Operating with 22 prominent companies today in sectors such as aluminum, automotive, food and energy, Kibar Group continues its global growth. Ali Kibar, the Chairman of the Executive Board of Kibar Holding, said that when they employ 1 person for the suppliers and distributors, this provides employment and income opportunities for 8 to 10 people in the same ecosystem. He emphasized the importance of creating a producing economy.
Ali Kibar, the Chairman of the Executive Board of Kibar Holding which is one of the leading groups in Turkey, stated that they have had a production-oriented mentality ever since they began operating in the industry; and that they are aiming to take Turkey into global markets with products that create added value.
Answering the questions of Eli Saygılıer on her TV Show ‘İşten İçten Sohbetler’ on TRT Haber; Ali Kibar expressed that they had begun operating in the aluminum sector in the 1980s with a single casting line with an annual capacity of 6,000 tons, whereas today, they are the third largest manufacturer in Europe with an annual capacity of 300,000 tons thanks to new investments.
Saying that his first job experience was with his father in the textile industry in the 1970s back in Kayseri, Ali Kibar shared the story of the growth of the holding:
“Kayseri is one of the most active trade spots in Central Anatolia. The trade culture was developed due to the infertile lands. When my father was working in the textile industry, he used to take me along to work sometimes. He would teach me how to cut fabric and unravel cloth batchs. In the 1970s, my mother insisted that we should receive better education, so my dad quit his job and brought us to Istanbul. He started a whole new business from scratch in Istanbul in the iron and steel industry. His goal of high turnover and low revenue, and his principles of fulfilling commitments on time and closely monitoring the job gained him brand popularity. Until the end of the 70s, he kept on growing in trade. Then, he built a galvanized sheet factory in 78 and began production in the 80s. During those years, we would go to these aluminum industry meetings in Europe and see that we were far behind. We would contemplate on how we could compete with our production costs. We were facing grand difficulties. As time went by, we expanded the business by manufacturing high-quality products, reassuring our customers with steady communication, and making the right investments. This business mentality was rewarded with new orders. With extra investments, we raised our annual capacity to 300,000 tons in aluminum. We’re the 3rd largest manufacturer in Europe. We will become number one in Europe next year with our new investments which will increase the foil production capacity to 80-85 thousand tons.”
This business mentality was rewarded with new orders. With extra investments, we raised our annual capacity to 300,000 tons in aluminum.
Stating that he also has been fully active in professional life since 1983, Kibar emphasized that they always follow a production-based industrial mentality and they believe in the importance of feeling like a family in the company. Expressing that they are going on with their operations with 22 companies that are leading their field, such as aluminum, automotive, food, and energy; Kibar said that he believes one should focus on manufacturing smart products wth high added value in every sector. He continued “Next year, the Ministry of Industry, Science and Technology is planning to launch the domestic automobile. I believe that we should manufacture goods with more added value. We have the follow the trends carefully. Instead of trying to do everything ourselves and wasting time, we can closely follow the developments and try to catch up with the developed countries through university-industry collaborations. I think this is what we should focus on.”
“Industrialists should be encouraged for new investments”
Stating that the industrialists should be encouraged to make new investments, Kibar said:
“Assan Gıda, our group company that operates in the food industry, is the leader in the paste and sauce market. It was the top 4th exporting company in 2016. It has an export capacity of 2 billion 460 million dollars. We should protect our own traditional produce in agriculture. As a country, we used to export legumes and wheat. We have a very fertile land which can provide employment in agriculture and create revenues for the country. If we can go back to our own traditional seeds, we might be able to share the healthy produce of these lands with the next generation as well. When we employ 1 person for the suppliers and distributors, this provides employment and income opportunities for 8 to 10 people in the same ecosystem. This is one of the reasons why it’s important that the production in Turkey should be encouraged. In this way, the industrialists will work up the courage for new investments.”
“If the legislation processes are accelerated, it will increase efficiency”
Kibar stated that the industrialists need the legislation process to be accelerated in order to increase their capacity of carrying out business and said “We are subject to many licences and authorizations in our operations. The more the central and local authorities accelerate these processes, the faster the industry will be. This has been the obstacle in front of the industrialists for years. If the necessary legislations are activated as soon as possible, we will not face any financial loss or loss of energy. Synergy and efficiency should be the main factors, because these resources belong to all of us. We need to solve the problems in the shortest and most effective way possible. We can’t provide reliability if we don’t do this.”