Ravago PU Systems Business Unit Director Christian Mirangels

We conducted an enjoyable interview with Christian Mirangels, Director of the PU Systems Business Unit at Ravago Petrokimya A.Ş., discussing the company's development process and the products they have brought to the sector, along with the challenges and solutions of Turkey's polyurethane market.

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

I was born in Barcelona and hold Spanish and German citizenship. Since completing my business administration studies at Barcelona Universitat Autònoma, I have developed my professional career in the areas of finance, marketing and sales, and general management. I have worked in Spain, Germany, Turkey and South Africa. I am married with two children.   I joined the Ravago Petrokimya family at the beginning of 2017 as PU Systems Business Unit Director. With a professional team, we are combining procurement activities, effective R&D capabilities and the most modern production facilities to take Tekpol, Ravago's polyurethane division, to a higher level of excellence.

Could you tell us about the company's development since Ravago was founded?

When Raf Van Gorp founded Ravago in 1961, he found an opportunity to purchase the facilities of a dynamite company in Arendonk, Belgium. This opportunity led him to a brilliant idea: recycling production waste from petrochemical companies producing plastics. From there, the company grew as a distributor and seller of plastic resins, becoming a successful service provider to the petrochemical industry. Diversification into the production and distribution of construction products secured a second revenue stream in Europe. Today, the Ravago Group is one of the world market's best suppliers of plastics, rubber and chemicals. Today, the Ravago Group represents annual polymer sales of over 4,000,000 metric tons, serving more than 40,000 active customers with 230 offices in more than 55 countries worldwide. Ravago's production capacity consists of a total of 30 facilities: 19 recycling and compounding facilities with a combined annual capacity of over 500 metric tons in North America, Europe and Turkey, and 11 production facilities providing finished product solutions for the construction and building sector in Belgium, Greece, Turkey and Russia. None of this would have been possible without the help of 5,500 employees. Ravago Petrokimya has been investing in Turkey since 1998 and has become one of the most important players in the local plastics sector. Ravago Petrokimya comprises five companies: Enplast, Eastchem, Ravago Kimya, Mahalo and Tekpol. With a total production capacity of 250,000 metric tons in polymer raw materials, it is the second largest plastics manufacturer in Turkey. Each company is a leader in its region and field.

Can you provide information about your products serving the polyurethane sector?

Tekpol, which has played a key role in the polyurethane systems industry for 25 years, was acquired by Ravago in 2014. Ravago/Tekpol represents product quality, high customer loyalty, brand recognition and flexibility in production and supply chain. Today, in our modern systems plant located in Çayırova, we produce over 300 polyurethane systems. We provide customized solutions to contribute to our customers' success across different industries. Our products contribute to the manufacture of light vehicles, more comfortable furniture, more energy-efficient residential and industrial buildings, refrigerators and more durable shoe soles.

Can you also tell us about Ravago's laboratory and R&D activities? What can you say about your production capacity?

Ravago recently established a new R&D Centre with a 30-member expert team in various fields. With modern equipment in our polyurethane R&D technical laboratory, we can simulate our customers' processes. In this way, we can develop new formulations to meet technical requirements and improve our customers' application performance. In our production facilities, we manufacture polyester polyols that we use in our own formulations, and we also sell to the market for shoe, rigid and CASE applications. We also produce the PREpolymers and polyol blends that we sell as polyurethane systems. Total production capacity is 70,000 MT per year.

How was 2017 for your company? What are your targets for 2018? Can you provide information about your projects?

Despite some turbulence such as raw material shortages and currency fluctuations, we managed to maintain our position as one of Turkey's leading polyurethane systems plants in 2017. In 2018, we plan to continue growing both domestically and internationally. We will launch new product developments to the market. Some of these will be presented at the Putech Eurasia 2017 fair. Additionally, we plan to increase our international growth through the strong Ravago sales channels in many countries.

What can you say about the past and future of the polyurethane sector?

Since Professor Dr. Otto Bayer invented polyurethane in the 1930s, there has been a steady increase in the number of application areas, from flexible foams to rigid foams and non-foaming applications such as adhesives and elastomers. Today, we are surrounded by polyurethane applications in every aspect of our daily lives. Global polyurethane demand is growing at an annual rate of 5 percent, which is faster than global GDP. Its versatility in application and exceptional properties have made it the preferred choice in applications such as thermal insulation, adhesives, car seating and shoe soles. However, the polyurethane industry is also facing challenges such as the need for investment to guarantee balanced raw material supply, regulatory changes (e.g., phase-out of HFCs) or the trend towards renewable raw materials.

Can we have your views on the polyurethane market in Turkey?

Turkey represents the third-largest polyurethane market in Europe and a total market size of 400+ kt in terms of demand, with the main industries being building and construction, white goods, bedding, automotive and footwear. In parallel with other European countries, Turkey has also been integrating new technologies such as viscoelastic foams and PIR sandwich panels in recent years. From a supply perspective, the presence of more than 15 systems plants, including multinational and local companies, creates highly competitive conditions, with some offering a broad product portfolio while others focus on a limited number of industries.

Do you have a message you would like to convey to the sector?

First, the polyurethane industry in Turkey should continue to focus on product quality. This will increase the recognition of the "Made in Turkey" brand both locally and internationally. In addition, there should be greater focus on innovation. Through innovation, the polyurethane industry can succeed in differentiation against competing materials and offer customers higher value-added solutions. Last but equally important; the interests of Turkey's polyurethane industry should be represented by a strong association that can influence local and international regulatory initiatives affecting the polyurethane industry.