We conducted an enjoyable interview with Mr. Ömer Can, Marketing and Sales Manager at Derkim Poliüretan.

In our enjoyable interview with Ömer Can, Marketing and Sales Manager at Derkim Poliüretan, we discussed the stages of his professional career, the company's development from the past to today, and its research and development activities.

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

I was born in Istanbul in 1978. I graduated from Sakarya University, Faculty of Foreign Trade. I began my business career in 1998. I have 15 years of experience in the sector. In the sector, I have worked in production planning, cost analysis expertise, accounting responsibility, and most recently as Marketing and Sales Manager at Derkim Poliüretan. Could you provide brief information about your company's establishment process, facilities, production scope, and market share? In 2003, we began importing products for the footwear sector from Coim S.p.a, a strong and international player in the polyurethane sector. With the positive impact of product quality and brand recognition, Derkim Poliüretan grew and quickly acquired a significant market share in Turkey's footwear polyurethane market. In 2009, Derkim Poliüretan began supplying raw materials to the thermal insulation sector with base poly and rigid polyurethane systems. It continued to grow with offices and warehouses primarily in Istanbul, Izmir, and Gaziantep, as well as international offices. In 2012, Derkim Poliüretan elevated its performance in polyurethane and polyurea supply for the insulation sector through a distributorship agreement with Graco for spray machines. As of 2014, with polyurethane production it has launched, Derkim Poliüretan is on track to hold a significant share of the Turkish market.

Could you tell us about your product groups and product characteristics? Which sectors do you serve?

As a result of its cooperation with Coim S.p.a, founded in Italy in 1962, Derkim Poliüretan holds an important market share in the footwear sector and began supplying raw materials to the thermal insulation sector with base poly and polyurethane rigid foams starting in 2009. Our company has multiple product groups in polyurethane, with leading products being aliphatic polyester polyols, aromatic polyester polyols, and prepolymer isocyanates and others (polyurethane C.A.S.E. groups). Derkim Poliüretan is prominent with its products for footwear, construction, and cold storage warehouses. Particularly in thermal insulation, where energy efficiency and related heat insulation have gained importance, the need for polyurethane materials is increasing daily. At this point, Derkim Poliüretan, as a company capable of offering alternative and new products to guide its customers in increasingly competitive markets, is a candidate for significant market share in 2016 as well.

Could you discuss your sales activities? Which regions do you primarily serve?

Our principal criterion in our operations is to ensure customer satisfaction by considering customer needs, demands, and regional characteristics, and to continue our work with solution-oriented approaches. Additionally, with our trained and expert employees in the sectors we operate in, we provide technology and product ranges suitable for our customers' production, and support each stage of their trouble-free, uninterrupted, and quality production. By closely monitoring developments worldwide and rapidly adapting our systems, increasing our market share is our priority. We primarily serve the Turkish market and subsequently a broad market including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, the North Caucasus, and Ukraine.

Could you discuss your research and development activities?

All our personnel possess technical knowledge and experience in their respective fields, and our research and development department continues to advance rapidly with its constantly evolving and changing structure, accomplishing significant work. We continue many new projects with TÜBİTAK and universities. We are working on producing polyester polyols with flame-retardant properties, preparing high-functional polyester polyol-based polyurethane systems as water-based and introducing them to the market. We are engaged in product preparation work for the cold cure polyurethane sector. Our water insulation prepolymer work is ongoing. Could you provide information about your company's quality policy and principles? Do you provide after-sales support to your customers? We maintain a quality understanding that follows advancing technology, uses resources efficiently, is conscious of responsibility to people and the environment, and prioritizes customer needs and satisfaction. To this end, we have begun working rapidly to obtain TS EN ISO 9001 (Quality Management System), TS EN ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System), and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) certificates.

What activities do you undertake regarding environmental protection and occupational safety sensitivities?

To protect the environment, we dispose of all our waste through contracted institutions. We strictly prevent our waste from mixing with drinking water and soil. Regarding occupational health and safety, we provide our employees with practical training together with our specialists and ensure the supply of necessary personal protective equipment.

What are the most important problems in the polyurethane sector, and what kinds of solutions do you propose?

Due to the failure to demonstrate necessary technical care in the use of polyurethane systems, problems are frequently observed in all types of polyurethane and products from all companies. We want to contribute to market development by enabling companies to become more conscious users through training seminars that can be planned from time to time in the market. Could you provide information about your targets and projects? One of our 2016 targets is to present new products to our customers through research and development work, and in terms of exports, to increase our sales in emerging regions such as Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, North Africa, and Nigeria. Finally, do you have a message you would like to convey to the sector? For next-generation solutions in the polyurethane sector, your path should go through Derkim Poliüretan.