A Pleasant Conversation with Osman Özalp

We conducted a pleasant conversation with Polex Chem General Manager Osman Özalp about product groups, production capacities and targets. Could you briefly tell our readers about yourself, your education and your professional background in the sector? I was born in Istanbul in 1983. After completing my education in 2001, I pursued foreign language training abroad and began working at our family company serving the footwear and slipper sector in 2004. Over a 10-year period, I held management positions in the R&D, Procurement, Supply Chain and Production Planning departments. I started working as General Manager at Polex Chem, which was established in 1999, at the end of 2014. I have been married for 8 years and am the father of 2 children. Could you briefly provide information about your company's establishment, facilities, production focus and market share? Polex Chem, founded in 1999, operates in the polyurethane systems sector across 10,000 m² of enclosed space. With our facility's capacity of 30,000 tons/year and actual production of 15,000 tons/year, we serve approximately 30% of Turkey's market. Could you tell us about your product groups and product characteristics? Which sectors do you serve? The polyurethane sector is very broad. Among the sectors served by polyurethane, we serve the footwear and slipper sector. Our product groups are capable of meeting all types of polyurethane system demands of the footwear and slipper sector.

Could you provide detailed information about your products serving the polyurethane sector?

As I mentioned earlier, we serve the footwear and slipper sectors. In this field, we currently produce the lightest, softest and hardest polyurethane systems available. Our R&D activities continue in response to sector demands and needs, contributing to the development of the footwear and slipper sector. Could you tell us about your sales activities? Which regions do you primarily serve? There is footwear and slipper production in various regions throughout Turkey. Wherever demand comes from in Turkey, we serve in the shortest timeframe possible. The regions with the most intense domestic demand in this sector are Istanbul and Gaziantep. Regarding exports, we actively sell to North Africa, the Middle East and Turkic Republics. We are currently in discussions with many countries in Europe. I hope we will include many European countries in our portfolio in the very near future. Could you tell us about your R&D activities? We are in constant communication with companies operating in the footwear and slipper sector. We conduct our R&D activities in line with their needs, closely monitoring developments in the sector. Could you provide information about your employee profile? All colleagues in our organization are professionals who know their work well. Due to their long years of working together, they have good synergy, team spirit and experience. What can you say about internal communication in your organization? What initiatives are you undertaking to improve employee performance? We view communication as one of the greatest requirements of our time, and every employee can engage in direct dialogue with even top management and share their knowledge and experience. We periodically organize performance evaluation and development seminars for our colleagues and organize training programs in line with their needs. Could you provide information about your company's quality policy and principles? Do you provide after-sales support to your customers? Based on the principle of producing quality, as a brand that has proven itself over nearly 20 years, we leave the credit for this matter to our customers in both domestic and foreign markets. We view our growing market share each day as a result of this recognition. We continue our relationship with our customers not as a supplier company but as a continuous business partner, and we maintain our pre- and post-sales support.

What activities are you undertaking regarding environmental protection and workplace safety sensitivities?

As a company operating in the chemical sector, we are aware of our environmental responsibility and human health. With professional support from external sources, we periodically provide occupational safety and worker health training to our colleagues. What are your sustainability activities? As Polex Chem, with our accumulated knowledge and expert team, we follow strategies that will contribute to production and employment, and we currently monitor and improve our sustainable activities that are sensitive to the country's economy, society and the environment. How was 2015 for your company? Could you tell our readers about your targets and projects for the polyurethane sector in 2016? 2015 was a successful year in line with our targets. Thanks to the increased production capacity and products suited to sector needs within 2015, we plan to meet 35-40% of Turkey's demand in 2016. Finally, do you have a message to convey to the sector? As an established brand in this sector, we should act with the vision of Turkey that produces rather than imports, meeting our country's needs through proper infrastructure work and cooperation between the state and private sector. And in this direction, we should continue to increase our market share abroad year after year.