KIBAR HOLDING CEO TAMER SAKA: WE SHOULD TURN RISKS INTO ADVTANGES IN INDUSTRY 4.0

July 2017

Stating that Industry 4.0 brings about many great opportunities as well as risks, the Kibar Holding CEO Tamer Saka said, “We need to be realistic. The countries that catch up with the new industrial revolution are one step ahead in global competition. We also need to take action in this field, set our priorities, and start moving forward”

At the CEO Club meeting, which was organized exclusively for Industry 4.0 and attended by Faruk Özlü, the Minister of Industry, the Kibar Holding CEO Tamer Saka gave a speech at the “Is the transformation beginning?” panel, talking about how important Industry 4.0 is considered in Turkey, which has already created a global market of 24 trillion dollars. Stating that they have also prioritized Industry 4.0 as a company, he said that competitiveness was the main reason behind this decision. Emphasizing that Industry 4.0 could prove to be very cost-efficient if implemented correctly, Tamer Saka said, “The companies which have caught up with this transformation are one step ahead in global competition." Pointing out that the production centers moved from the West to the East towards the end of the third industrial revolution, Saka said that Turkey was not successful in attracting sectors with added value during this period.

Pay attention to “what” you are producing as well as “how”

Stating that Turkey has many great opportunities as well as risks regarding Industry 4.0, Tamer Saka said, “We need to be realistic. We need to take the necessary measures. We’ve got some shortcomings regarding Industry 4.0. This is a time-consuming process to create, implement, and interpret. It’s time to take action regarding this issue. It may be difficult to get everything done at once, but we have to set our priorities and move fast.” Emphasizing that the technologies that have been facilitating human life for the last 10-15 years are the basis of Industry 4.0, he explained that they are planning to become an exemplary company that successfully practices Industry 4.0 instead of just discussing it. Also, Tamer Saka said that one has to pay attention to “what” they are producing as well as “how” they are producing it.

Change is human-oriented

Emphasizing that Turkey needs investments and innovative steps in order to become a part of this new industrial revolution and to be able to compete with the world, Tamer Saka said “Turkish companies have to invest in research and development, the qualified workforce should be kept in the country, and Turkish universities should be given the opportunities to educate future scientists.” Pointing out that education and stimulus packages for investment are of utmost importance since this change is human-oriented, Saka said, “In order to increase the efficiency of the manufacturing industry, we need to use human resources efficiently as well as technology. In this context, the basic strategic approach for industry to be sustainable and keep growing should be preparing an infrastructure for technological improvement with research and development centers that will be established with public support, and moving towards products with added value. The programs regarding education and investment stimulus should be improved and special planning should be carried out for target industrial fields.”

Turkey’s first flexible packaging investment based on Industry 4.0

Stating that as one of the prominent industrial institutions of Turkey, Kibar Group operates in the metal, automotive, packaging, construction materials, real estate, logistics, energy, food and service sectors with 22 companies, Tamer Saka said, “In parallel with the transformation in the world, we make investments in fields with added value and smart products. 60% of the total sales of group companies are exports. Therefore, they go on with their operations in intense competition with growth and profitability as strong global actors.” Explaining that İspak Ambalaj, one of the companies in Kibar Holding, has carried out the largest outright investment on flexible packaging in Turkey in order to catch up with the technological transformation, Tamer Saka said, “At our new facilities at the Asım Kibar Organized Industrial Site in Izmit, automated production systems, simulations, lateral and vertical software integration, cyber security, and cloud technologies will be used. With the new factory, our current production capacity will be tripled and it is going to be an exemplary institution in Turkey regarding Industry 4.0.”