Interview with Halim Atılgan, Board Member of Power Boya

We conducted a pleasant interview with Halim Atılgan, Board Member of Power Boya. Atılgan provided information about Power Boya's products and services.

Could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers? Could you provide information about Power Boya's founding process and the stages it has gone through to the present day?

I was born in Istanbul in 1985. I started my business career during my high school years as a sales representative at my family company, which sold building materials. In 2012, I founded Power Boya Kimya San. ve Tic. Ltd. Şti. and began electrostatic powder coating production in a 2,000 square meter closed facility in the Gebze/Kocaeli region. After continuing production at our Gebze facility for 2 years, we moved in mid-2014 to our new facility with 4,500 square meters of closed space located in the Istanbul Organized Leather Subsidiary Industry Zone to meet growing demand from foreign markets. Our current annual production capacity of 3,000 tons will reach 4,500 tons annually with our new production line.

Which main sectors does Power Boya supply, and what types of products? Could you provide information about Power Boya's products, brands and services?

Power Boya provides electrostatic powder coating production, sales, marketing and technical support services for the furniture, aluminum, construction, automotive and white goods sectors. Our company serves primarily the metal aluminum industry, as well as sectors such as glass and ceramics. Our Power Boya product groups—epoxy powder coating, epoxy polyester (hybrid) powder coating, polyester powder coating, primid powder coating, polyurethane powder coating, super-durable polyester powder coating—along with special effect electrostatic powder coatings including crocodile pattern, snake pattern, wood grain and hammertone finishes, provide our customers with the best solutions. As Power Boya, according to our customers' requirements, we develop and produce many types of electrostatic powder coatings cured from 140 to 200 degrees, and design the particle size of powder coatings to be more resistant to chemicals and UV rays.

Could you tell us about your domestic and export sales activities? Which regions do you mainly serve with what types of products domestically and internationally?

Our company exports to approximately 30 countries. In Turkey, we operate through a dealer system in major cities and conduct direct sales to 90% of our other cities.

What kind of work does Power Boya carry out in the areas of innovation and R&D? Do you have projects developed under university-industry cooperation, and if so, what are they?

Actually, I think that not just on a company basis, but every individual should be innovative and engaged in research and development. If we can apply this individually, our country's economy will reach much better levels. Power Boya places importance on and invests in innovation and R&D work in order to exist, compete and develop its capabilities. We are pleased to be a company that operates to European standards and continuously updates its technological infrastructure. We continue our investments in R&D with the latest technology and appropriate products. We previously worked with KOSGEB on R&D-related equipment for technical devices. We have plans to make new applications in the coming days. We want to collaborate with universities as well. We will take initiatives in this regard.

Could you provide information about Power Boya's environmental policy and sustainability approach? What can you say about your work regarding occupational health and safety?

We place great importance on human health and preventing environmental pollution. We continue our R&D work to increase efficiency, reduce waste amounts, eliminate heavy metal content from powder coatings, and transition completely to lead-free products.

Could we learn your thoughts on industrial paints and coatings sectors in Turkey? Regarding these sectors, what do you think are Turkey's advantages and disadvantages?

The electrostatic powder coating sector in Turkey has shown rapid growth and continues to grow. I believe Turkey's electrostatic powder coating industry needs to develop with the aim of becoming a production and attraction center in its own region. Turkish capital-based manufacturers also need to take careful steps in this direction. People in Asia and Africa now prefer Turkish goods. We need to capture this advantage in other countries as well. The way to do this is through innovation and R&D. Among the main problems of the paints sector are dependence on foreign sources for raw materials and high costs. I believe Turkish investors will, God willing, solve this problem in due time.

What criteria are prioritized when developing Power Boya's investment plans? Does Power Boya have investment plans for the coming periods, and if so, what are they?

We plan investments by paying attention to how much need exists in the sector and plan our investments accordingly. As Power Boya, we receive strong demand from abroad. As a result of these efforts, we will make significant investments.