BETA Kimya General Manager Cihat Sayacı Answers Our Questions

In the interview we conducted, Cihat Sayacı, General Manager of BETA Kimya A.Ş., answered our questions. Sayacı provided information about the BETA Kimya Gebkim Campus, a significant investment for our country whose foundation was laid recently. [caption id="attachment_118302" align="aligncenter"] Cihat Sayacı[/caption]

Could you briefly tell our readers about yourself, your education and professional background?

I was born in Istanbul in 1981. I am married and father of two children. I graduated from Gazi University's Department of International Relations. During the second year of my undergraduate studies, I studied at American University in Bangkok, Thailand, and after my bachelor's degree, I pursued various academic training programs in Johannesburg, South Africa. Later, I obtained my Master's degree in International Business Management (MIB) from Swinburne University, one of Australia's and the world's leading IT and business schools. Shortly after beginning my active business career, I was appointed as General Coordinator at BETA Kimya A.Ş. Subsequently, I served for a long period as General Manager Assistant at BETA Kimya A.Ş. In 2017, I became Chairman of the Executive Board, and at the beginning of 2018, I became General Manager of BETA Kimya A.Ş. I am also a member of the DEIK/Turkey-Iran Business Council at the Foreign Economic Relations Board.

Could you provide information about BETA Kimya's founding process and the stages it has gone through to the present day? What is BETA Kimya's current structure?

As BETA Kimya A.Ş., we started production in Istanbul in 1987 and have continued to produce and add value to Turkish chemistry for 34 years. We took our first step into industry with furniture adhesive production. With our generic brands Apel and Mitreapel, we continue our global journey while focusing on creating a wide product range that addresses every area of life, just like chemistry itself.

In 2007, with our production facility established in Istanbul Tuzla using advanced technology, we began production of new generation adhesives and chemicals for the wood and construction sectors. Subsequently, with increased production capacity, we continued with additional investments and established our first R&D laboratory within this facility. Our R&D laboratory, which operates with a team consisting entirely of Turkish engineers, achieved successful registration with the R&D Center Certificate in 2019. In recent times, with Antibacterial Spray and Liquid Hand Disinfectants developed in our R&D center, we have also taken a step into a new product group aimed at health and hygiene.

In 2010, at another production facility we established also in Tuzla, we began production of technical aerosols, polyurethane-based adhesives and filling materials. Subsequently, we opened two additional factories in 2013 and 2016 respectively, bringing our total number of production facilities to 4. As of 2020, we export to 75 countries including neighboring countries, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the Americas region. Within the scope of TURQUALITY, the world's first and only state-sponsored branding program, we have participated in the Brand Support Program with our Mitreapel brand since 2018. Our Mitreapel brand, which has achieved success as one of the generic brands in Turkish chemical sector exports, was registered as a "Well-Known Mark" by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office in 2020. We also rank among the top 250 companies investing most in R&D in Turkey. Furthermore, we are one of the rare companies in the Turkish chemical sector that continues its investments and operations with entirely its own capital.

BETA Kimya recently completed a very important investment. Could you provide information about this investment?

As BETA Kimya A.Ş., we have focused on growth, production, and always creating high added value for 34 years. With our Apel and Mitreapel brands, exporting to 75 countries on 5 continents, we have succeeded in becoming a large industrial family touching many areas of life from furniture to automotive, textiles to construction, and even health with the COVID-19 pandemic, with approximately 150 products in 9 different categories.

The BETA Kimya Gebkim Campus, whose foundation we laid recently, is a product of our passion for creating high added value. Our new integrated facility, which we will bring into operation with a TRY 315 million investment with 100% local and own capital, will be the largest adhesive and glue production facility in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. With our new integrated facility having an annual production capacity of 150,000 tons, we will provide employment for 500 people and take steps into 5 new product categories with high added value. Our production campus, which is LEED certified and uses environmentally friendly green building technology, will be built on a total of 50,000 m² and subsequently on 42,000 m², with 35,000 m² of enclosed space in its first two phases, making it one of the most modern chemical facilities not only in our country but also in the near region.

We are proud to be creating one of the finest examples of the digital transformation drive in industry that our government and Ministries expect from us, and of taking a step that will add value to our country and the chemistry sector. With our new production facility, which we will put into operation within the next year, we will be ready today for the digital production technologies of the future. With our BETA Kimya GEBKİM Campus, we are implementing a modern integrated production facility project that is of great importance for the Turkish chemical sector and is fully compliant with digital transformation principles. As BETA Kimya, we have drawn strength from R&D and innovation for 34 years and have dedicated ourselves to developing high-technology products. With our BETA Kimya GEBKİM Campus, we are implementing a modern integrated production facility project that is of great importance for the Turkish chemical sector and is fully compliant with digital transformation principles. As BETA Kimya, we have drawn strength from R&D and innovation for 34 years and have dedicated ourselves to developing high-technology products. In our new integrated facility, we are also committing to a significant investment initiative for R&D. We are preparing to expand our innovation hub, which holds an R&D Center Certificate and consists entirely of Turkish engineers, by a full 7 times in this location. With an R&D team of 50 people, we will take steps toward silane-terminated new MS technology adhesives and PUR Hotmelt products that we will produce completely domestically for the first time. We will carry BETA Kimya into the future with new generation innovative products specially developed for sectors such as defense and aviation, which have strategic national importance, as well as automotive, packaging, construction and furniture sectors.

What products, brands and services does BETA Kimya offer? Which sectors does Beta Kimya primarily serve and what types of products does it supply?

As BETA Kimya A.Ş., we have been among the leading companies in the Turkish chemical sector for 34 years. With our generic brands Apel and MitreApel, we conduct production in 4 main product groups: Building Chemicals, Adhesives, Technical Aerosols and Disinfectants, comprising a total of 9 categories. With approximately 150 products in categories including P.V.Ac.-based wood adhesives, cyanoacrylate-based instant adhesives, polyurethane-based adhesives, hotmelt adhesives, hybrid adhesives with MS Polymer technology, silicones and sealants, polyurethane-based foams, technical aerosols and spray and liquid disinfectants, we serve many different sectors. We have quite a wide and functional product family that touches almost every sector from furniture to construction, textiles to automotive and even health.

Could you tell us about your domestic and foreign sales activities? What types of products do you sell to which regions domestically and abroad?

As BETA Kimya A.Ş., we are a company that exports to a total of 75 countries on 5 continents, from Central Asia to America. For approximately 10 years, we have ranked among the top three companies in Turkey with the highest exports in the "Adhesives" field. We conduct exports with a very wide product range from instant adhesives to technical aerosols. Over the past three years, we have been exporting our instant adhesive products to a chemistry giant like China, which we all know as Japanese adhesive. This proves how high quality and world standard our products are as BETA Kimya. We have an extensive sales network from Canada to Kenya, from Russia to England. In distinctly different markets, we show success in presenting many different products together through our distributors. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic period, we continued to grow in exports. In the coming period, in line with our foreign sales strategy, we will continue to grow in South America and Sub-Saharan African countries. Domestically as well, with our dealers throughout Turkey, we bring together our products that touch almost every area of life with our consumers.

What kind of activities does BETA Kimya conduct in the fields of technology, innovation and R&D? Do you have projects developed within the scope of university-industry cooperation, and if so, what are they?

As BETA Kimya, we have had an institutional culture focused on production, R&D and innovation from the day we were founded. In doing so, we always focus on high-technology and high value-added products. We have an R&D unit consisting entirely of Turkish engineers and holding an R&D Center Certificate.

We closely follow global trends and develop innovative products that provide rational solutions to changing consumer needs. We even renew and improve our existing products with our advancing technology and R&D work. We believe in the power of innovation and invest continuously to develop high value-added products. We have periodic collaborations with chemistry engineering and industrial engineering departments at universities. Our fundamental philosophy here is to add the bright ideas of our young colleagues to our work and contribute to both our country and our sector with a win-win principle.

Regarding our PUR hotmelt products that we will launch in the coming period, we have projects that exemplify university-industry cooperation. We are a quite proactive family in terms of R&D and innovation. So much so that during the COVID-19 pandemic period, we developed our Mitreapel Antibacterial Spray Disinfectant product in as short as one month. We rapidly transferred our experience in technical aerosols to the disinfectant category based on health sector needs.

What criteria does BETA Kimya prioritize when formulating investment plans? Do you have investment plans for BETA Kimya in the coming periods, and if so, what are they?

When planning our investments, we think globally and take steps that will serve as a bridge from the chemistry sector to other sectors. In our investments implemented to date, high-technology production facilities and innovative products developed based on them stand out. The BETA Kimya GEBKİM Campus, whose foundation we laid in July, will be such an investment.

We are talking about a massive TRY 315 million investment. Even during the pandemic period, we continued to grow without suspending our investments, targeting products that serve high value-added and strategic sectors. Our R&D Hub, which will be located in our new integrated production facility, will be 7 times larger than our current R&D center. This reveals just how innovative BETA Kimya's investment philosophy is.

In our new facilities, which will become operational in September 2021, we will enter 5 new product categories. We are preparing to invest in a product family that will serve strategic sectors such as defense and aviation, and that is very dynamic, from automotive to packaging. We continue to work with all our strength and produce new projects for high value-added products. In the medium term, in line with our strategic growth objectives, we want to establish a logistics center in Europe. Additionally, we plan to open a new production facility in the Middle East in the coming period.