Interview with Mr. Bayraktar Yılmaz, Founder of Bu Endüstriyel Kimya

We had a pleasant interview with Mr. Bayraktar Yılmaz, Founder and General Coordinator of Bu Endüstriyel Kimya. We talked about Bu Endüstriyel Kimya's activities and targets. Yılmaz gave important information about future projects of Bu Endüstriyel Kimya.

Could you please briefly tell us about your education and professional background in the sector?

I was born in Trabzon in 1971. I graduated from Karadeniz Technical University in 1996. My business career started in 1998 with Kalyon Plastik (PVC profile and pipe), Mekap Ayakkabı from 1998–1999 (polyurethane system house production and shoe manufacturing), Gezer Ayakkabı from 1999–2000 (polyurethane system house production for slipper, shoe, and shoe sole manufacturing), Polexchem from 2000–2017 (polyurethane systems), and Bu Endüstriyel Kimya since 2017 (raw material system production for polyurethane and other plastics, coatings, paints and colorants, mold release agents, and project studies for special applications).

Could you please tell us about the development process of your company from its foundation to the present day?

The process, which started with the production of polyurethane colorants in 2006, has made us a supplier to more than one sector with our wide product variety in line with developing markets and customer demands.

Could you please tell us about your products, your target group and the industries that you serve?

We produce liquid masterbatches, spray lacquers, release agents, color pastes, cleaning liquids, process auxiliaries and polyurethane systems for shoe, automotive, textile, synthetic leather, furniture and machinery production. Our products are based on polyurethane, TP, TPU, PVC, EVA, phylon, ABS, natural and synthetic rubber, and regenerated rubber.

Could you please tell us about your sales activities? Predominantly, which regions do you focus on?

Our business is mainly focused on the domestic market. We particularly target Russia, the Turkic Republics, Iran, Arab countries and North Africa. Our international activities gained momentum as of 2020 and are now global. If the virus crisis is overcome, we aim to reach a target of 50% overseas sales.

What is your opinion about the conditions of being a global manufacturer?

You are a global player if you are able to think globally, understand your business, and follow innovations. This requires a sustainable research and development and market development policy.

Have you recently developed an innovative production that will make a difference in the polyurethane sector?

We have a new project to recycle polyurethane and bring it back into the economy.

As Bu Endüstriyel Kimya, what are your activities on Industry 4.0?

I think we are inadequate in this area. We have been trying to create our own systems for the past few years due to lack of information and knowledge transfer. I think that processing this data and integrating it with the global network is very costly and time consuming.

Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are so important in the chemical industry as they are in all industries. What advantages do these technologies offer to your company and the industry in general?

By combining industry and IoT, intelligent devices used in production will ensure that real-time information is evaluated by a decision center by minimizing human error. This will have many favorable effects such as increasing production capacity, reducing costs and producing competitive products.

What are the expectations of shoe manufacturers from raw materials according to new trends?

Shoe manufacturers expect that raw materials can add value to their products and increase their competitiveness in all possible ways, in both universal and local fashion contexts.

What are your hobbies?

I balance my time between my family at home and my work colleagues. When possible, I enjoy fishing and reading books.