Board Member Dr. Mehmet Şeker announces: SASA is switching to artificial intelligence
Stating that they are meeting with the world's leading companies on artificial intelligence, SASA Polyester Board Member Dr. Mehmet Şeker said, “There is a daily production of 1,050 tons. Receiving the products, having them go through quality control, packaging them, turning them into yarn, repackaging them, and taking them to the storehouse are all carried out by a robotic system. In the upcoming years, we will use artificial intelligence at 60-70 percent."
SASA, which produces raw materials for the health, textile, automotive, and packaging industries within Erdemoğlu Holding, has reached the stage of completing new investments with a total cost of 3,2 billion dollars ongoing on its campus in Adana. In addition to the previously commissioned fiber, chips, and POY facilities, the fiber facility with a capacity of 1,000 tons per day and the chips facility also with a capacity of 1,000 tons per day will be produced for the first time in Turkey, and the PTA facility with an annual capacity of 1 million 750 thousand tons will start production this year.
The company is waiting for the completion of bureaucratic processes to start investments related to the port to be established on an area of 11 million square meters in the Yumurtalık district of Adana, the 2,5 million ton PP (polypropylene) facility, the refinery, and the aromatic chemicals that Turkey needs. In order for the facilities with a total investment amount of 20 billion dollars to start, the region must first be proclaimed a 'special industrial zone.'
Dr. Mehmet Şeker, Erdemoğlu Holding and SASA Board Member, explained the stage they have reached in investments to Selçuk Altun, ECONOMY Adana Regional Representative. Expressing that the investments made by SASA in its lands in Adana have reached approximately 3,2 billion dollars, Dr. Şeker said, "We will finish all of these and put them into production this year." Mentioning that with the said investments, they will have reached a 'sellable product capacity' of 2,3 million tons. “Our PTA production of approximately 1 million 750 thousand tons will also start. After that, hopefully, if God allows, we will speed up our work on the Yumurtalık side," Şeker added.
“Our investments for the next 10 years will take place in Yumurtalık”
Stating that they have filled the entire 1,5 million square meter area that they can use for investment in the 2,5 million square meter area on the SASA campus, Dr. Şeker said, "All our subsequent investments will be in Yumurtalık for the next 10 years." Highlighting the fact that they expect the region to be declared a 'special industrial zone' for investment in Yumurtalık, Dr. Şeker continued as follows:
“One of Turkey's biggest shortcomings is the lack of a 'ministry of investment.' We engage in almost all municipalities, local governments, governorships, non-governmental organizations, and ministries. Therefore, as there is no 'ministry of investment,' and when you deal with everything, businesses take too long. We need to get a letter, a document from everywhere. Hence, this country needs such a ministry very quickly. More than two years have passed since we bought the land in Yumurtalık from the state. We are still dealing with such things. The state needs to take very serious measures on this issue and pave the way for investors. A PTA facility in China is completed and starts production in 24-25 months, and we cannot even obtain the necessary permits in that period."
“Whatever we import, we have to produce it”
Pointing out that Turkey can only get rid of the problems it is experiencing, by 'producing,' Dr. Şeker made the following assessment:
“If you are going to beat inflation, you will beat it by producing. Yes, let us save, but we cannot get results merely by saving. The real big business is different. If you increase your exports of 250 billion dollars to 350-450-500 billion dollars, if you keep your imports down, and if you produce your own raw materials, nothing will happen to you regardless of whether the dollar or interest rates increase. The whole problem is that because we cannot produce. There are also very serious obstacles to production. Obstacles from ministries and some setbacks that nongovernmental organizations oppose. This country needs to overcome them now and whatever we import, we have to produce it. For example, we import PTA. When our PTA facility is put into operation, we will now cut imports worth 1,1 billion dollars."
“We will switch to artificial intelligence by 60-70 percent”
Explaining that they are in discussions with the world's leading companies on artificial intelligence, Dr. Şeker said, “We have accelerated our work on using artificial intelligence. There is a daily production of 1,050 tons. Receiving the products, having them go through quality control, packaging them, turning them into yarn, repackaging them, and taking them to the storehouse are all carried out by a robotic system. I hope that in the upcoming years, we will have switched to artificial intelligence at 60-70 percent on the production, logistics, and human resources side at SASA."
“We have Indian, Slovenian, and German employees at SASA”
Stating that there are thousands of applications to get employed at SASA, Dr. Şeker explained that some of them came from foreign countries. Dr. Şeker said, “We have employees from abroad; India, Slovenia, Germany. More than 2 thousand of our 13-14 thousand employees, including approximately 9 thousand subcontractors, are foreigners. We are bringing experienced engineers from abroad for products such as PTA, which will be produced for the first time in Turkey. We are working to increase their knowledge and experience by adding our own engineers to this experienced staff. We think it is necessary to use our human resources more efficiently in order to be Only Domestic, Only National."
Source of News: Ekonomim.com
Link to the News: https://bit.ly/4dSVmhj