Keep on reading for a pleasant interview with Supsan General Manager Atınç Ocak on the company’s future plans in its 55th anniversary
In its 55th anniversary, Supsan, the largest engine valve producer in Türkiye, celebrates its pioneering role in the sector through its initiatives in the fields of sustainability, R&D, and technological transformation. We talked with Supsan General Manager Atınç Ocak about the brand’s development from the past to the present, along with its goals for 2025, transformation in the automotive sector and adaptation to the electrification process.
- Could you please tell us about Supsan a bit?
Supsan was founded in 1970 under the umbrella of Borusan Holding, and is now one of Türkiye’s largest and longest established companies in the production of engine valves. Today we are the leader in the production of high-quality valves and turbochargers for internal combustion engines. Supsan provides OEM services to the world’s leading automotive brands in Europe and the US, and in addition to this, offers products and services to three continents as the largest producer of its field in Türkiye and neighbouring locations, proving the company’s power in the sector.
In recent years, we have also made a strong entrance into the defence industry. In our 55th anniversary, we became a project partner in the supply of any required engine parts, including in particular valves and turbochargers, especially thanks to the collaboration we started with BMC Power. This has been an important indicator that we are not only there for the automotive sector, but also for the defence industry, contributing to our nation’s production power and the development of local engine technologies. We continue to add value to our nation thanks to the investments we have made in the defence industry. We will continue to reinforce our presence in this sector to maintain our contributions. It is a great source of happiness and pride for us to celebrate our 55th anniversary with such an invaluable collaboration.For the last 55 years, we have not only been offering our customers top-quality products, but also providing them with R&D, material selection and testing services as we continue to be a reliable solutions partner in the sector.
With its R&D centre and modern testing infrastructure, Supsan leads the sector by always setting high standards in engineering and quality. We aim to reinforce our leadership in the sector in the future through our powerful projects in the automotive, agricultural, marine, aviation, rail systems and power units industries and, finally, the defence industry.
- We’re talking about a 55-year-old establishment with deep roots - a journey of more than half a century. And you’re on that journey for the last 30 years. As you look back, is there a milestone you’d like to share with us?
My journey in Supsan started in 1992 when I began my internship in my second year at university and continued as I started my career there as a young mechanical engineer in 1995, and since the beginning of 2021, I’ve been working as a general manager. It’s only easier said than done; 30 years is really a very long time.
I can say that the advantage of working in a group that values personal development and the motivation provided by being part of a job and a sector that I love earned me the comfort of advancing in my career with patience and absorption for all these long years. I think one of the most important milestones in my career was my application for and successful completion of the Management Trainee position which was one of the career opportunities offered by the group back then.
- A career story in Supsan that went from working as an intern to becoming the general manager... Changes also bring along new terms and conditions, with the expectations of the new generation also going through a change. Based on your experiences, do you have any recommendation for the young people who are about to enter the business world and, especially, considering a career in the production sector?
Sure. As a member of generation X, I had the chance to work with people who come from an older generation, and people who come from a younger generation, in other words, generations Y and Z.
According to my observations, I think the most fundamental difference between generations is that new generations more quickly adapt to the era of developing technologies but they are quite impatient and anxious especially in their career journeys.
• The production sector is an area where theoretical knowledge meets hands-on experience. Spend as much time as possible in the field and try to understand the production processes. Production isn’t something you can learn sitting on your desk.
• Follow the technology.You must be eager to learn and improve yourself on a continuous basis. Be involved in the developing trends such as artificial intelligence, new-generation production technologies, digital transformation and industry 4.0. You can focus on how to use these technological developments in your own processes and how these can benefit you.
• Production is always a hard thing to do. You may come across unexpected problems any time. Be patients in the face of difficulties, and develop a solutions-oriented approach.
• Adaptation to teamwork is very important in business life. Working in harmony with different departments and an effective communication will be important building blocks in your career journey.
• Take initiative.Don’t be afraid to take responsibility when you have the chance. Making your own decisions and taking initiative will pave the way for leadership positions.
- So, let’s get back to Supsan. What is your annual production volume and what are your products?
At Supsan, we have an important share in the market when it comes to critical engine components such as cylinder heads, eccentric shafts, shackle kits in addition to engine valves and turbochargers. In our journey which started in 1970 with the production of engine valves for all kinds of internal combustion engines under a licence from Eaton SRL, we have now become the biggest producer in Türkiye in our own area of expertise. We offer a range of 50 different products to the spare parts market with Supsan quality. We have an annual capacity of producing nine million parts.
Plus, we also produce local high-technology turbochargers under the brand Supsan. Our turbocharger journey started in 2014 when we started to offer products to domestic spare parts market and continued in 2016 in line with our need to gain know-how on the turbo technology and evolve from a producer into a developer. Today we have reached a point where we are making a difference with our products, including state-of-the-art electronic actuator turbochargers, which use the waste energy within the exhaust created in the engine as a result of combustion and which enhance the engine performance and life by providing the engine with air that is higher in pressure and volume. We have our own inventions patented by the European Patent Office under the names “Single-Part Turbocharger” and “Turbocharger System”. We also have a pending patent application for an e-Turbocharger.
- What are your expectations from 2025?
2025 is a very special year for us because we’re celebrating Supsan’s 55th birthday. This gives us the opportunity to both review our past successes and design exciting plans for the future. Looking back in our history, we are proud of the position that Supsan, whose foundation was laid in 1970, has achieved thanks to the strength of its brand value. We have gone through a huge transformation over time, covering a long way of success by increasing our R&D investments, continuously improving our quality production processes and leading the innovations in the sector. In addition, we continued to expand our network of international customers and strengthen our relations with big markets such as Europe and the US so as to have a better say in the global market.
In 2025, we plan to further increase our production capacity in the coming periods, enhance our product variety, add new projects to our R&D studies and, especially, speed up our investments in the field of digitalisation. We aim to reinforce our strength in the defence industry and establish more strategic partnerships accordingly. We will closely follow the technological developments in the sector and work to integrate these advancements into our production processes. In addition, we will continue to act as a source of inspiration in the sector with our sustainability projects.
- The automotive sector is going through a change both domestically and internationally. What is your position in the electrification process and how do you evaluate this process?
Looking at the current status of our sector gives us the idea that the use and production of engines with internal combustion and hybrid technology will continue to be there for more periods to come and that the supply of parts required by internal combustion engines will also continue during the process of transition to electrification.
On the other hand, there is already a need for a new market and a parts requirement for electric and fuel cell vehicles which will gradually make their way into the market. Producers and suppliers who keep up with this change and transformation will stay in the competition while those who are unable to ensure this adaptation will lose their mobility capabilities and market share with each passing day.
Besides, new generation internal combustion and hybrid technology engines which are more eco-friendly compared to engines with an outdated technology are able to work under higher pressure and temperature. The production of valves suitable for these engines stands out as a huge requirement.
At Supsan, we reconsidered our production accordingly. To this end, we completed our new production line which enables us to produce sodium-filled valves to resist high temperatures for new generation internal combustion and hybrid technology engines. We are the first company in Türkiye to mass produce sodium-filled valves which reduce the total engine weight thanks to their light structure. With an annual production capacity of two million, this will meet the requirements of engine producers. This important project for which we invested one-and-a-half million euro will help to reduce foreign dependency in this product.
Also, we are now a solutions partner for OEMs helping with the design, prototyping, testing and validation phases of valves thanks to our successfully completed TÜBİTAK (Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye) project.
- Could you please tell us about your upcoming projects?
At Supsan, we are focused on technology and sustainability. We believe that investing in these areas will help us take our sector leadership to the next level in Türkiye while at the same time further reinforcing our presence in the global arena. In addition to our investments in turbochargers and sodium-filled valves, we are also engaging in efforts that improve our skills. To this end, we took our place among the stakeholders of Özgün Motor - the first and only Turkish locomotive engine and significantly contributed in the development and production of the engine’s sub-systems.
We started a project called “Bu İş’te Bi’Kadın Eli Var” (Women at Work) to help women thrive in the industry. The project’s aim was to employ female production operators for the factory field production lines and train female team leaders in the future. We are now employing female production operators through this project, which supports the participation of women in the workforce by rejecting gender-specific limitations to occupations. At the same time we have been involved in the project “Empowering Female Employment in the Industry”, which started as a result of a collaboration among Mess, the European Union, and the Ministry of Industry. The project aims to attract new STEM graduates or women with less experience to work in the industry and help them improve themselves at industrial companies through hands-on experience. At Supsan, we are employing female engineers as part of this project.
As for our sustainability approach, on the other hand, we transitioned to green energy by starting to use energy obtained from renewable sources. We are the first and only company in Türkiye to produce valves using green energy. Through our energy efficient projects, we reduce our consumption of electricity and gas within the plant.
We continue our machinery revision process which enables us to reuse our machines. We renewed the machines in our equipment pool that reached the end of their economic life and started to use them in the production line. We managed to save six metric tons of steel and 1.5 megawatt/hour energy, in addition to preventing 1.3 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Throughout this process we worked with start-ups and contributed to the entrepreneurship ecosystem and supported the establishment of local component and local technology producing companies. We also made a vacuum evaporator investment of around 100,000 euro through which we aim to reduce the amount of waste water destined for disposal and save around 300 cubic metres of water a year with cycling use of the water. Our company also earned the Zero Waste Certification with its in-house Zero Waste Management System. We also have the EcoVadis silver medal.
We continue our efforts aimed at reducing the use of water. We collect rainwater through a rainwater collection system and use it in social water consumption areas. We also recycle waste water at our factory by having it treated by various water treatment systems at the factory and reuse it in our plants. We implement projects which will increase efficiency and help with carbon reduction while at the same time saving energy.