Bayer, a pharmaceutical, consumer health and agricultural products company with a turnover of 46.8 billion euros and 115,000 employees worldwide, plans to grow in the coming period with new investments in the world and in Turkey.
Bayer Türk CEO Hubert Braun emphasized the importance of Turkey, saying that the company will continue to invest in the country. Braun also stressed that the recent tensions between the Germany and Turkey have not affected Bayer's way of doing business, according to a report in Turkish daily Akşam.
Coming together with a group of journalists from Turkey in an event organized by Bayer's Agricultural Products unit in Monheim, Germany, under the title "Future of Farming," Braun said that Bayer has invested around 200 million euros in a 60 year-period in Turkey.
Noting that Bayer has no hesitations in expanding its activities in Turkey, he said, "We continue to invest in our labor power and infrastructure in Turkey. For example, we are renewing our headquarters in Ümraniye for 9-10 million euros in the direction of our growing structure in the coming weeks."
Tension with Germany remains ineffectiveBraun pointed out that the importance of Turkey, which has 21 million hectares of agricultural land, in terms of world food supply, has increased.
"Turkey is one of our long-term countries. We will continue to invest here. We carry out millions of dollars of clinical research every year in pharmaceuticals," he said.
Stressing that the tension between Germany and Turkey has not affected Bayer's way of doing business, Braun said, "Bayer is a 150-year-old company. Many events happened in the world in 150 years, and none of them affected us. This tension does not affect us at all."
Braun said that they have decided to shift their plants in Topkapı to a new production center since the district has turned into a residential area. He indicated that they have signed a cooperation agreement with Zentiva, operating within the scope of the Sanofi Group, for the production of Bayer products in Sanofi's Lüleburgaz plant in the future.
He pointed out that, in line with the agreement, Bayer healthcare products that are currently being produced at Bayer Türk's Topkapı plant will start to be produced at the Sanofi's Lüleburgaz plants starting from the end of 2018.
Braun stated that within the framework of cooperation, Sanofi will make a new production line investment in the Lüleburgaz plant.
60 Turkish managers sent overseasBayer achieved a turnover of 557 million euros in Turkey in 2016. Braun said Bayer, operating in Turkey with 1,500 employees, has so far sent 60 Turkish managers to their overseas offices for global positions, and now 22 Turkish managers are working at Bayer.