ISSUE 100 SPECIAL REPORTS Cengiz Yaman CEO - General Manager Artkim Group
"We succeeded together with the chemical industry"
I am writing this with great pride and gratitude. Today we are celebrating not just a milestone, but also 18 unforgettable years and the publication of our 100th issue. When we started publishing our Turkchem magazine, we set out with a vision to create a platform that would inspire, inform, and connect. Looking back, it is encouraging to see how far we have come. I would like to note that the Turkchem brand and magazine have been highly effective in creating Artkim Group's influential presence in the sector. The journey that began with the Turkchem magazine continued with the prestigious Turkchem fair, and today has evolved into more than 10 specialized fairs that we organize successfully. We have navigated the evolving media landscape, embraced digital transformation, and adapted to the changing needs of our followers.
Our services to the chemical industry have expanded with Turkchem TV, Turkchem News Portal and mobile application, and Turkchem E-newsletter. These platforms collectively showcase and promote Turkey's chemical industry on both national and international stages. Our success is a collective achievement. It is the result of the hard work and dedication of our talented team—writers, editors, designers, and countless people working behind the scenes. It is the trust and loyalty of our readers who support us in every issue. It is the contribution of our advertisers and partners whose collaboration enables us to grow and innovate. I extend my deepest gratitude to each of you. Thank you for being part of our journey. We look forward to crossing many more milestones with you.
Adil Pelister Chairman of the Board İKMİB
"Turkchem magazine is an important resource for the sector"
Turkchem magazine plays an important role as a valuable information source and meeting point for Turkey's chemical industry. Turkchem provides comprehensive content for those who want to follow current developments in the sector and also delivers the information that sector professionals need. With its uninterrupted 18-year publication history, Turkchem has reinforced its reliability and established position in the sector. I hope Turkchem will continue to serve the sector for many more years to come. I believe that Turkchem has helped track innovations and trends in our country's chemical sector. In doing so, I think it has supported strengthening communication among actors in the sector and increasing cooperation opportunities. I congratulate everyone who contributed to bringing the magazine to issue 100 and wish continued success. For the development of Turkey's chemical sector, encouraging investment and strengthening infrastructure are of paramount importance. By providing attractive incentives to investors, confidence in the sector can be increased and the establishment of new facilities can be encouraged. Our sector is 70 percent dependent on imports for raw materials and intermediate products in production, and this ratio reaches 90 percent for plastic products.
Therefore, there is a need for new investments to reduce our import dependence in our country, particularly in petrochemicals. The chemical industry must support the production of high value-added, medium and high-technology products with strategic importance. Large-scale investments needed by the chemical industry and also beneficial for the public in terms of reducing import dependence should be supported. Research and development and innovation should be prioritized to increase the productivity of production processes. The development of innovative products and processes will increase the sector's competitiveness. Moreover, the role of digitalization in the sector is increasingly important. Through the use of digital technologies, production processes can be optimized and productivity can be increased. On the other hand, green transition and sustainability are among the most important agenda items for our chemical sector. Environment-friendly production methods should be adopted and more attention should be paid to issues such as waste management. Through our "Sustainability Action Plan in the Chemical Sector" report that we prepared, we are guiding our companies. We expect increased support from our government on this matter and benefit to our exporters. Additionally, as we finalize preparations on the basis of sustainability and within our 2030 vision, we are launching our Chemistry Technology Center, which will be a first in Turkey and created to establish an entirely new chemical ecosystem. With the launch of our center, we aim to make a serious contribution to closing the current account deficit. Furthermore, the establishment of Turkey Chemistry Agency with the support of our government will take our sector to a higher level globally. I believe these steps will help Turkey's chemical sector achieve a more competitive and sustainable structure.
Andre Yanco CEO & General Manager Metrohm Turkey
"We work in close cooperation with Turkchem magazine"
As Metrohm Turkey, we have been working in close cooperation with Artkim Group / Chem Media through various channels, particularly the Turkchem Fair and Turkchem magazine, for over 18 years. Besides being a leading printed and digital news medium through which we can follow current local and global developments related to the chemical sector and many of its sub-sectors, Turk-Chem Magazine is a foremost industry platform in our country that brings together producers of high-tech chemical analysis instruments and applications, as well as other sector stakeholders.
On this journey that has continued for many years, we congratulate the Turkchem Magazine and Chem Media team with whom we have worked for their achievements and wish to be together for many more issues numbered 100. Our country's chemical sector, which has the second-largest share in total exports, has achieved significant growth in recent years due to its geographical position and cost advantages in supply chains, as well as technological innovations in the sector and regulations made in local legislation. We believe that to continue the sector's development in the global market, it must continue to invest in key areas such as technological innovation in line with global chemical trends (R&D, Industry 4.0, digitalization, etc.), reduction of imported raw material dependence, production quality and competency-focused business models, managing competitive product and service portfolios, sustainability (reducing energy, water use and emissions, targeting net zero, etc.), strong and efficient supply chain management, and effective cooperation with international market actors.
Aylin Zakuto General Manager IMCD Turkey
"Turkchem magazine contributes to scientific knowledge"
For 18 years, Turkchem magazine has kept pace with the chemical industry and continues to contribute to scientific knowledge by supporting research and development in chemistry, holding an important place for our sector. As IMCD Turkey, we heartily congratulate Turkchem magazine, which has solidified its success with Issue 100! We also extend our congratulations to all magazine staff who contributed to bringing the magazine to this point and successfully achieving this important milestone! We believe in the importance of balancing our economic, environmental, and social needs by using the world's limited resources in a sustainable manner, minimizing our impact on the environment in the process, and creating more with less.
As a company that plays an active role in the value chain of the chemical industry, IMCD values doing business while embracing environmental and social sustainability. Along these lines, we closely follow our customers' needs and develop the most appropriate solutions to meet these needs. In general, our trend analyses focus on healthy, sustainable, and carbon emission-reducing product groups. By closely monitoring trends, we update our portfolio accordingly and offer innovative solutions to our customers. We run joint projects with IMCD laboratories and suppliers we represent around the world, and through the synergy of our other laboratories, we can develop innovative solutions for our customers.
Onur Kipri General Manager Akkim Kimya
"Turkchem magazine brings innovative and next-generation topics together"
Since 2006, we greatly appreciate and benefit from Turkchem magazine, which has continued its publication uninterruptedly with highly qualified contributions to the sector. Magazine content allows us to properly track developments in the sector and also introduces us to innovative and next-generation topics, opening horizons for our R&D activities. On this occasion, I thank Turkchem. In Turkey, products closer to the consumption side in the product life cycle are being produced. In Turkey, we can only produce at the 3rd or 4th level of the value chain. This means we are dependent on all raw material groups located in the 2-3 steps above, starting from oil or natural gas refining. Since there are no facilities at the highest level of the chain in Turkey and these investments are difficult to make, closing this current account deficit does not seem very feasible.
As Akkim, we try to overcome this challenge by producing innovative products and focusing our R&D efforts on ecological products. On the other hand, we try to identify areas where we can conduct more locally sourced production and shift our investments to these areas. Our recently completed epoxy resin facility investment has special significance for us in this regard. Because we plan to achieve over 50 percent of our epoxy resin production with domestic inputs. Taking such precautions in the sector, supporting them with medium-scale investments, though modest, could help address the current account deficit problem.
Bulent Konca Deputy General Manager MG International Fragrance Company
"Turkchem magazine enables the development of innovative solutions"
I congratulate Turkchem magazine on reaching its 100th issue, which has continued publication for 18 years, and commend it for playing an important role in the development of the chemical sector. The magazine, which shares Turkey's scientific, technological, and industrial developments in chemistry and contributes to sector development by bringing researchers together, also encourages the sharing of knowledge and experience and enables the development of innovative solutions that are reflected in industry applications. The magazine, which allows tracking of most current developments in the sector, also provides readers the opportunity to be informed about the latest trends in the sector. Together with all these, its contributions to the sector are very valuable. As MG International Fragrance Company, we wish to witness Turkchem magazine continuing its publication for many more years and contributing to the development of Turkey's chemical sector.
The chemical industry affects every aspect of our lives through innovative products and basic materials. Turkey's chemical sector has significant growth potential, especially in production and investment areas. Turkey's chemical sector should take confident steps into the future by using sustainable resources. The chemical sector is a high value-added sector. For this reason, it is an area very open to investment in terms of innovation and R&D. With its strategic location, Turkey is a key player in the global chemical market; increased incentives can increase production capacity and innovation. In addition, brands must understand marketing dynamics and consumption trends, including increasing demand for natural products, to support sector development.
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