Interview with Emel Babacan Gürbıyık, General Manager of A.T.S Advanced Technology Supplies Tic. A.Ş.

We conducted a pleasant interview with Emel Babacan Gürbıyık, General Manager of A.T.S Advanced Technology Supplies Tic. A.Ş., in which we discussed the sectors the company serves, their perspectives on sustainability and R&D work. Mr. Gürbıyık also shared his targets for the coming years. Enjoy your reading.

Could you tell our readers about yourself and your background?

I was born in Istanbul. I completed my education at Istanbul University Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemistry, followed by a master's degree in Analytical Chemistry and Business Management. During my 24-year professional career, I have been involved in marketing and sales activities for specialized products that provide functional and added value across various branches of the chemical sector. This year we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of my time with the ATS family. I have been serving as General Manager for the past 14 years. I continue to take pleasure in serving our customers, with whom we are solution partners, with the same enthusiasm as on my first day.

What would you like to say about your company? What criteria form your success strategy?

As A.T.S Advanced Technology Supplies Tic. A.Ş., actively operating in Turkey since 1987, we provide solutions to the pharmaceutical, food supplement, food, cosmetics, veterinary pharmaceutical, feed additives, laboratory chemicals, process equipment and industrial sectors through separate operating units, each of which is expert in its own field. Our company, with strong international connections, responds powerfully to inquiries from both domestic and foreign markets. We owe our success to bringing innovative and value-added products and solutions from the world's leading manufacturers to our customers.

Last year was a year in which pandemic effects were felt intensely, and these effects continue to the present. How was your company affected and what measures did you take?

The difficulties caused by the pandemic were felt in Turkey as they were throughout the world. While some of these difficulties have eased currently, certain challenges continue to persist. There are currently serious energy and logistics problems that are significantly affecting the sector. We took action in line with changing product and raw material needs in the market due to the pandemic and began sourcing new raw materials. For example; during this period, sector demand increased significantly for components that came to the forefront, particularly vitamins, minerals, probiotics and prebiotics that support immunity. Similarly, demand for disinfectant products increased considerably. Our company managed to anticipate potential disruptions in the supply process and was able to conduct business operations largely without problems. Our logistics and supply chain department fulfilled its role in this regard.

What is the importance of R&D for ATS? Could you tell us about the R&D projects you have been involved in recently?

With technological developments, innovative products and sustainability becoming increasingly prominent, the importance of R&D has grown with each passing day and R&D investments have gained greater significance. New developments presented in the scientific world are changing consumption habits of people around the world. For example, as societies become more aware of excessive salt consumption, manufacturers are increasingly turning to developing new products in this area, and we have begun to actively participate in these innovative solutions. In this context, together with our international partners, we are bringing world trends to the market and conducting innovative R&D projects with our business partners. For instance, in response to increasing demand for vegan-vegetarian diets, we recommend solutions such as plant-based proteins, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, natural plant extracts and animal gelatin alternatives for enrichment projects in plant-based meat and dairy products. In the R&D projects we conduct, in addition to innovative solutions, we provide support to our business partners in correctly positioning final products in the market in a way that will build social awareness.

What sectors do you serve? What are your product varieties?

Our company has been active for many years in pharmaceutical, food supplement, food, cosmetics, veterinary pharmaceutical, feed additives, laboratory chemicals, process equipment and industrial applications. We represent international companies such as DSM, CHR-Hansen, Cabot-Norit, Dr. Paul Lohmann, Ceamsa and Allied Biotech, which are among the world's leading manufacturers in their respective fields. For human pharmaceutical, veterinary pharmaceutical and food supplement applications, we supply principal active ingredients, vitamins and minerals, process auxiliary components, new-generation preservatives, plant-based capsules, probiotics, antioxidants, plant extracts, proteins and amino acids. For food applications, we supply functional food components, thickeners, fibers, natural colorants, acidity regulators, filtration aids and emulsifiers. Our cosmetics portfolio consists primarily of specialty active components. For skin and hair applications, the principal products we supply are the most effective actives, plant extracts and oil blends, natural emulsifiers, UV filters and functional minerals. Additionally, specialty silicone-coated pigments for the colored cosmetics sector and phosphonate derivatives for detergent applications are among the principal products we supply. By representing leading manufacturers in these application areas, we are able to provide all necessary technical support to our manufacturers and provide information on new global trends.

What is ATS's perspective for a more sustainable world?

The importance of sustainable resources is increasing with each passing day in the world. Considering that world resources are limited and the human population is constantly growing, resources must be used efficiently. For our world to exist in the future and for future generations to be able to continue their lives, we at ATS are taking the responsibility that falls upon us and are moving toward sustainable sources in the raw material sector. The manufacturing companies we currently work with have also made the necessary investments in this area and have been working on sustainable production methods for a long time. We evaluate new business partnership opportunities by taking into account sustainable production conditions and resources.

Could you tell us about your targets for the coming years?

We will continue to be a solution partner to our customers in the most efficient way by developing the supply chain network we currently manage well. In particular, we will continue our mission of minimizing the problems that manufacturers may face in global crises such as pandemics and supporting production processes that will affect the end consumer. Following changing market demands along with global issues, we will continue our innovative R&D efforts. We will track developments in the world by participating again in trade fairs, training programs and congresses as the effects of the pandemic diminish, and we will organize seminars to convey new developments to our customers.