Interview: Sika Türkiye's New Projects

In the interview we conducted, Sika Turkey Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager Fazlı Bulut answered our questions. Bulut provided information about Sika's history and current structure.

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

Greetings. I am a graduate of the Civil Engineering Department at Istanbul Technical University. Subsequently, I completed my master's degree in Construction Management at Boğaziçi University. I began my professional career at Turkish Telecom Headquarters in the Civil Engineering and Real Estate Directorate. I owe my specialization, particularly in Earthquake Reinforcement Projects, to this position. Working as a controller in both design and construction phases gave me very diverse interdisciplinary experience. Later, as a Product Engineer at Sika Building Chemicals, I provided technical consulting on products and systems in a wide variety of projects. For approximately 3.5 years, I have also served as Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager within Sika Turkey.

Could you provide information about Sika's establishment process, investments made and current structure?

Sika has been operating for 109 years in building chemicals, specialty adhesives used in industrial manufacturing, and sealing products. The company has affiliated companies on 5 continents in 101 countries and manufacturers in over 300 factories worldwide. In the first half of 2019, the company had more than 24,000 employees and generated CHF 3.7 billion in sales. In 2019, Sika expected sales to exceed CHF 8 billion.   Sika Turkey has been operating in our country for approximately 29 years. We have 7 regional offices and nearly 200 employees. Additionally, we have two production facilities in Tuzla and Mersin equipped with the latest technology in the field. With our capacity and innovative solutions, we can say that we hold a leading supplier position in the construction and industrial manufacturing sectors we serve.

What sectors does Sika primarily supply, and what types of products does it provide?

As Sika Building Chemicals, we have a broad product portfolio aimed at meeting all types of building chemical needs that may arise in a construction project from foundation to roof. Our solution journey begins with concrete additives used to improve the characteristic properties of concrete and continues with sub-foundation waterproofing, repair and reinforcement solutions, wet volume solutions, sealing and bonding solutions, and culminates with the latest roof waterproofing applications. In addition, we can also provide very different solutions, particularly for industrial production. For example, 1 out of every 4 vehicles in the world has its windshield bonded with Sika products. Or the joint fillers used in special boats and yachts very likely carry the Sika brand.

Could you tell us about your domestic and export sales activities?

Sika is a global company with its own organization in 101 countries. Therefore, it has local subsidiaries in most countries worldwide. Although this size somewhat limits Sika Turkey's export regions, we have export operations to a total of 9 countries. Under the leadership of our export department, we have continued our work as Sika Turkey for nearly 30 years, determining strategy according to each country's needs and dynamics and integrating this strategy. In 2019, Georgia and Uzbekistan markets stood out among our export regions.

What kind of work do you do at Sika in the areas of innovation and R&D?

Innovation is one of our company's main strategic objectives. Our doors are always wide open to innovative ideas and solutions by every employee. Because we have a very large organization, problems experienced globally and solutions developed for them can have very different perspectives. This makes it possible for us to see a solution from Turkey applied in China. This gives us both a collective perspective and the ability to solve different details with different solutions. R&D is one of our lifelines and is seen as one of the most important resources that will carry the company into the future. Being positioned as a regional R&D centre for Sika Turkey is a great opportunity and source of pride for us.

Could you provide information about Sika's environmental policy and sustainability approach?

What can you say about your work related to occupational health and safety? We set out with the motto of more value with less impact. To elaborate: we have adopted as our main strategy to add more value through more environmentally friendly and technological products and social responsibility projects, and to create less impact by reducing energy consumption, waste management and workplace accidents, and we are continuing on this path with very strong steps. At Sika, over the last two years, if a new product is to be launched, it must be more environmentally friendly than the previous version. This serves as a catalyst for our company both in bringing new ideas to life and in generating environmentally friendly solutions. For example: no solvent-based materials are worked on within R&D. Or a product that would produce more waste to the environment is not considered, even if it is more performant. Protective coating-type products that will increase the life cycle in existing buildings are becoming increasingly important. With high-performance water-repellent materials, repair and life cycle periods in ports can be doubled. This prevents the excessive use of our valuable natural resources.

What criteria are prioritized when Sika develops investment plans? Does Sika have investment plans for the upcoming periods, and if so, what are they?

In recent years, we are a company that continues to grow through company acquisitions as well as organic growth. The most recent global acquisition of Parex was our largest acquisition crowning this strategy. In addition, taking country potential into account, new factory investments continue on a worldwide scale. Within Sika, there are manufacturers in over 300 factories worldwide. When planning investments, market needs and efficiency are particularly considered. In addition, technological investments are continuously made on a regional basis. The fact that Turkey has been designated as the R&D Centre for chemical products used in tunnel construction is a particular source of pride for Sika Turkey.