Interview with Yasin Zengin, Sales and Marketing Coordinator at Akkim

We conducted an engaging interview with Yasin Zengin, Sales and Marketing Coordinator at Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları A.Ş. Zengin provided information about the products and technologies that Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları offers to the industry.

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

After completing my undergraduate degree in tourism management, I finished my Master's degree in Management and Organization at Istanbul University. I have 26 years of commercial experience dating back to my childhood years. I am currently in my 16th year at Akkim, where I serve as Sales and Marketing Coordinator. God willing, just as we have done until today, we will continue to serve our customers and the Turkish economy under the Akkim roof.

Could you provide information about Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları's establishment process and the stages it has gone through to reach today? What is the current structure of Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları when considering production facilities, machinery park and number of employees, as well as turnover and production volume data?

Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları, which began its commercial operations in 2001 as a result of approximately 20 years of accumulated experience, today exports to more than 100 countries. It ranks among Turkey's top 500 industrial establishments. Akkim, which has achieved significant success in international markets with its own brands, combines the knowledge and experience it has gained from these markets with its production capability, and also manufactures private-label products for leading companies in its sector.

What are the main sectors and types of products that Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları supplies? Could you provide information about Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları's products, brands and services?

Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları manufactures 450 different types of products for the construction and building, furniture, automotive, boat and yacht industries, including adhesives, joint sealants silicones and mastics, polyurethane assembly foams, technical aerosols, water and heat insulation coating systems, and fire-resistant chemical products. In our extensive product range, we have MS polymer-based adhesives and joint sealant products, polyurethane-based adhesives, polyurethane assembly foams, acrylic-based adhesives and joint sealant products, cyanoacrylate-based adhesives, epoxy-based adhesives, polyurethane coating systems, silicone joint sealant products, fire-resistant products, and other systems.  

What kind of work do you conduct in the areas of innovation and R&D as Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları? Do you have projects developed through university-industry cooperation, and if so, what are they?

Innovation is the most important part of our corporate culture and the way we do business. We have an innovative perspective not only in R&D work, but in all our business processes. We have made significant investments in R&D in recent years. We have had collaborations with many universities and consultants both domestically and internationally. We work with chemical engineers and chemists who are experts in their field. We will continue our investments in this area both for the continuity of our current quality and for the development of our product range.

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

We currently export to more than 100 countries on 5 continents. We are market leaders in many countries. In some, we rank in the top three. In newly entered countries, we are actively pursuing marketing and branding efforts. We have achieved significant success with our own brands in international markets. Additionally, we manufacture private-label products as an approved supplier to some of the world's leading major brands. Domestically, our Akfix brand holds an important position. In the Turkish market, where competition is very fierce and there are many European competitors, we are increasing our presence every day.

Could you provide information about Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları's environmental policy and sustainability approach? What can you tell us about your work on occupational health and safety?

In all our research and development work, priority is given to environmentally friendly products. We operate with the awareness that a sustainable economic life will be achieved with a healthy society. In all our activities, we take measures to protect the environment and environmental health. Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları, which is committed to being an organization with high occupational health and safety awareness, uses various management and inspection systems effectively to ensure the safety of its employees, who are its most valuable internal resource, and to continuously improve health and safety measures in the workplace and production facilities.    

Could you share your thoughts on the building chemicals sector in Turkey? What do you believe are Turkey's advantages and disadvantages in this sector?

Turkey is the most effective country in the geography it occupies with regard to building chemicals. Many Turkish companies are capable of producing at a quality that rivals and even exceeds that of European and American competitors. However, quality production alone is not sufficient. First, the building chemicals market is largely dependent on imports. Any disruption in imports causes disruptions to all processes of companies. Inability to develop new products, inability to market what has been developed, failure to create brand added value, short-term thinking and similar issues are our most important disadvantages after import dependency.

What criteria are prioritized when formulating Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları's investment plans? Does Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları have investment plans for the coming periods, and if so, what are they?

As Akkim Yapı Kimyasalları, we constantly think about how we can do better and do more. For this reason, new investments are among the most important items on our agenda. We direct our investments taking into account the expectations and needs of countries. The type of need, its necessity, size, economic value and similar criteria form important headings in our investment decisions.