Interview with Tolga Bayraktaroğlu, Chemicals Director of Yıldırım Şirketler Grubu

We were delighted to conduct this interview with Tolga Bayraktaroğlu, in which we discussed Yılkem Kimya's success story, its extensive distribution and storage network, and its significant market share in the sector.

Could you briefly tell us about yourself and your professional background?

I was born in İzmir in 1967. In 1990, I graduated from the Chemical Engineering Department at Ege Üniversitesi. I completed my MBA program at Istanbul Üniversitesi in 1991, ranking first in my class. I began my professional career in sales and marketing at companies such as Philip Morris and Turkcell. In 2000, I took on the position of Chemical Products Sales and Marketing Director at Shell. During my 16 years at Shell, I most recently worked as Chemistry Division Manager responsible for 12 countries. In 2016, I assumed the role of Director at Yılkem Kimya.

What development process has Yılkem undergone from its inception to the present day?

Yılkem was established in 2013 for the purpose of trading chemical products, warehouse delivery supply and distribution in the Turkish and global markets. The company develops strategies to maintain its vision of quality products and price advantage. With this goal, it collaborates with major international brands and regularly sources products from European, American, Asian and Middle Eastern markets. Thanks to the synergistic support provided by Yıldırım Group Companies, Yılkem stands out among chemical product suppliers operating in Turkey and controlling a reasonable market share, and has achieved an advantageous position in its sector. Because of the strong global image of the Yıldırım Group brand and the assets Yılkem possesses, our company attracts the interest of international manufacturers and traders for business partnerships in Turkey and the region's markets.

What are your products?

Styrene Monomer (SM), Butyl Acrylate (BA), Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM), Methyl Methacrylate Monomer (MMA), Monoethylene Glycol (MEG), Diethylene Glycol (DEG), Monopropylene Glycol (MPG), 2-Ethyl Hexanol (2EH), Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA), Isobutyl Alcohol (IBA), Ethyl Acetate (ETAC), N-Butyl Acetate (BUTAC), Pentane, EPS,

What do you pay attention to when sourcing products? On what criteria do you select the countries from which you source products?

We are careful to work with companies that are leaders in their sector and produce reliable, high-quality products. We prefer to conduct trade with countries that provide price advantage and a strong logistics network. Additionally, the product's demand situation is also a determining factor in selecting supplier countries. If market demand is high, we can prefer a country close to Turkey. There are no international sanctions on supplier countries, and we pay special attention to compliance with regulations in global markets.

In addition to product trading, could you tell us about your distribution and storage network?

Yılkem draws strength from the synergy created by subsidiaries within Yıldırım Group. At the tank farms at Yılport Gebze and Yılport Solventaş ports located in the Marmara Region of Yılport Holding, the world's second fastest-growing international terminal operator, storage facilities are provided, and Eti Lojistik and Transitex shipping companies serve with their national and international distribution network. Additionally, Yılkem sends its goods wherever it needs by using chemical tankers in the fleet of Yılmar Holding, Yıldırım Group's maritime company that operates with dry bulk and general cargo vessels, thereby ensuring stable and competitive conditions.

What innovations do you want to implement in the coming years? What will be the contribution of these innovations to Yılkem and the sector?

Yılkem's medium and long-term goal is to serve as a regional hub for chemical products as a regional player. We aim to establish strong trade partnerships in the Asia Pacific, Europe, North and Latin America regions. We will focus on creating business partnerships leveraging the synergy that arises from Yıldırım Group's extensive logistics services.

What would you like to say about the sector?

The chemical sector is one in which I have been actively involved for 17 years and have worked with pleasure from day one. I view working in a sector that continuously strives to improve itself, is open to innovation and is dynamic, together with our very valuable business partners, as a privilege.