In our interview, Tezkim General Manager Mr. Ali Tezcan answered our questions. Tezcan gave information about Tezkim’s products and production capacity.
Could you please briefly tell us about yourself, your educational and professional background?
Born in Adana in 1978, I graduated from the Faculty of Business Administration. My life as a mid-level manager, which started in 2001 with the responsibility of the Tat Starch Factory Purchasing Department, continued in 2011 with the position of General Manager of
Tezkim Factory, one of Turkey’s leading Biotechnology Companies, by being promoted to senior management.
Tezkim, where I have been General Manager since 2020; became the only Citric Acid producer in Turkey and started citric acid production by establishing Tezkim Citric Acid Factory.
I have left behind my 21st year in the chemical industry with middle and senior management positions, and I continue to carry out my senior management task as the top management, which includes the fields of quality, production, investment and factory management.
With the pride and self-confidence of my upbringing, we can personally deal with every step of my managerial processes, and together with my team, we can take our steps more confidently and stronger.
Could you please give information about Tezkim’s history, investments realized, and its current structure? To which industries and with what kind of products and services does Tezkim mainly serve?
Acting with the goal of creating value across all industries through more than 10 companies in the areas of chemistry, food, agriculture and health, Tezcanlar Yatırım has led up to the start of Tezkim’s operations in 2005, which will bring victory for the future of Türkiye.
Tezkim, one of Türkiye’s leading biotechnology companies, was founded in Adana to produce and generate added value within the context of sustainability throughout its human-respecting, environmentally friendly, and customer-oriented strategy.
Tezkim produces more than 10 products from bioethanol to citric acid, DDGS to carbon dioxide, corn bran to ENA (Extra Neutral Alcohol) in its 2 facilities, thus feels the justified
pride of supporting our country’s vision of new and renewable energy, agricultural development, protection of natural balance, and decrease in foreignsource dependency.
Tezkim products are key raw materials for a wide range of industries, including food,
fuel, cosmetics, and personal cleaning goods.
Could you please give us information about the features and capacities of your production facilities? Could you please tell us about your domestic and international sales activities?
Being aware of the alternative energy resources for sustainability, Tezkim completed its investment in a bioethanol production plant in 2007 and started to produce approximately 40,000 m3 of bioethanol per year.
Bioethanol is first-generation ethyl alcohol produced by fermenting and distilling corn grains. Ethanol used as biofuel is only sold domestically. Alcohol, which is called D-type bioethanol, is a significant raw material for the paint ink industry.
D-type alcohol produced in the reaction facilities is sold both domestically and abroad. Tezkim continues its works on ethanol in order to reduce dependence on foreign sources.
In this regard, we plan to activate the Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) facility within three months, where we will produce the alcohol required in the cosmetics industry.
The fermentation of corn yields citric acid, which is a substance found naturally in plant organs. Citric Acid is an essential raw material used in many areas from the food sector to the pharmaceutical sector. With an annual production capacity of 54,000 tons, Tezkim Citric Acid Plant is the only citric acid factory in Türkiye with 340 employees operating on an area
of 36,000m2 in Adana Organized Industrial Zone.
The amount of citric acid produced in Tezkim has enabled Türkiye’s imports to drop by 50%. In addition, Tezkim, which offers 40% of its citric acid to customers in the foreign market, has also had a positive effect on Türkiye’s export figures. These numbers indicate that Tezkim decreased current account deficit of Türkiye by $100 million annually in 2021.
Could you give information about the environmental policy and sustainability approach of Tezkim?
Tezkim places a high priority on energy efficiency and environmental sensitivity while incorporating sustainability principles into its strategic objectives and investments.
With the sustainability perspective, certain level of the energy required for the facilities of Tezkim is met with the cogeneration system established. The cogeneration system in Tezkim facilities obtains approximately 2000 kW/hour energy from the wastewater
of the process and the biogas produced by anaerobic treatment.
With the awareness of natural resource scarcity, Tezkim adopts the mission of doing better
for today and tomorrow, as well as the principles of adapting to climate change and minimizing waste at every step.
In this context, Tezkim continues to seek solutions that will fulfill the energy requirements of its facilities together with the solar panels.
What are the priority criteria of Tezkim when creating investment plans? Does Tezkim have any investment plans for the upcoming period, if yes, what are these investments?
Laying great importance on biotechnological processes, Tezkim intends to continue its investment in this field without slowing down, while taking steps to halt imports.
Tezkim will be one of the prominent bioethanol producers in Türkiye with the increase in the production of Extra Neutral Alcohol(ENA) in the first months of 2023 and an increase in general capacity towards the end of the year.
With its product quality and shipping volume, Tezkim Citric Acid Factory has proven to be a significant competitor for both European domestic producers and Chinese producers. The challenges in the supply chain have once again emphasized the worth of domestic producers.
In this respect, it is planned to increase output to 100,000 tons per year in 2024 with a 100% capacity expansion in order to entirely prevent its imports. Tezkim, which will meet all of Türkiye’s needs, will become a significant player in the overseas market.
