Turkey boosts composites output

Turkey’s industrial production has been strong, owing to the country’s export performance in the past few years. According to figures released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (Tü?K), calendar-adjusted industrial production rose by 4.9% in February 2014 compared to the same month last year. The growth rate is indicative of a robust industrial production despite the slowdown in domestic consumption, according to Tü?K. Turkey’s exports in February surged by 6.2% to $13.15 billion.

The country’s plastics industry has seen rapid increase in terms of production and export due to the strong performance of the composites sector. The JEC Composites 2014 in Paris highlighted the special role of Turkey with 28 firms participating at this world known exhibition. Turkish exhibitors presented their products, of which majority are composite materials. Turkey’s composites industry has been making its special mark in the global market. The industry has grown substantially in 2014 that its products have attracted international companies into the country.

The composites market in Turkey is expected to increase by 50% over the next five years, according to the Turkish Composites Manufacturers Association. Speaking at the AVK International Conference in Düsseldorf in October 2013, Ismail Hakki Hacialioglu, President of the Turkish Composites Manufacturers Association (TCMA), presented a profile of Turkey’s composites industry. He said there are 150-200 companies (medium to large-sized) engaged in the sector in Turkey, whilst around 700-800 companies are partially involved in the business – these are companies which are using composite parts but are not saying they are composites producers e.g. boat manufacturers. The industry employs approximately 5000 people.

The Turkish composites market in 2011 was 190,000 tonnes in terms of production volumes and €1 million in value. In fact, the Turkey’s composites market is growing faster than that for Europe as a whole. For Turkey the market growth rate for the composites industry ranges from 9% to 10%, as compared to Europe’s 4% to 4.5% (excluding the financial crisis period).

Pipe and tank output takes the lead

Pipes and tanks production is considered the biggest market for composites in Turkey, with nearly half of the composites materials absorbed by this sector. Construction, which accounts for 19%, and transportation at 17%, are also important markets. In terms of processing, filament winding and centrifugal casting are leading processing techniques being applied that high demand for equipment performing these functions are demanded. Other applications of composites are automotive and wind energy. Engineering plastics also pose strong potential especially in the marine sector.

In the wind blade production, TPI Composites, a leading player, has expanded with involvement when it acquired the remaining 25% interest in its joint venture wind blade operation in Izmir, Turkey. In 2012, TPI Composites, Inc. a global supplier of wind turbine blades and other composite structures with headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, and ALKE ?N?AAT, an engineering, manufacturing and construction company headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey, formed a joint venture company in Izmir, Turkey to manufacture large composite wind turbine blades. The joint venture, TPI Kompozit Kanat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., commenced operations in the same year from a 355,000-square-foot building in Izmir. With convenient access to both land and water transportation, the facility is located to serve the Turkish wind market and to cost-effectively export blades to southern and eastern Europe and northern Africa. Since 2012, the joint venture has grown the operation into the largest wind blade manufacturer in the region. TPI has invested more than $35 million to expand the Turkey operation, including a complete upgrade to the facility.