Borçelik Leaps Forward With Industry 4.0

Turkey’s first and biggest galvanized steel producer, Borçelik opened its R&D Center to develop new generation products of the future and to carry out transformative Industry 4.0 projects under a single roof.

Borçelik, a Borusan Group company opened its first Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology approved R&D Center in Gemlik with the aim of developing innovative products. Borçelik, which has invested 20.3 million TL in research and development projects to date, plans to offer its clients competitive products that are needed in world markets.

Borçelik’s R&D Center, along with developing innovative products, leads a gradual process towards digitalization in operational processes within the scope of its Industry 4.0 transformation.

Production processes are being digitalized

Borçelik’s General Director Kerem Çakır underlines the values that constitute the core of their R&D strategies and adds: “We don’t limit our R&D area with only products and materials; we built an R&D roof under which we focus on developing operation processes, technologies and products together. This is the most important aspect that makes us different.”

Çakır states that Borçelik has been making production in accordance with the features and qualities set by its clients up until this day. With the help of the design solution partnership they began to offer, they enabled production of more customized, lighter, stronger, more cost-effective, more environmentally friendly and import-replacing products as necessitated by conditions of use and client requirements.

Underlining that automotive and domestic appliances come first among the sectors they serve, Çakır stated that they are market leaders in both of those industries.

“At Borçelik, with the help of Industry 4.0, processes which require complex planning such as customer orders, choosing and procurement of raw materials, inventory management, and production planning are being digitalized. Çakır gave information on the digitalization projects saying that “We are not after producing standard millions of tons - that can be produced by anyone. We are pursuing the products of the future that bring added value. We aim to continue our projects and become the leading company in our industry with respect to the utilization of digital technologies.”

“Our goal is to develop domestic and national technologies”

Borusan Group’s Technology Development and R&D General Manager Dr. A. Murat Yıldırım explained that Borusan’s technology-based transformation, which had been going on for some time, aims to catch up with the future in every field. He also expressed that they have gone a long way in the group companies in the field of R&D and technology development with the digitalization projects conducted so far.

Yıldırım stated: “Borçelik is a company that has proven itself in the sector with 27 years of experience. With the R&D projects conducted, the company aims to develop high-quality steel varieties that will be in demand in the future. The production processes will also be conducted through highly efficient and smart processes in line with Industry 4.0 principles.”

Yıldırım explains that they have begun the transformation process within the light of the Technological Road Map built for Borçelik. “Our ultimate goal is to adapt smart production methods and to develop domestic and national technologies that will carry our country to the future by focusing on high-tech intensive products.” Yıldırım states that they have been closely following the revolutionary processes in the world regarding materials, and that they stand as a candidate to be an important player in this field.

Borçelik and R&D

At the Borçelik R&D Center, which has undertaken various innovative projects so far, 44 researchers are working, 25 of which are university graduates and 8 post-graduates. Company wide, there are 74 employees that participated in R&D projects and this number constitutes 29% of all white-collar employees.

The Borçelik R&D Center certified as an “R&D Center” by the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology, carries out joint projects with universities, research centers and scientific institutions such as TUBİTAK (Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey), along with its clients who are prominent leaders in their own sectors.

In its first year, Borçelik, conducted a total of 24 R&D projects, 7 of which were TUBİTAK TEYDEP (Technology and Innovation Funding Programs Directorate) funded. Borçelik’s other achievement in its first year was accessing European Patent registered products. Apart from that, Borçelik has 7 patent and 2 utility model applications, 4 of which are domestic and 3 international.