Turkish automotive equipment manufacturer, Assan Hanil is looking to acquire a European firm over the next year as it plans to expand its global presence, company General Manager Atacan Güner said yesterday.
The company, a subsidiary of Kibar Holding, recently organized a Technology Day Event. The event showcased Assan Hanil's research and development (R&D) investments in autonomous driving and other products that use state-of-the-art technology that offer special solutions to its customers.
The event also shared the company's production, R&D and middle term investment plans related to seat systems, electronic components, interior and exterior trim components, electronic components and seat mechanisms.
On acquiring a company in Europe, Güner said that doing so will add to Assan Hanil's existing product range. They also want to increase the turnover potential for customers there.
In a media statement about the three-day event and the company's future investments, Güner said that driverless and electric vehicle technologies will shape the future of the automotive sector. He added that the most important players in the automotive sector have all increased investment in this technology.
He also noted that they have already started necessary infrastructure studies. "We are investing in the future. We have decided to invest in Turkey in electronic parts and seat mechanisms," Güner said.
"Product technologies for electric and autonomous vehicles do not yet exist in Turkey. With these products, we will transfer the production technologies to Turkey," he said.
Güner highlighted that they became independent producers through significant R&D activities. "We focus on technologies like vehicle electronics and seat mechanisms that were not available in Turkey and mostly imported by all major industries requiring imports of up to 400-450 million euros," he said.
He added that they would like to bring these technologies to the country through their South Korean partner Seoyon Group.
"With the f
inancial and technical support of Kibar Holding and Seoyon Group, we hope to reach our goals. We want to hit a turnover of 1 billion euros by 2025-2026 and are looking at a fourfold growth over the next five or six years," Güner continued. "At the moment we have a turnover of 220 million euros. We are a major automotive sub-industry. We manufacture products right next to the customer, making the delivery process easier."
Kibar Holding CEO Haluk Kayabaşı said Assan Hanil is a major supplier for the automotive sector and an industry leader thanks to its R&D activities.
He added that Assan Hanil increased thae number of its R&D employees by 35 percent ian the last two years and has achieved significant success.
Kayabaşı stressed that Assan Hanil was on its way to becoming a global brand thanks to its hi-tech automotive seats. It is also the first and only Turkish company that manufactures aircraft seats, in partnership with Turkish Airlines (THY).
He also pointed out that the company is approved by giants like Airbus and Boeing, making aircraft seats that they developed independently at their R&D center.
Kayabaşı explained that they made significant contributions to the country's economy by reducing aircraft seat imports.
He said that they took their expertise in car seat manufacturing and expanded into other industries. The Kibar Holding CEO said that they developed an air suspension driver and passenger seat for buses and trucks, becoming one of only five companies in the world developing and making such products.
"I believe that the agreement we have with Ford Otosan on ASD will further advance our current know-how. We have flexible production capabilities that can be positioned close to our customers' locations," he noted.
"We are planning to invest 40 million euros in the mid-term in ASD and set up a production facility in Europe. Feasibility studies are already underway. In ASDs, we want to raise our global market share to 15 percent in the middle term," Kayabaşı said.