Derya Hatiboğlu, General Manager of ASAŞ, Turkey's 54th largest industrial enterprise, said in his year-end assessment that their 2022 turnover expectations are around 1 billion dollars. Noting that 2022 was a year in which they grew despite war, economic fluctuations and crises, Hatiboğlu underlined that they will continue to contribute to the national economy by producing value-added products with an investment of more than 100 million euros signed in 2022.
ASAŞ, one of Turkey's leading industrial organizations, continued to grow despite the Russian-Ukrainian War, economic fluctuations and crises in 2022. ASAŞ, which started the year with a strong demand due to the loss of the effect of the pandemic and the revival of the economy, managed to keep its production and sales volumes at similar levels to 2021 in the first 10 months of 2022 thanks to its product and market diversity, despite all the difficulties experienced in the rest of the year. In the first 10 months of 2022, the company achieved a turnover of 862 million dollars, an increase of 28 percent compared to the previous year. Underlining that they started the year with an optimistic picture, but this situation changed a little with the Russia-Ukraine war, ASAŞ General Manager Derya Hatiboğlu said that their turnover expectations at the end of the year are around 1 billion dollars.
ASAŞ, anticipating that the crisis in Europe will continue at the end of the year, has turned to different markets, particularly the USA and Canada. Hatiboğlu said, "The energy bottleneck that emerged after the start of the Ukraine-Russia war, the contraction in construction, chip problems in automotive, problems in the supply chain and high inflation in Europe caused a serious contraction in our target markets. Thanks to the actions we took at the right time, we were able to update our strategy nimbly and achieve our production volume in 2021 in this challenging period."
ASAŞ Signed an Investment Exceeding 100 Million Euros in 2022
Continuing its investments in 2022, ASAŞ has ordered many important investments such as welding and CNC lines for the production of structural parts used in electric vehicles, 4500 tons of Hybrex complete press line, the 5th melting furnace that will increase the billet casting capacity to 130 thousand tons/year, and billet heating furnaces for different presses.
Hatiboğlu stated that one of the most important investments that they have contracted in 2022 is the 15 thousand tons press line investment, which exceeds 100 million euros, and underlined that ASAŞ will be one of the 3 facilities that completely produce and process wagon aluminum body when this line is commissioned. Hatiboğlu stated that they will contribute 15 percent to the localization of rail system vehicles with this investment, and added that they have been working on the 150 MN profile production facility, which will be able to produce the largest profile in Turkey and Europe, for about 5 years. With this investment, ASAŞ will be able to produce large profiles as close as possible to the final product in order to meet the technical requirements of sectors such as rail systems, shipping, trailers and special alloy engineering materials. With the 150 MN Press Line investment, the company will have the capability to produce the largest profile, the largest welded and seamless pipe and the largest integrated aluminum wagon body in Europe. With this investment, 25 thousand tons of aluminum profile capacity will be increased annually. Installation will start in 2024 and become operational in the first half of 2025. When the investment is fully operational, it is estimated to contribute 150 million dollars to Turkey's current account deficit.
Europe's Most Modern Profile Production Line to be Commissioned in the First Quarter of 2023
Hatiboğlu stated that the 45MN Hybrex Press Production Line, Europe's most modern profile production line, which will produce structural profiles such as body and battery case profiles of electric vehicles, the contract for which was signed in 2021, will start production in the first quarter of 2023. This extrusion press will also be the first press in the world with a hybrex feature with a power of 4500 tons, which will be specially produced upon ASAŞ's request. Hatiboğlu said that this line will serve not only as a press but also for alloy development and the production of high-strength alloys with the automation solutions it includes, from the billet magazine to the automatic aging furnace. "With the facility, 18 thousand tons of additional structural profile production capacity will be realized. It will provide employment for more than 100 people, including the processing of the products produced," Hatiboğlu said: "Demand for electric vehicles is increasing day by day. The use of aluminum in internal combustion engine vehicles, which is 200 kg on average, is expected to increase by 100 kg per vehicle in electric vehicles and reach 300 kg. We have realized the 45 MN Press Line Investment in order to meet the demand that we expect to increase. 45 MN Press Line Investment will be used to produce structural profiles with low CO2 emissions, high energy efficiency (up to 50%), structural profiles with low CO2 emissions and high energy efficiency (up to 50%) for product development activities that increase with special alloy demands.
"Our Main Goal is to Maintain Our Sustainable Growth Trend"
"Our priority in all our business areas is to carry out our activities within the framework of a business approach that respects the environment and serves the future of our country and the world," Hatiboğlu said: "In this direction, in 2021, we saved a total of 1,367,716 kWh of energy, certified with the international I-REC Certificate that we supply all our electrical energy from renewable energy sources. We also reduced the greenhouse gas we emitted into the atmosphere by 16% and our water use by 19% per product, recycled 98% of our waste and reduced our chemical use by 67% compared to the previous year."
Hatiboğlu stated that their goal in 2023 is to maintain their growth trends while achieving the sustainability targets required by the circular economy and underlined that one of the most important plans of ASAŞ is to start production by realizing the new press investment with high energy efficiency, to increase its market share in qualified value-added products and to support localization projects in order to use the national resources of the country more effectively.
