Mehmet Aydın, Industrial Chemicals Division Manager at Erca Group

We conducted a pleasant interview with Mehmet Aydın, Head of Industrial Chemicals Division at Erca Group, in which we discussed the company's success story, areas of operation and its important role in the sector.

Could you briefly tell us about yourself and your professional background?

I graduated from the Chemistry Department at Trakya University. I have 20 years of experience in the sector. Previously I was in Izmir with a large Spanish company. At that firm, we established the Textile Chemicals division and relocated production to Turkey. Then Erca Group, a chemical company, offered me the opportunity to establish its Industrial Chemicals Division, which I accepted and moved to Istanbul. We built a division from scratch. It became a division primarily based on chemical synthesis and producing raw materials for chemical companies. Ten years have passed since then…

Could you tell us about Erca Group's success story from 1948 to the present and the growth strategy it has adopted?

Erca was founded in Bergamo, Italy in 1948. In 1968, Erca began production of textile chemicals at a facility it established in the same location. By 1985, with the commissioning of the ethoxylation facility, it began production of Leather Auxiliary Chemicals, Cosmetics, Industrial Chemicals and Concrete Admixture Chemicals. In 1985, it joined the Lautex group in Italy. In 1998, a partnership was established with Ertex company in Brazil and textile auxiliary chemicals production began. When the year became 1999, Erca and the Günaştı Group established Günerca in Turkey. In 2001, production of textile auxiliary chemicals began at facilities in Ergene. In 2004, Erca commissioned its 3rd facility in Europe with its chemical plant in Poland, and in 2005, Erca and the Günaştı Group, together with Everlight, one of the world's largest in textile dyes production, commissioned 3E Chemical in the People's Republic of China, serving the textile finishing sector. In 2007, Günerca began production of concrete admixture chemicals. In 2010, Günerca began production of industrial chemicals. In 2011, following a decision by Erca Group's central organization, Erca companies in different countries in the global market were consolidated under the same name, and as of today, Günerca continues its operations as Erca Group Chemistry. In 2013, the Erca Emery Ethoxylation facility was established with Emery Group in the Netherlands. In 2015, the Erca Emery Ethoxylation facility came under Solvay. In 2016, a global cooperation agreement was signed between Erca Group and Wilmar. As can be seen, since 1948, Erca Group has adopted a policy of continuous but sound growth based on international cooperation. Being a producer enables us to gain control over sectors and the ability to set direction.

What are your products and the sectors you serve? Could you discuss the advantages of being a manufacturing company and the value it brings to the sector?

As Erca Group, we serve the sectors of Cosmetic Chemicals, Concrete and Cement Chemicals, Textile Auxiliary Chemicals, Asphalt Chemicals and Agricultural Chemical Chemicals. In the sectors we serve, we produce esters, amides, imides, polymers and quaternarized products and their mixtures, which are needed. Being a producer enables us to gain control over sectors and the ability to set direction. Especially being a producer in Turkey helps us escape raw material dependency against foreign competitors.

What are your domestic and international sales activities? Which regions do you serve in Turkey and in the world, and what criteria do you consider in determining these services?

As Erca Turkey, sales centers have been established in different regions of Turkey. The Marmara Region, Aegean Region and Mediterranean Region have experienced teams in sales in both technical and marketing aspects. In the world, operations are carried out in the Middle East, Turkic Republics and Russian markets. The most important foundation of all these services is providing reliable and fast service without compromising on quality.

What is your perspective on R&D? What types of investments does Erca Group make for R&D?

Since its establishment, Erca Group has placed importance on R&D and innovation. At its center in Italy, it has a large R&D center equipped with the latest technological equipment. In Turkey, at our Çorlu Production Facility, we have three application laboratories and one R&D laboratory. By the end of the year, these laboratories will be consolidated under one roof to create an R&D center.

Could you tell us about the latest technologies you use? What momentum do these technologies bring to your products and brand?

Erca Group has fully automatic esterification and ethoxylation facilities at its plants in Italy and Poland. At our Çorlu facility in Turkey, we also have a fully automated polymerization facility. These technologies help us gain in production quality standards and process times.

What innovations and initiatives do you want to implement in the coming years?

As the Industrial Chemicals Division, we achieved great success in Asphalt Chemicals. We produced chemicals for many projects, including the 3rd Airport. We plan to expand internationally in this sector. We also produce Corrosion Inhibitors and H2S scavengers for the Oil and Gas sector. Our products are used in oil wells and refineries both within Turkey and abroad.

What would you like to say about the sector?

The chemical sector in our country is dependent on imports for raw materials. Most companies in Turkey are trading companies and produce through simple mixing. Very few companies can perform organic reactions. Even these companies produce semi-finished products. Turkey needs to move away from semi-finished products and start producing raw materials. We need to declare the chemical sector as a strategic sector and make decisions urgently. Currently in Turkey, awareness has been raised that the chemical sector is an important sector and decisions are being made to carry out domestic and national production.