The land grant agreement for the glass fiber plant with an annual production capacity of 70 thousand tons, in line with Şişecam Group’s investment program this year, was recently signed at Balıkesir Organized Industrial Zone (BOSB). The signature ceremony was attended by Deputy Chairman and CEO of Şişecam Group, Prof. Ahmet Kırman, Chairman of Balıkesir Organized Industrial Zone and the Governor of Balıkesir, Ersin Yazıcı, Mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality of Balıkesir, Ahmet Edip Uğur, President of Balıkesir Chamber of Industry, İsmail Uğur, President of Balıkesir Chamber of Trade, Fahri Ermişler, Şişecam Chemicals Group President Burhan Ergene, and the President of Composite Industrialists Association, Şekib Avdagiç.

The Deputy Chairman and CEO of Şişecam Group, Prof. Ahmet Kırman underlined the fact that Şişecam Group have been continuing to create value for Turkey through growth by means of both new investments, and partnerships and procurements, and added “having been founded in 1935 with the mission of founding and developing the glass industry in Turkey, our Group has always invested its earnings in our country through the 80 years of its history, and became a global household name in its field. We have decided to make yet another investment, with the awareness that the primary duty of established institutions of the land in the difficult times our country have been going through is to continue investments and production without hesitation. We believe in Turkey, and we think we need to work ever harder, in perfect unity and harmony.”

Noting their decision for a strategic investment in the field of glass fiber, a basic input material for the leading industries of our country, Kırman presented the following justification for the selection of Balıkesir Organized Industrial Zone as the target of investment.

“When deciding on the province to invest in, our group focused on 3 fundamental criteria: Proximity to raw materials, proximity to our customers, and logistics advantages were the criteria we based our assessment on. Our analyses led to the decision for an investment in Balıkesir Organized Industrial Zone, given its proximity to raw materials as well as our customers, and the logistics capabilities it offers. The primary raw materials we need for production, namely kaolinite and boron are produced in Balıkesir. Balıkesir’s location on the highway connecting Istanbul and İzmir, as well as its proximity to the high speed railway line, not to mention the railway connections to the ports of Bandırma and Aliağa also make the location an advantageous one in terms of logistics.”

Kordsa Global, a Turkish specialist in plastic reinforcement and Sabanci University, located near Istanbul, have combined their forces to open a composite technologies center of excellence.

The opening ceremony of Composite Technologies Center of Excellence was held with the participation of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey Binali Yildirim, Dr Faruk Özlü, the Minister of Science, Industry and Technology, Lütfi Elvan, the Minister of Development, Ahmet Arslan, the Minister of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communication, Fikri Isik, the Minister of National Defense, Güler Sabanci, the chairman of Sabanci Holding and Founding chairman of the board of trustees of Sabanci University and Professor Nihat Berker, the president of Sabanci University.

The center will operate in the field of high-technology composite materials, with Kordsa Global’s production engineers and Sabanci University’s academic members and doctoral students working together to explore R&D and composite production.

‘As Kordsa Global and Sabanci University, we are taking a new initiative, in an area with crucial strategic importance for our country,’ said Sabanci. ‘We are embarking on a new journey to with which our country can make a difference with advanced technology, and even become a global power, a major player in the big league. Today, we are not only investing for tomorrow, but for the next 10-20-30 years of Turkey.’

This story is reprinted from material from Kordsa Global, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.