We had a pleasant interview with Mr. Gürcan Karakulak, Honeywell Turkey and
Azerbaijan Regional Sales Manager. Dear Karakulak shared valuable information about the industries and activities of Honeywell company, which is on the Fortune 100 list. Happy reading…
Could you tell our readers about yourself and your resume?
Hi, I was born and raised in Istanbul, and I completed my undergraduate education at Istanbul Technical University’s Department of Electrical Engineering. I have been working in various international companies in the industrial automation sector for 20 years now. After working primarily as a project and service engineer, I changed my focus to sales since 2010. Currently, I am the sales manager responsible for Turkey and Azerbaijan of the Process Solutions business unit at Honeywell. I am also a board member of Honeywell Teknoloji A.Ş. which is Honeywell’s subsidiary in Turkey. I am married and I have two children.
What would you like to say about your company? What are the criteria that make up your success policy?
Honeywell is a multinational technology company founded in the USA and listed in the Fortune 100 list. With over 100,000 employees around the world; aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; offers industry-specific solutions such as safety and productivity solutions and specialty chemical materials.
Honeywell’s success criteria and objectives are to achieve sustainable growth trend by developing innovative technologies and providing the best value and service to its customers; while doing this, to apply international ethical values and social responsibility at
the highest level.
Which sectors do you cater to? What are your product types?
Petroleum-Gas, Refinery, Chemistry and Petrochemi cals in particular; We offer our products and services to all leading manufacturing and energy industries, from commercial buildings to the aerospace industries. As an example:
• In the industrial field; automation (control and safety) systems, field measurement devices, industrial combustion systems, fire and gas detection detectors, industrial internet of things, data analysis and optimization software, personal protective equipment,
• Production technologies and know-how licensing in Refinery and Petrochemical industries,
• In buildings; building management systems, ventilation-heating-cooling control, security (camera and card access) solutions, fire detection and extinguishing systems,
• Special software solutions for retail and logistics industry, handheld computers, barcode readers, industrial sensors,
• Refrigerants, special chemicals, advanced fibers, and composites,
• Aviation and in-flight software/navigation systems, aircraft/helicopter engines and power units.
Last year was a year in which the effects of the pandemic were felt intensely, and these effects are still continuing. How was your company affected by this situation and what measures did it take?
2020 and 2021 were the years when we faced the pandemic and tried to adapt. Along with the entire world economy, Honeywell was too affected and continued to work to support critical infrastructures that would protect the health of its employees and make adjustments. The pandemic has accelerated change across industries and spurred innovation. Honeywell is focused on bringing people back to work, activities and travel safely. We have implemented software and automation technologies for our industrial customers so that factories can continue production remotely or with minimum people. We opened new facilities all over the world to increase our production of high protective masks for employees in the health and manufacturing sector, developed fire and mask tracking systems with image processing, and implemented systems that will neutralize viruses with
ultraviolet rays for aircraft and public transportation.
What is the importance of R&D for your company? Could you tell us about your R&D projects that you have carried out recently?
At Honeywell, we continuously develop technologies to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. A total of 16,000 engineers work in our 148 engineering and research centers located in every region of the world, and half of this number is software developers. With over 30,000 patents, it is possible to see Honeywell’s signature at many points that touch our lives. For example; It is possible to see Honeywell’s patented technology and “know-how” in many points such as cockpit and approach systems in airplanes, building control systems, production technologies of the fuel we put in our vehicles, production technologies of plastic products used in all our goods, gases used in supermarket refrigerators and vehicle air conditioners.
We see the biggest focus of recent times as sustainability and net zero carbon targets. Honeywell continues to make large R&D investments in this area. Battery-powered energy storage systems, Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Hydrogen production and use technologies, carbon capture and storage technologies, low global warming potential refrigerants, plastic chemical recycling technologies are the leading topics in Honeywell’s work in this field.
If there is a social responsibility project initiated or pioneered by your company, could you give us information about them?
An important element of Honeywell’s Corporate Social Responsibility is projects and investments for the benefit of society. Globally, we have programs such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, inclusion and diversity, humanitarian aid, child and family safety.
As an example, we can give the Honeywell Leadership Academy, the space camp program organized at the US Space and Rocket Center (USSRC). High school students aged 16-18 from all over the world; Around 300 students from 45 countries participate in the program, which aims to develop themselves in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Two high school students from Turkey participated in the last program.
What are the precautions you have taken while producing for a more sustainable world? In this context, can you describe your company’s perspective on sustainability?
Honeywell has promised to be “net zero” by 2035, we don’t have much time left. We have taken great steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a 90% reduction compared to the situation in 2004. We have implemented 5,700 sustainability projects in the last 15 years.
Another important point is the intention and target of 50% of our prospective R&D efforts to improve environmental or social outcomes. We have just shared examples of our fields of work on sustainability.
Could you tell us about your goals for the next years? What innovations await your company in the coming years?
We see that there are two major trends that stand out all over the World: Digitalization and Sustainability. During these times when the world is changing and transforming, Honeywell aims to be one of the main players in developing innovative technologies and directing the trends in this direction. We are taking the necessary steps to transform our company into an industrial software and digital technology company, and we are structuring. While doing these, we aim to implement our main principles of ethics, inclusiveness, and respect for differences at the highest level.
