Experienced figures were assigned to new positions after the separation of Commercial Sales and Lubricants units in Petrol Ofisi, which maintains its leading position in the Turkish lubricants and chemicals market for years. We wanted to get to know Sezgin Gürsu, who has been assigned as Lubricants Director, and made an enjoyable interview with him.
You became the Lubricants Director of Petrol Ofisi as of April 1st. First of all, we would like to congratulate you and wish you success in your new assignment. We want to get to know the Lubricants Director of Petrol Ofisi. Who is Sezgin Gürsu, a part of the Petrol Ofisi family since 2008?
I started my business life as a high engineer in 1991 in the automotive sector, and then I worked at various positions in the lubricants sector from marketing to sales, from production to the supply chain. I had the chance to see the sector with different perspectives as I had been working in the field of commercial fuels and retail fuel for the past 6 years. I feel lucky myself; I have been able to know about many different disciplines and sectors in business life. I try to do outdoor sports as much as I can. What I enjoy the most in my life is to spend time with my twin daughters.
What is the importance of the lubricant and grease plant in Kocaeli-Derince for Turkey and Petrol Ofisi? Which investments have been made in the plant in recent years?
As Petrol Ofisi, we produce our lubricants and greases in our plant in Derince, Kocaeli.
Petrol Ofisi Technology Center (POTEM), one of the largest technology centers in this field within Turkey and the nearby geography, follows the latest technologies in parallel with the world. POTEM has raised the bar in terms of R&D in its sector by determining customer needs ahead of time, continuously developing its product portfolio, and uninterrupted technical support to its customers.
POTEM, holder of the first and most comprehensive TSE EN ISO/IEC 17025:2012 laboratory competency accreditation, is one of the most advanced laboratories in Turkey and its immediate surroundings in terms of research and development activities in the field of lubricants and fuel with its most modern technological equipment and expert team. POTEM develops and inspects new lubricant products in line with the demands of Petrol Ofisi customers. Having proven its competence both in the national and international arena with its activities so far, POTEM is a source of pride for Petrol Ofisi and for Turkey with the importance it attaches to R&D works, its constantly evolving technological infrastructure, and the service quality and diversity it offers.
In addition to the R&D works, there is a special lubricant laboratory within POTEM. The laboratory, accredited by TURKAK in 83 different tests, offers services to the entire sector, not only to Petrol Ofisi but also to public agencies and international organizations.
What is the production and storage capacity of your plant? Can you please tell us about the range of products offered by Petrol Ofisi Derince plant?
Our factory located in Derince, Kocaeli has a total production capacity of 140,000 tons per year, and a total storage capacity of 64,000 tons, including 14,000 tons of finished products, 50,000 tons of raw materials and semi-products.
As Petrol Ofisi, we meet the needs of all sectors, particularly automotive, industry, mining, agriculture, transportation, construction and maritime with our passenger car engine oils Maxima, heavy duty diesel engine oils Maximus, and more than 350 products. We can uniquely satisfy all of our customers’ needs with our high-quality products, our advanced logistics network, our strong infrastructure and years of operational service experience.
To which countries do you export your products from this plant? Can you please share your export figures?
We export 10,400 tons of products annually to 33 countries in 4 continents, making millions of our customers’ lives easier.
As Petrol Ofisi, you are collaborating with leading OEMs. Could you talk about these deals?
We continue our cooperation with leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in different segments ranging from passenger cars, light commercial, heavy duty vehicles to construction machinery, and get stronger with new products and solutions. Among the brands we cooperate on first fill, after sales services and technology are the leading brands such as MAN, Hidromek, Temsa Motorlu Araçlar, Erkunt Tractor, Karsan, Wirtgen, Hyundai Business Machines (HMF), Maats and Sanko Machinery.
Petrol Ofisi is the “most preferred brand” in the total lubricants sector, which consists of lubricants and chemicals, according to the Petroleum Industry Association (PETDER) data for 2010-2017, and is the “market leader” with a market share of 24.9 percent.
What are your goals in your new assignment?
Our most important goal for the future, as it has been until today, is to ensure sustainable and healthy growth. Again, as it has been up to now, we will continue to achieve this by understanding the current as well as future needs of our customers and by offering products and services to meet these needs.
As always, we value our investments and resources to develop the products needed by the automotive and industrial sectors with top technology.
Our goal in lubricant exports is to increase our brand awareness in the countries where we operate and to open up to new markets.
