Interview with Ömer Balcıoğlu, Board Member of Kimsel

We had an enjoyable conversation with Kimsel Board Member and Polyurethane Division Director Ömer Balcıoğlu. Balcıoğlu shared details with us about the structure of the Polyurethane Division, its innovative projects and 2020 targets.

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

I was born in Istanbul in 1982. After graduating from Moda Collegiate, I studied Business Administration at Işık University. Since 2001, I have been continuing my professional career at Kimsel. During this time, I have worked in almost every department at Kimsel, from the Logistics Department to the Finance Department. Since 2013, I have been a member of the company's Board of Directors. For the last 2 years, I have also been heading the Polyurethane Division, which we established under the LANXESS distributorship. I manage all activities of this division, which contains polyurethane raw materials in the coatings, resins, sealants and elastomers (CASE) group.

Could you tell us about Kimsel's development process from its establishment to today?

Kimsel was founded in 1996 by Kürşat Balcıoğlu to provide chemical raw materials to chemical manufacturers. The process, which began with the sale of only a few types of construction and paint chemicals in those years, continues today with the distributorship of 15 different companies that are world leaders in their field. Kimsel also carries out the distributorship of these 15 major companies in the Turkic Republics. Construction chemicals, paints, varnishes, inks, polyurethane, epoxy, textile and cosmetic raw materials and silicone oils are the areas in which Kimsel regularly supplies raw materials to manufacturers. Today, Kimsel is a supplier that provides approximately 500 different chemical raw materials to nearly 2,000 customers, maintains these materials regularly in stock and provides fast delivery from stock. Our company philosophy, which we have expressed on many platforms, the slogan "Leadership is in Chemistry" clearly summarizes Kimsel's approach to the work we do.

"Our company philosophy, which we have expressed on many platforms, the slogan 'Leadership is in Chemistry' clearly summarizes Kimsel's approach to the work we do."

What are Kimsel's products and product groups? Which sectors does it serve?

Kimsel's portfolio contains approximately 50 different product groups that can serve many sectors. In addition to providing raw materials to main sectors such as construction, paints, varnishes, textiles and cosmetics, we have products for many specialized manufacturing sectors, machinery manufacturers and producers in subsidiary industries. Due to the large number of product groups and products, we classify these product groups on our website as headings and product groups. (Detailed information can be accessed from our website by companies and interested parties.) To give an example from the polyurethane raw materials field that I manage, water and solvent-based polyurethane resins, water and solvent-based blocked isocyanates, epoxy plasticizers, polyurethane dispersions, hot-cast polyurethane raw materials and spray polyurethane systems are among the products Kimsel sells. With this type of polyurethane raw material, in addition to existing sectors, we have started selling products to companies producing various types of fiber and manufacturers operating in the automotive supply industry. In addition to all of this, we expect some of our special products to be used in the near term by companies operating in the defense industry in our country.

"Our 'LANXESS Polyurethane Raw Materials' distributorship, which we have been conducting for approximately 2 years, has continuously grown and developed during this period."

Could you tell us about your sales activities? Which regions do you mainly sell to?

Kimsel's sales are distributed across almost all of Turkey. Additionally, since we are in a distributor position in the Turkic Republics, we have sales and exports to Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Regarding polyurethane raw materials, Kimsel also carries out the distributorship duties of LANXESS company for Turkey and the Turkic Republics, as well as the Middle East.

Have you had any innovative work in the polyurethane field recently that would make a difference?

We are a distributor of LANXESS company for polyurethane raw materials, and LANXESS has many innovative products for the polyurethane sector. We are engaged in customer-specific efforts. In addition to this, we have a special polyurethane dispersion (PUD) product group, particularly for fibers used in fiberglass, textile fiber and engineering plastics. It is possible to use these dispersions in the production of innovative and highly durable fibers. As Kimsel, we are conducting special work in this field. In the hot-cast polyurethane raw materials group, we offer our customers special products that can withstand temperatures of 150°C. For the artificial leather sector, we are working to provide water-based polyurethane systems to our customers that are suitable for human health, environmentally friendly and minimize occupational safety risks. We are expecting "breathable" polyurethane dispersions with permeability characteristics that can be used in artificial leather, textile and fiber sectors to meet the special needs of these sectors. Similarly, we are continuing our projects on polyurethane dispersions that will be used in the production of water-based polyurethane paints, varnishes and inks.

What are Kimsel Polyurethane Division's 2020 targets?

Kimsel has a character that aims to be a leader in every field in which it operates. As in every division, our primary target for the Polyurethane Division is this. Our "LANXESS Polyurethane Raw Materials" distributorship, which we have been conducting for approximately 2 years, has continuously grown and developed during this period. In the first year of our distributorship, we made a strong entry into the sector, particularly in hot-cast polyurethane raw materials. In our second year, we continued with the addition of "double-digit" growth figures on top of the strong entry in the first year. In 2020, we expect "double-digit" growth in hot-cast polyurethane raw materials. If we achieve this target, the statistics show us that we will come to the position of the sector's leading supplier. In 2020, there will be many business collaborations with many reputable companies from many different sectors in blocked isocyanates, polyurethane dispersions and other coating-type polyurethane raw materials. We believe that with these business collaborations, we will achieve important successes as we have on the hot-cast side.