06 May 2015

Interview to Haluk Yildiz, Kastamonu Entegre CEO.

Mr. Haluk Yildiz said : “OUR TARGET IS TO CONTINUE INVESTING IN KEY GROWTH MARKETS…”.
Year 2014 has been a special and difficult year for our company, our country and the World. While all the World economies were following the decisions taken by Federal Reserve Bank, scenarios were developed to reduce their negative effects.
Despite all the adversities experienced in the World and in our region, we as Kastamonu Entegre, have had a difficult but successful year.
Our company has been announced to be on 46th ranking at the top 500 Industrial Enterprises survey made by Istanbul Chamber of Industry ( ICI) for year 2013.
Capital magazine (August 2014 issue) has chosen us as the most successful company of the last 10 years, with a 30 % average yearly growth rate, among the top 500 ICI companies of Turkey. We have started up in Russia, the largest MDF factory of Europe and the opening ceremony was held. In this way, we became ranking nr. 4th in Europe and nr. 8th in the world.
As Kastamonu Entegre, we look at year 2015 with hope. This year we have great expectations from our affiliates in Romania and Russia, which we have invested during the last three years. We expect to spend a successful year, in all the four countries at which we have production facilities. We shall start installing on the second mdf line in our Russian Federation Tatarstan factory.
Our vision is to be one of the top five manufacturers in the wood based panel sector worldwide and to make Kastamonu Entegre, a global brand.”

Kastamonu Entegre, one of the two major multinational companies of Hayat Holding, has the vision of becoming a global brand in the wood-based panels industry and works for the mission of meeting the expectations of all its clients at the highest level by adding value to the comfortable living areas with its high quality, innovative, reliable and environmentally friendly products. Kastamonu Entegre is a global power with 1.2 billion USD consolidated turnover realised in 2014, ranking number 4th in the sector in Europe, 9th in the world. Year 2015 turnover target is 1.4 billion USD. Kastamonu Entegre is serving in Turkish market with plants in Kastamonu, Gebze, Balıkesir, Samsun, Tarsus and Adana locations, and outside of Turkey in Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina with a total of 13 plants. Its range of products consists of raw and melamine faced particleboard, MDF, laminate flooring, high gloss panel, doorskin, worktop and other value added products for the furniture, decoration and and the construction industry.Including 60 million m2 of laminate flooring 19,500,000 pcs door skin production in a year, it has a total production capacity of 4,550,000 m3 MDF and chipboard. Today, with approximately 5,300 employees, from Central America to India, it exports to over 70 countries.
Turkish Wood Based Panel Player, Kastamonu Entegre, started up its 13th factory, on September 30th 2014, at Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Alabuga, which is at Russian Federation Tatarstan Republic. The MDF factory which costed 270 million dollars, is the biggest one in Europe and will provide 2.500 direct and indirect new jobs. The plant will produce 565.000 cubic metres of MDF panels and 20 million square metres of flooring per year. About 80 per cent of produce will be sold in Russia, 20 per cent will be exported to C.I.S and Eastern Europe. Expected turnover of this factory is 170 million USD.
This MDF factory is the first step in Russia. Kastamonu Entegre is planning to continue to open the new plants in Russian Federation.
Kastamonu acquired at the end of December 2014, the machinery for the MDF/HDF line, which was supplied from Dieffenbacher and Andritz. Kastamonu is going to install this line in Alabuga. Start up of this line, which has a capacity of 450 thousand m3/year is scheduled for March 2016. So the total wood based panel production by March 2016 of Kastamonu will be 5 million m3/year.
For more information contact the Marketing Manager, Mr. Naci Gungor:

KASTAMONU ENTEGRE
Altunizade, Mahir Iz Cad. 23
TR-34662 USKUDAR / ISTANBUL / Turkey
Tel +90 216 5543000 - Fax +90 216 4740064
E-mial: ncgungor@keas.com.tr