Kordsa's Investments Continue at a Great Pace Through Increases in Capacity
Kordsa held a groundbreaking ceremony for an additional factory line in Izmit, Turkey to increase polyester yarn capacity by 7,000 tons. In addition to this new polyester yarn line investment, Kordsa also held a groundbreaking ceremony for the "polypropylene monofilament" line in the field of construction reinforcement.
Kordsa, a Sabancı Holding subsidiary, the world's leading nylon and polyester yarn and cord fabric producer, carried out a groundbreaking ceremony to expand its polyester capacity at its İzmit plant in order to meet the growing demand. Following the completion of the building construction and upon the arrival of new equipment, Kordsa aims to have an additional polyester yarn capacity of 7,000 tons with an additional 3,500 m2 area in the current facility by 2018.
Cenk Alper, Sabancı Holding Industry group president, emphasized Kordsa's success as the only global brand in the group and its leadership in innovation in his speech at the groundbreaking ceremony. Alper said: "We proudly witness the global success of Kordsa, one of the major ambassadors of the Sabancı’s vision. Kordsa’s success story started 44 years ago in İzmit and today, Kordsa has turned into a world leader. Kordsa reinforces one out of every three automobile tires and two out of every three aircraft tires manufactured globally. To maintain our technology leadership and move it even further, our smart investments continue without slowing down. In the fast-paced digital world, Kordsa will strengthen its presence day by day with its innovative technologies and continue to reinforce life. I wholeheartedly believe in it."
Kordsa CEO Ali Çalışkan expressed his gratitude for the capacity increase and also shared the good news that the firm would also continue to expand its product line. Çalışkan said: "Kordsa’s strong growth momentum continues. In 2017, we have globally adopted important investment decisions and strong business partnerships while reinforcing our success through domestic and international awards. We are proud to globally represent both our company and Sabancı Group as well as our country.”
“This investment in İzmit, where we started our journey 44 years ago, is a major step for our global leadership. Kordsa's first R&D Center was also established in İzmit. The role of our İzmit factory in Kordsa's long-term expertise in reinforcement technologies and its market leadership is enormous. In 2016, we announced our $30 million investment in additional capacity in our facilities in Turkey and Indonesia. With the new line at our İzmit plant, we will be able to meet the growing demand faster and more efficiently. I am glad to share with you that our new polyester yarn line in Indonesia is operational now. We have increased the polyester yarn capacity at this facility by 7,000 tons. This investment will strengthen our position in the Asia-Pacific market, in which we have been operating since 2007. With our intensive R&D efforts and open innovation mindset, we will continue to invest in developing innovative, value-added products that globally shape the industry. "
Kadir Toplu, Kordsa's COO for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, gave detailed information about the capacity increase as well as expansion in product range: "As Kordsa, we distinguish ourselves in the construction reinforcement market with easy-to-use products that provide durability and high performance. Now, we are expanding our product range with this investment in 'polypropylene monofilament', which is a new form of our synthetic fiber reinforcement product, Kratos. Following its launch in 2018, this product will offer both sustainable high performance for our customers with its durable characteristics as well as a cost advantage compared to its benchmarks in the market. We will provide this efficient and durable fiber reinforcement material both to Turkey and the European market. Kratos adds value to tunnel and infrastructure projects as well as providing a cost advantage which differentiates Kratos from its competitors. This is a new product that excites us thanks to all these features. We will continue to reinforce the world with our technology and products that change the rules of the game.”