SASA, which has reached a capacity to meet 54 percent of Turkey's polyester needs, has completed its strategic investment that will prevent 1,5 billion dollars of imports. Mentioning that they have invested 4 billion dollars in the factory in Adana so far, İbrahim Erdemoğlu said, “We have established the largest production facility in the region extending to Europe, North Africa, Russia, and India. Turkey has become an exporter in polyester, polyester chips, and fiber."
SASA Polyester Factory, which Erdemoğlu Holding took over from Hacı Ömer Sabancı Group nine years ago, has been the largest production facility in its sector in the market extending to Europe, North Africa, Russia, and India, with an investment of 4 billion dollars. Thanks to the additional production capacity in the factory in Adana, established on an area of approximately 2,5 million square meters, SASA elevated Turkey to an exporter position in polyester, fiber, and chips.
STARTED WITH 1,1 MILLION-TON PRODUCTION CAPACITY
Answering our questions at the SASA factory, where the old production line was discontinued and the production line equipped with new technology was put into operation, İbrahim Erdemoğlu, Erdemoğlu Holding Chairman of the Board of Directors, stated that they established the facility that produces at the most affordable prices in the world. İbrahim Erdemoğlu said, “With our latest investment of 1,7 billion dollars in petrochemicals, we are preventing our country's Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) imports. Our current capacity is 1,1 million tons of production. With the new production lines that we will put into service within six months, our production capacity will increase to 1,9 million tons."
Inviting attention to the fact that they aim to close Turkey's 1,5 billion dollar current account deficit thanks to these investments, Erdemoğlu explained that their target is oriented to exports as well as meeting the needs of the domestic market. Erdemoğlu provided the following information: “Our export rate will be 50 percent in three years. Turkey was an importer of polyester chips in 2022. In 2025, we will be in an exporter position in both polyester and polyester chips. We became the world's third largest producer except for China and India. They are trying to block China's path. This situation will create a significant gap in our sector. Turkey has the capacity to serve as the production base of the region. In our estimation, the only country that can fill this gap is Turkey."
IF WE HAD NOT INVESTED, SASA WOULD HAVE GONE BANKRUPT 10 TIMES SO FAR.
Specifying that they completely closed the old facility, Erdemoğlu said, “Our old production line had a capacity of 280 thousand tons. If we had not invested and renewed our production line, SASA would have gone bankrupt 10 times so far. We started the fiber investment in 2019. In 2020, we took a more strategic step and started producing yarn used in textiles. We started capacity increase investments in 2021. We have achieved an additional capacity of 330 thousand tons in Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) production and 402 thousand tons in fiber production."
OUR GLOBAL SHARE WILL INCREASE FROM 2% TO 5%
Underlining that they operate in different sectors such as machine-made carpets, special polymers and chemicals, home textiles, and yarn with their 50 years of experience, İbrahim Erdemoğlu also talked about the stage of their petrochemical investment in Yumurtalık. Expressing that the total investment they will make in Adana Yumurtalık will be 25 billion dollars, Erdemoğlu said, “Today, the share we receive from the global polyester market is around 2 percent. If we complete the facility in Yumurtalık in 10 years, our share will increase to 5 percent."
AWAITS THE 'INDUSTRIAL ZONE' DECISION
Highlighting the fact that Turkey imports petrochemical products worth 22 billion dollars a year, İbrahim Erdemoğlu said that they decided to establish a petrochemical factory in Yumurtalık because they saw that gap. Erdemoğlu stated that the land allocation procedures have been completed and that they expect that place to be declared an "industrial zone" by the decision of the President. Expressing that they have invested 4 billion liras in land in Yumurtalık so far, Erdemoğlu said, “If it is declared a private industrial zone, we want to start working in Yumurtalık with an investment of 5,5 billion dollars in 2026. We want to build a refinery that will process 6,5 million tons of products per year. We want to make 100 percent of the investment as SASA. We will prevent large imports of items such as diesel, LPG, and asphalt. SOCAR currently processes 6 million tons. We will start with 6,5-7 million tons, and in the future, the amount of oil we will process will increase to 13 million tons."
IT HAS A VERY LARGE AREA OF USE
Home textiles and clothing: Pillows, toy stuffing, quilts, all kinds of coats, furniture fillings, and beds. Film and packaging: Film and packaging materials that may or may not come into contact with food. Technical textile: High viscosity, hydrolysis-resistant PET, car parts, PVC production, and industrial applications requiring high strength.
News Source: Yeni Şafak News