We Conducted an Interview with İntersonik General Manager Attila Arsan

We conducted an enjoyable interview with Attila Arsan, General Director of İntersonik. Arsan provided detailed information about İntersonik's R&D activities and the products they have developed.

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

I am a graduate of the Mechanical Engineering Department at ODTÜ. I completed my master's degree in the same department. I worked in the petroleum and petroleum sector materials field, in the sales of petroleum raw materials. I joined İntersonik in 1993. I have worked at the same company since that time. I currently serve as manager of the company.

Could you provide information about İntersonik's founding process and the stages it has gone through to the present day? What is İntersonik's current structure?

İntersonik, founded in 1977, was the first enterprise to introduce industrial parts washing and ultrasonic technology to Turkish industry. The company began its activities as a representative of Branson, one of the world's leading enterprises in the field of ultrasonic washing and ultrasonic plastic welding machines. After I joined, İntersonik transformed from a representation, marketing and sales company into a brand producing industrial parts washing and phosphating facilities with R&D activities and 100 percent production in Turkey. Today, our machines operate in more than 2,000 enterprises, numbering over 3,000 units.

What types of products does İntersonik mainly supply to which sectors? Could you provide information about İntersonik's products, brands and services?

At İntersonik, we design and manufacture industrial parts washing machines and phosphating facilities. These machines are widely used in the automotive, machining, transport sector (aircraft, trains, buses, etc.), defense industry and metal goods sectors. To explain the washing machines we design and manufacture more clearly: among our products are Robow, multi-station robot-conveyed immersion ultrasonic washing machines, Sjet-Cabw, rotary table spray booth-type washing machines, Tunelw, horizontal conveyor tunnel spray washing machines, Hangw, suspension conveyor tunnel spray washing machines, and Rotaw, rotary basket drum fully automatic washing machines. In addition, we manufacture Solw, solvent-based rotary drum fully automatic hermetic washing machines, Heliw, helical system spray washing machines, Kmodel, Midisonik and Minisonik, ultrasonic washing machines, Coalescence Filter, oil and waste recovery systems, Varu, liquid vapor recovery systems and Misco, dirty steam and particle collectors. To explain the function of the machine models somewhat: Robowash is an effective solution for maintenance cleaning and series production, for example, surface cleaning before coating, painting and packaging, etc. is very effective. K-Model provides 100 percent washing quality in removing unreachable dirt. K-Model is an ideal solution for industrial parts washing, oil removal and general cleaning of machined parts. The removal of all types of dirt is performed at the molecular level. Minisonik-Midisonik are fast, safe and economical in parts washing, Minisonik is also our desktop-type small washing machine model. We did not forget enterprises with ready-made washing tanks; for them we have our Probe, which is an ultrasonic washing element. Each unit operates with its own generator, immersion units have been standardized in size.

Rotawash is a drum system within a single cabin, rotary motion, spray and overflow washing, rinsing and drying type; it provides rich washing that affects all surfaces of the part with high volume spraying and high-speed liquid filling in the cabin.

Tunnelwash is the most ideal washing machine type for industrial parts washing using pressurized hot water spraying with detergent method. S-Jet washing is the most precise solution for cleaning and oil removal. Depending on the material and contamination of the part to be washed, the appropriate washing pressure, working temperature and washing chemicals are determined and applied. Heliwash is a model for high-pressure washing, industrial parts washing, oil removal and general cleaning of machined parts. In addition to standard machine models suitable for small, medium and large production capacities, we also manufacture custom-designed machines. Rotawash, on the other hand, has drum system, rotary motion, spray and overflow washing, rinsing and drying features within a single cabin.

Could you tell us about your domestic and foreign sales activities? What types of products do you mainly sell to which regions domestically and abroad?

80 percent of our production is directed to the domestic market, 20 percent to abroad, particularly to European Union and Middle Eastern countries. Germany, Sweden, Iran and France rank at the top.

What kinds of activities do you carry out in the fields of innovation and R&D as İntersonik company? Do you have projects developed within the scope of university-industry cooperation, if so, what are they?

Since 1999 we have carried out over 50 TÜBİTAK and KOSGEB-supported R&D projects. We have 5 patents. We have recently made 5 more new patent applications. Let us briefly explain our recent industrial patents. Rotatunel, the rotary tunnel basket patent obtained in the world, is the first and only patent of its kind. Solwash solvent washing machine, hermetic systems that operate without solvent vapor emission to the outside, working with trichloroethylene-perchloroethylene etc. and continuously self-distilling systems. We also have some patents concerning the end consumer. These are in the form of ultrasonic washing machine, ultrasonic vegetable and fruit washing machine, ultrasonic dishwashing machine and pressurized water vegetable and fruit washing machine.

Could you provide information about İntersonik's environmental policy and sustainability approach? What can you say about your worker health and safety activities?

The waste from İntersonik machines complies with the Ministry of Environment Waste Regulations. Customers also request these measurements. We cannot imagine an enterprise without worker health and safety because our most valuable asset is our people. Therefore, all necessary precautions are always taken everywhere. Along with our machine proposals, we also submit waste and environmental recovery applications (Waste Treatment Facility) proposals.

What criteria are prioritized when İntersonik formulates investment plans? Does İntersonik have investment plans for the coming periods, if so, what are they?

Our investments in machinery, personnel and factory continue in line with objectives to achieve more economical, more functional, faster production and reach more customers. Continuous investment is made in new technologies. Through R&D projects, new systems and technologies that do not exist in the world are designed, manufactured and presented to industry by us.