyzing the operating conditions of a project.
The performance of an industrial floor is not determined by the performance of a single product. The primer, intermediate coat, filler, main coating, topcoat, application thickness, and surface preparation must all be evaluated as a complete system.
For example, while chemical resistance may be the priority in a manufacturing facility, abrasion, vehicle traffic, tire movement, slip resistance, and crack behavior may be more important in a parking garage. In electronic manufacturing areas, electrostatic discharge control can be decisive, while thermal stresses are critical in cold storage facilities; mechanical impact and slip resistance are important on ramps; and in hygienic areas, joint-free surfaces and cleanability come to the forefront.
PÜRKAY’s product portfolio includes epoxy and polyurethane self-leveling systems, primers, textured topcoats, elastic coating systems, industrial paints, and electrostatically controlled flooring systems. However, what matters most to us is not the individual products themselves, but how these products are brought together within the right system.
When defining PÜRKAY’s position in the industry, the point I value most is its ability to bring together nearly half a century of formulation and manufacturing experience with field application knowledge within the same organization. This accumulated expertise is a continuation of the initiative started by my father, Cevat Gökşin, in 1978, and of the technical working culture that has been passed down from one generation to the next within the company.
PÜRKAY has been developing polyurethane flooring systems for many years. In your opinion, what are the most important advantages that distinguish polyurethane from other flooring technologies?
The most important characteristic of polyurethane is that its chemical structure can be designed across a very broad performance range. Within the same chemical family, it is possible to develop a soft and elastic membrane, a highly abrasion-resistant flooring system, a UV-resistant topcoat, or a high-hardness casting system.
From a flooring perspective, one of the main advantages of polyurethane is the balance that can be achieved between flexibility and mechanical strength. While epoxy systems generally provide high compressive strength, hardness, and chemical resistance, polyurethane systems can be more tolerant of limited movement and impact within the substrate.
This characteristic is particularly important for floors exposed to vibration, areas subject to thermal movement, parking garages, ramps, cold storage facilities, and concrete surfaces where there is a risk of cracking. However, it would not be correct to make a general assessment that polyurethane is better than epoxy under all conditions. The right system should be selected according to the conditions of use.
Another important advantage of polyurethane is its topcoat performance. When properly formulated, aliphatic polyurethane systems offer significant advantages in terms of UV resistance, color stability, scratch resistance, and outdoor performance. Aromatic polyurethanes, on the other hand, offer different cost-performance balances, but may undergo color changes under sunlight. Therefore, the term “polyurethane” alone is not sufficient. Whether the system is aromatic or aliphatic, its binder structure, crosslink density, pigmentation, and intended use should all be evaluated together.
Another advantage is the wide range of surface textures and mechanical properties that can be achieved. Glossy, matte, smooth, orange-peel textured, or slip-resistant surfaces can be created. Shore hardness, elongation, tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and abrasion resistance can be optimized according to the intended application.
However, polyurethane systems can be sensitive to moisture during application. Particularly with isocyanate-based products, surface and ambient moisture must be carefully controlled. Otherwise, foaming, blistering, surface defects, or adhesion problems may occur. Therefore, the high performance offered by polyurethane requires not only proper formulation, but also appropriate surface preparation and disciplined application practices.
Which areas do you prioritize in your R&D activities? Are there any new products or technologies that you plan to introduce to the market in the near future?
The starting point of our R&D activities is generally a real problem encountered in the field. From our perspective, R&D is not simply about creating a new product code. It means developing systems that can be applied more quickly, are safer, have lower emissions, offer longer service life, or provide more controlled performance in a specific application area.
One of the areas we prioritize is low-solvent and solvent-free systems. Due to worker health, indoor applications, environmental requirements, and emission limits, the importance of this area is steadily increasing. However, simply removing the solvent from the formulation is not enough. The product’s viscosity, surface spreading, air release, curing rate, and application tolerance must also be maintained.
Another area we are working on is fast-curing primers and repair systems. In industrial facilities, it is often not possible to shut down operations for an extended period. Therefore, there is a need for products that can cure even at low temperatures, can be overcoated within a short period, and provide the applicator with sufficient working time.
There is an important technical balance here. Products are expected to cure very quickly; however, when the pot life becomes excessively short, application safety decreases and achieving a uniform result over large surfaces becomes more difficult. Therefore, the objective is not simply to accelerate the reaction, but to establish a controlled balance between pot life and early strength development.
We are also working on flexible epoxy and polyurethane systems. Particularly in parking garages, ramps, industrial floors exposed to heavy vehicle traffic, cold storage facilities, and areas where limited crack movement is expected, it is not enough for the coating to simply be hard. It must be able to absorb impact energy and accommodate limited movement in the substrate.
Electrostatically controlled systems are another area that we consider technically important. In electronic, defense, pharmaceutical, and precision manufacturing facilities, not only the mechanical and chemical resistance of the floor but also its electrical resistance must be kept under control. In these systems, the resin, conductive filler, copper tape network, grounding connections, application thickness, and environmental conditions must be evaluated together.
In addition, we continue to work on aliphatic polyurethane topcoats with high color stability, thin coatings with high abrasion resistance, flexible self-leveling products, and primer technologies that can adapt to different substrate conditions.
I believe that in the near future, the industry will move toward modular systems rather than relying on a single product. Adapting the same core product family to different performance classes through the use of different accelerators, fillers, topcoats, and application thicknesses will be more efficient for both manufacturers and applicators.
How do you think technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital laboratories, and data analytics will play a role in polyurethane formulation development processes?
I believe artificial intelligence will play an important role in polyurethane formulation development processes. However, I do not think it is correct to view this as replacing the chemist or formulator. The main contribution of artificial intelligence will be to analyze relationships among a large number of variables more quickly and make experimental design more efficient.
A polyurethane formulation involves numerous parameters, including polyol structure, hydroxyl value, functionality, isocyanate type, NCO/OH ratio, catalyst, moisture, filler, pigment, additives, and application temperature. Each of these parameters can affect pot life, viscosity, hardness, elongation, adhesion, foaming tendency, surface appearance, and curing time.
In the traditional approach, the formulator conducts a certain number of trials based on experience and compares the results. When data analytics and machine learning are used, the results obtained from previous formulations can be collected in a database. The system can identify which parameters have the greatest influence on performance and suggest a narrower range of variables for new trials.
For the digital laboratory approach to be successful, standardized and reliable data is required first. Without recording the raw material lot, ambient temperature, humidity, mixing time, sample thickness, test age, and test method used, it is not possible for artificial intelligence to interpret the results meaningfully.
Therefore, the laboratory of the future needs to improve not only its testing equipment but also its discipline of data collection. Every unsuccessful trial is at least as valuable as a successful one. AI systems also need to learn which combinations produce undesirable results.
Another area where artificial intelligence can contribute is raw material substitution. In the chemical industry, it is common for a raw material to be discontinued, its cost to change, or its use to become restricted due to regulatory requirements. AI-supported systems can assist formulators in identifying alternatives that are closest to the existing formulation and predicting the potential impact of the change on performance.
AI can also be used to translate customer requirements into technical formulation targets. Customers often ask for a product that is “harder,” “faster,” or “more durable.” However, these expressions need to be translated into measurable criteria such as Shore hardness, modulus of elasticity, abrasion loss, pot life, overcoating time, or chemical resistance.
Nevertheless, I do not believe that any digital model can completely replace real-world field validation. A product should first be evaluated in the laboratory, then in a controlled pilot application, and finally under actual operating conditions. Artificial intelligence can reduce the number of trials and help us move in the right direction more quickly; however, the final decision must still be based on the combined evaluation of chemical knowledge, test results, and field experience.
“The Right System, Not Just a Single Product, Should Be Designed”
I would say that the most important approach PÜRKAY has carried from 1978 to the present is a culture of technical curiosity and continuous learning. In the chemical industry, no formulation can ever be considered completely finished. Raw materials, regulations, application methods, and customer expectations are constantly changing.
For us, the key to development is keeping the flow of information open between the laboratory, production, applicators, and end users. A problem encountered in the field can become the starting point for a new laboratory study, while a product developed in the laboratory can lead to a new application method in the field.
In the future, sustainability, low emissions, rapid application, energy efficiency, and digital formulation management will become increasingly important in the polyurethane industry. However, the fundamental principle that will remain unchanged amid all these developments is this: A successful flooring system is not simply the result of a good product; it is the combination of correct diagnosis, proper system design, appropriate surface preparation, and proper application.
