Kordsa celebrates 50 years in advanced materials

Kordsa (Izmit, Turkey) is celebrating its 50^th year of global leadership in advanced tire and construction reinforcement and composite technologies. Speaking at the company’s anniversary event, Güler Sabancı, chair of parent company Sabancı Holding (Istanbul, Turkey), emphasized that Kordsa has achieved a number of firsts with its vision of becoming a global advanced material company. “Kordsa will continue to lead the global material revolution. The company will reinforce life in different geographies and even in space,” Sabancı says. “Kordsa will serve as a bridge between today and the future, as well as between Turkey and the world.”

Kordsa’s operations began in 1973 in Izmit. Operating in seven countries —  Turkey, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, the U.S., Germany and Italy, with a total of 13 manufacturing facilities and providing employment for more than 4,000 people across four continents — Kordsa continues to expand its global footprint in the fields of construction reinforcement and composite technologies. As of the end of 2022, Kordsa holds more than 900 patents.

Sabancı reflects that Kordsa has always stood by its customers, regardless of time or place, over the course of its 50-year journey. “What defines Kordsa are our strong, meticulous, excellence-driven and technology-focused customers,” she says. “It is this passion for excellence that has propelled Kordsa to its current success. As a result, Kordsa has transformed into a company that reinforces two out of every three aircraft tires and one out of every three car tires globally.”

“One thing, however, remains consistent for Kordsa: Our purpose of existence that keeps us together, the importance we place on teamwork and collective wisdom, our unwavering commitment to high quality and our customer-centric approach,” Sabancı continues. “This mindset unites hundreds of employees from Indonesia, Thailand, the United States, Brazil and Italy into one team. Just as globalization cannot be explained solely through commercial relationships, being ‘global’ is not just about exporting. It’s about keeping a team together through all the time zone differences and cultural diversities, walking towards the same goal despite all the challenges. Kordsa is a global company because it has succeeded in doing just that.”

Kordsa has also put a large emphasize in human capital and employee development. Sabancı cites sending nearly 100 Kordsa employees to Sabancı University’s development programs, with this number on the rise. “Our perspective on development is not limited to university programs alone,” she says. “Our Composite Technologies Excellence Center [CTCE], established in 2016, has become a symbol of our mission to lead in innovation. Today, over 100 faculty members, visiting researchers, doctorate and master’s students at this center are researching the advanced material technologies of the future.”

During the first part of the celebration, keynote speaker and innovation expert Ben. M. Bensaou, professor of technology management and professor of Asian business and comparative management at Insead, shared comprehensive insights on the necessary thinking and approaches for organizations to spread innovation across the entire entity.

Following Bensaou’s speech, a panel discussion titled “Materials of the Future” was held, featuring globally recognized figures in their respective fields. The panel included Rainer Egner, global sourcing director of sustainability and reinforcement materials at Goodyear; Dr. Mükerrem Çakmak, Reilly professor of materials and mechanical engineering at Purdue University; Dr. Taylor Sparks, associate professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Utah; and Adrian Williams, founder and managing director of Future Materials Group. The panel addressed the new trends and roadmaps in material technologies, considered a revolutionary force in the world economy.