In this issue we made a pleasant interview with Mr. Burhan Ergene who is the Group President of Şişecam Chemicals. We spoke about advanced technology, fields of activity, new investment facilities of the firm that established in 1969 as Soda Sanayi A.Ş..
Can you give us some information on Şişecam Chemicals?
Sisecam Chemicals is a branch of Şişecam Group, who ranks among the most established enterprises of Turkey. Şişecam Group, operates in all main areas of glass such as flat glass, glassware, glass packaging and fiberglass, and chemicals including soda and chrome compounds,
As a global player, Şişecam has production in 13 countries (Turkey, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Russian Federation, Georgia, Ukraine, Egypt and India) on three continents.
Şişecam Chemicals, which represents one of the four main areas of activity of Şişecam Group, is ranked among the world leaders in its field and produces global solutions for its customers with environmentally friendly technologies.
Şişecam Chemicals operates in areas such as soda, chrome chemicals, glass fiber, mining, vitamin K3 derivatives and sodium metabisulphite production. Being the world leader in chromium chemicals, it is the fourth largest soda producer in Europe and the 10th largest soda producer in the world.
Şişecam Chemical’s production facilities are located in Turkey, Egypt, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy. It is also active in China with its trade company. It provides main raw materials to over 100 products from glass to detergents from chemical industry, to skincare and pharmaceutical industry in international standards.
What briefly is the establishment story of your company?
The foundation of Şişecam Chemicals began with Soda Sanayi A.Ş. a leader in the production of soda and chrome chemicals, as well as fiberglass and industrial raw materials in Turkey and globaly” Soda Sanayi A.Ş. was founded in 1969 to produce soda ash, a key input to the glass industry.
The chemicals that we produce at Kromsan Chromium Compounds Factory, and Soda Sanayi Plant operating in Mersin, are used as the main raw materials in many products ranging from detergents to the chemicals industry, and from tanning to pharmaceutical production and metal plating.
Can you tell us about your position in foreign markets?
Şişecam Chemicals produced 2.3 million tons of soda and 4.2 million tons of industrial raw material at its plants in Turkey, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy and Egypt in 2017. Producing soda ash at facilities in Turkey and Bulgaria, Şişecam Chemicals has sold 78 percent of its total soda to international markets last year.
In the field of chromium chemicals, Şişecam Chemicals is the world’s fourth largest chromic acid producer, as well as the world’s leading manufacturer of sodium bichromate and basic chromium sulphate.
Our facility in Italy, which is on the path to becoming a center that meets European demand for liquid chromic acid, basic chromium sulphate and bichromate, holds a key position in the world for high value-added chromium chemicals.
Can you tell us about your chemical sector production beyond soda and chrome?
In the chemical sector, we continue to produce vitamin K3 derivatives and sodium metabisulphite in addition to soda and chromium chemicals. Oxyvit Kimya, Europe’s one and only Vitamin K3 producer, maintained its strong market position in 2017.
The share of exports in Vitamin K3 sales, mainly targeted at the European market, is as high as 93 percent. A further 70 percent of our production of sodium metabisulfite was exported to overseas markets last year.
You are establishing a new glass fiber facility in Balıkesir. Could you tell us about it?
Our Group has decided to make a strategic investment in the field of glass fiber, which is the basic input of the locomotive sectors of Turkey, especially the automotive, construction and infrastructure sectors.
In line with this, Şişecam Chemicals is working to establish a new production facility in Balıkesir with an investment of over 100 million Euros.
The new facility, which willhave an annual production capacity of 70 thousand tons, aimes to replace the glass fiber imports of our country, and transforming local resources into value- added products, especially boron.
In particular, this investment in the field of glass fiber, of particular importance for wind energy, electronics, aerospace, and defense industries will be effective this year.
You also have works in the mining arena. Could you tell us about those activities?
The mining companies operating under the Şişecam Group Chemicals Group (Camiş Madencilik A.Ş., Madencilik San. ve Tic. A.Ş., Camiş Egypt Mining Co. and RK Vijenac d.O.O), continue their activities towards providing raw material supply continuity in the medium and long term in order to meet the raw material needs of the production facilities within the Group in Turkey and abroad. Yet they also play a key role in meeting the demand for industrial raw materials of non-Group companies.
We have produced 4.2 million tons of limestone, dolomite, feldspar and kaoline of diverse qualities, primarily glass sand, with over 600 employees at 17 facilities and over 60 mine sites that we own in Egypt, Bosnia- Herzegovina and Turkey.
In addition to Şişecam Group companies and many others that we serve domestically, we provide raw materials to our customers in Italy, Spain, Egypt, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Can you tell us about your company’s sustainability strategy?
Şişecam Group, which we are affiliated with as Şişecam Chemicals, aims to be an effective stakeholder on an international scale by adding long-term value to future generations with its “Sustainability Strategy.” It derives its strength from the established heritage of the company, and its ability to operate beyond conventional approaches.
In addition to be a global, reliable and financially stable company, our Group has adopted a transparent management approach and announced that it will support United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
In this context, commitment to the 10 principles of the Global Compact is in line with our goal of managing economic, social and environmental sustainability.
The method followed by Şişecam Group for sustainability is based on the sustainability principles of “Protect”, “Empower” and “Develop”.
The “Protect” approach developed within the scope of the global agenda by Şişecam Group implements sustainable environmental and natural resource management practices with a special focus on water and terrestrial resources.
The “Empower” approach promotes the integration of digital intelligence and society, while integrating diversity and inclusion issues into daily practices at both institutional and operational levels.
The “Develop” approach accelerates the process of being an active player to combat climate change and apply cyclical models on operations.
The company’s medium and long-term vision is to create an appropriate environment for corporate heritage responsibility, to be an international supporter and advocate of sustainability and to operate factories with a 360-degree cyclic model approach with minimal impact on climate change.
As Şişecam Chemicals, what is your approach to environmental protection?
In line with its goal of being one of the leading companies in the sector across all of its fields of activity, Şişecam Chemicals follows and implements the best practices in the industry in all its activities from production processes to environmental management.
Our environmental approach is mainly to focus on the core environmental impacts that involve energy, emissions and waste. Continuing studies cover the following areas:
•Production techniques to reduce environmental impacts,
•Developing energy efficiency projects to reduce climate change impacts,
•Extension of waste recovery and recycling activities,
•Evaluation of fuel and raw material alternatives,
•Responsible energy and resource management,
•Treatment of wastewater and evaluation of recycling opportunities.
Şişecam Chemicals successfully applies environmental, health and occupational safety management systems under “the Responsible Care Commitment”, which is a voluntary application specific to the global chemicals industry.
In addition, as an important exporter of both soda and chromium products, it continues to fulfill its obligations under the REACH Regulation, which is of great importance to the European Union.
