Ms. Cavidan Karaca, CEO of Kimpur, one of Turkey’s Top 500 Industrial Enterprises, answered our questions on valuable topics such as the company’s new investments, R&D and sustainability activities.
Could you please tell us about yourself and your professional background for our readers to get to know you?
I graduated from the Middle East Technical University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1992. I am married and have a daughter. For the past 30 years, I have held
positions as a manager in procurement and production functions across multiple industries. I have also worked as a management consultant, specializing in crisis management and company transformation, and served as a general manager. Since 2014, I have been working as the CEO of Kimpur, Türkiye’s first domestically capitalized polyurethane system house with the largest capacity.
Could you please share the developmental journey of Kimpur from its establishment to the present day, along with the industries and product categories it currently serves?
Kimteks Kimya was established in 1983 as a small chemical company. The process, which began as a side business by two friends to supply materials to the artificial leather, rubber, and painting sectors, rapidly expanded over time and eventually became their main venture. Polyurethane systems, especially for shoe soles, were added to the product
range. In 1999, we commenced the production of our own polyurethane systems. In a short span of time, we embarked on a mission to establish a presence beyond the footwear sector. In 2015, we separated from Kimteks Kimya, discontinuing distribution activities in other sectors, and became an independent company under the name Kimteks Poliüretan, operating the polyurethane business under the Kimpur brand.
Today, Kimpur stands as one of Türkiye’s largest industrial organizations, listed among the top 500 industrial establishments in the country. With a production capacity of 130,000 tons at our Gebze facility and an additional 30,000 tons at our new Düzce facility, we have a total production capacity of 160,000 tons in Türkiye. Furthermore, we have a joint venture in Europe with a capacity of 25,000 tons, making us one of the largest polyurethane system manufacturers in the region. Upon the activation of the second phase of our investment in Düzce. Our goal is to surpass the capacity of 200,000 tons. In addition, we maintain our leadership in the industry by exporting to over 50 countries across 5 continents. Our polyurethane systems find applications in various sectors such as footwear, automotive, furniture, HVAC, insulation-construction, and defense industries. Our product range includes footwear systems, rigid foam systems, flexible systems, prepolymers, polyester polyols, and thermoplastic polyurethanes. At Kimpur, we continue to contribute to various industries with this dynamic and expanded portfolio that has evolved since our inception.
Could you please share the capabilities of your R&D center and the projects you conduct therein? Have you introduced any innovative products to the polyurethane sector recently?
Being Türkiye’s first domestically capitalized polyurethane system house, Kimpur holds, thanks to our technology and R&D investments, a prominent position in its industry, both in our country and worldwide. One of our most crucial competitive advantages is our Kimpur R&D, which has been officially recognized as an R&D center by the Ministry of Industry since May 2017. Our commitment to R&D and innovation is a significant driver of our growth. Kimpur R&D, one of our most valuable competitive advantages, distinguishes itself through its ability to provide custom solutions to customers and its constant quest for innovation. Our R&D team operates with a curiosity- driven mindset and is supported by a state-of-theart R&D center with the capability to simulate projects. This ensures that our customer collaborations and projects are shaped and executed to the highest standards.
In 2023, we maintained our focus on sustainable and value-added products. Recognizing the finite nature of natural resources, we began using biobased polyols synthesized with high functionality in the production of our KIMrigid® Sandwich Panel Systems. This step allowed us to contribute to a natural and circular economy with sustainable resources and helped reduce the carbon footprint of our production. It also provided solutions for our
customers’ product lifecycle. Our biobased sandwich panel system, known as ‘GREEN PIR,’ offered a halogen-free structure, ensuring a safe product for the environment and human health.
Furthermore, we expanded our sustainable product portfolio by developing two new products: KIMrigid® Solar Energy and Boiler Systems, which contain eco-friendly
blowing agents. These systems not only transport energy to the future with excellent insulation properties but also stand out for their minimal environmental impact with HFO and water-based blowing agents. We also added two new fusbet systems to our KIMfoot® Shoe Systems product group. These systems prioritize foot health by offering ergonomic features and differentiate themselves in the industry with their ultra-lightweight design and ease of conforming to the shape of the foot.
We continue to develop products for various industries. Recently, we have launched another system named as KIMcase® Elastomer System for wheelbarrow wheels. Additionally, we have implemented projects for maritime applications, ballistic applications, sealing applications, and various military applications in the defense industry.
We are very happy that our new products have attracted great attention. We are delighted to see the significant interest in our new products. We remain committed to our mission of providing the industry with sustainable, innovative, and value-added products.
In recent times, you have made many investments. Could you please share these investments with us and talk about the features of your new production facility in Düzce?
We made the decision to establish our second production facility in Düzce, Türkiye, as our existing facility in Gebze was no longer capable of meeting our growth objectives.
This new facility, located in Düzce, has a capacity of 65,000 tons. In addition to expanding our existing 50,000-ton polyurethane system product group, we’ve introduced a 5,000-ton recycling facility to support our green product range. Moreover, we’re increasing our product portfolio by adding 10,000 tons of ‘eva granule raw material’ production capacity. The total investment cost for our facility in Düzce is expected to exceed 400 million Turkish Lira. As part of this project, we’ve also initiated our solar energy power plant (GES) to reduce production energy costs, thereby aiming to enhance our competitiveness in both export and domestic markets. This project aligns with our sustainability goals and promotes recycling. Additionally, we plan to cover approximately 55% of our electricity consumption at the facility and reduce approximately 679 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
Since our inception, we have placed significant emphasis on technology and R&D investments, consistently providing our customers with tailored solutions. To sustain this commitment, we continue our investments with great momentum. In 2022, we made substantial investments to develop sustainable products, and this year, we are actively working on implementing projects within this scope. Furthermore, we are making state-of-the-art investments in molds and equipment to continuously enhance our production capabilities. Specifically, this year, we have embarked on the development of specialized products for the defense industry, and we intend to expand our product range through further investments in the future.
To strengthen our presence in Europe, we executed a 25,000-ton capacity investment in Latvia. As part of this endeavor, we established a new company named SIA Kimpur Europe in Latvia through collaboration with “Adamantan SA”. In addition to our investments in Türkiye, we are focused on rapid growth in global markets and aspire to become a global leader in the industry. In alignment with our global expansion, we are making investments to bolster our presence and effectiveness in target markets such as Germany, England, and the United States.
You rose 112 places in the “Türkiye’s top 1000 Exporters” list announced by TIM last year. Could you please tell us about your export activities and the factors that ensure your success in exports?
We have managed to climb the ranks every year to reach the top 500 in the first 1000 exporters list published by the Türkiye Exporters Assembly. This year, we ranked 456th, a
rise of 112 places compared to the previous year. Being Türkiye’s first domestically capitalized polyurethane system house, we have positioned ourselves as pioneers by exporting to more than 50 countries. One of the most significant factors underlying these successes is our great emphasis on R&D and innovation. This approach, which is one of the
key factors in achieving our goals, has allowed us to create a competitive portfolio by constantly developing new products and technologies and responding quickly to customer
demands. Our continuous efforts to diversify our product range and the care we take in adhering to high-quality standards have contributed to our success by building trust and demand in different markets.
Furthermore, we continue to grow in markets we see as opportunities by expanding our export country portfolio. By expanding our current export country portfolio, we have managed to increase our effectiveness and market share in European and English markets. With the 25,000-ton capacity investment we realized in Latvia, we aimed to establish a more effective presence in Europe, which has allowed us to increase access to new markets and promote regional growth.
In addition to all of these efforts, we have taken important steps to fulfill our responsibilities in sustainability. Developing environmentally friendly practices and products
that align with sustainable production goals, we have not only reflected our environmental sensitivity but also assisted our customers in achieving their sustainability goals.
In the last five years, we have succeeded in significantly increasing our exports, and in 2022, our export and exportrelated sales increased by 189%, reaching 1.594 billion TL.
In 2024, we aim to further expand our export markets and maintain our strong performance.
Congratulations on receiving the “Low Carbon Hero” award at this year’s Istanbul Carbon Summit– a well-deserved recognition of your outstanding achievement. In this context, could you please talk about your sustainability initiatives that played a pivotal role in earning you this prestigious award?
At the 8th Istanbul Carbon Summit held this year, we were honored with the “Low Carbon Hero” award for our project titled “Our Energy is Solar, Our Future is Sustainable.” Our
project represents a significant step towards clean energy. With the solar energy system we have implemented in our Gebze facility, we aim to meet approximately 20% of our
energy needs from clean sources.
Furthermore, we have achieved notable results in energy efficiency. In 2020 and 2021, we achieved high energy savings rates of 11.58% and 7.06%, respectively. In 2022, despite
a 23% increase in our production volume compared to the previous year, our carbon emissions increased by only 5.1%. This is a result of our sustainability efforts, as we work diligently to control our carbon emissions.
We also strive to make contributions to society and the environment through social responsibility projects and R&D initiatives. With these efforts, our goal is not only to foster our own growth but also to raise awareness and encourage contributions to sustainability within our community. This award is a reflection of our commitments to sustainability and environmental protection, motivating us to continue advancing further. We remain dedicated to working towards a more sustainable and livable world for the future.
In closing, could you please outline your future objectives?
Upon the completion of our Düzce facility, we will have increased our current capacity to over 200,000 tons. Our aim is to strengthen our position by entering the top 10 in our industry, enhance our global market visibility and competitiveness, and sustain profitable and sustainable growth.
We intend to achieve this by expanding our access to new markets, promoting regional growth, increasing our export portfolio, and establishing a more substantial presence
in the global market. Through our subsidiary, Kimpur Europe, we also aim to expand in Eastern Europe and the Baltic countries. Furthermore, we plan to enhance our export organization and development, strengthen our presence in the American market, and achieve permanent growth in that market.
We continue to work with a focus on sustainability, striving to achieve our goals in line with sustainable development objectives and priorities. We particularly aim to make further progress in energy efficiency and controlling carbon emissions. As in previous years, we are increasing our R&D investments this year to develop pioneering, innovative, and sustainable products for the market. We have projects in place for improving the environmental impact of our products throughout their life cycles and for advancing our work in the Defense Industry. We also plan to implement new projects in partnerships that we have laid the foundation for. Within our societal approach, we are making plans for new collaborations for projects that touch all our stakeholders, from our employees to the communities in which we operate, and for our social responsibility initiatives. Especially with the activation of our facility in Düzce, we will not only add value to the region but
also provide employment opportunities in the area. With our competitive advantage in technology, strong financial structure, innovations, and strategies, we aim to significantly
increase our sales volume and export share in total sales in 2023.
In parallel with the polyurethane sector, we have focused on horizontal growth by supporting acquisitions or startups that we believe will create synergy in the chemical sector.
Furthermore, we will continue our R&D activities to pioneer innovative products in the polyurethane sector. We will maintain our competitive product portfolio by offering
tailored solutions to our customers and providing rapid responses to their demands.
