World’s Leading Yarn Manufacturer Coats Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary with the Opening of the Innovation Center in Bursa
Operating in Turkey since 1952, Coats has moved its Istanbul oeprations to Bursa in 1968 and continues producing innovation for the world from Turkey. Producing yarn enough to cover the round way between the earth and the moon every 3 hours, the British brand Coats, the world’s largest yarn producer, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Bursa factory with the opening of the Innovation Center with an investment value USD 2 million.
Coats CEO Rajiv Sharma, who meet with the press before the opening of the innovation center, gave information on their activities in Bursa and answered the questions. Stating that they produce yarns for clothes, shoes and bags, which are part of our daily life and they touch every human being, Rajiv Sharma told the story of the establishment of their factory in Bursa. “We are the world’s largest yarn manufacturer and we are very happy to have operated in Turkey for 50 years. Our investments, which started in 1952 in Istanbul, continued in 1968 with our Bursa factory. We are proud to be in Bursa. We manufacture yarn, fabric and zipper in Bursa and export to all the world. We export 60% of our production, and sell 40% in the domestic market.
Coats Opens 3rd Innovation Center in Bursa
Sharma explained the reasons for choosing Bursa for the opening of the Innovation Center, “We have concluded that Bursa/Turkey was the right place for the EMEA region following North America and China. Because there are talented engineers, chemists and industrial engineers here.
There are 18 thousand people working at the 1.4 billion dollars worth company, Coats. 935 of them are employed in the factory in Bursa. Operating in 45 countries, the company has been serving the industrial areas such as automotive, energy and medical sectors since 2004.
“Turkey to become a major player in many fields”
Emphasizing that Turkey is the world’s 4th largest fabrics exporter, Sharma said, “Turkey is moving towards becoming a major player in many fields. Especially the success in automotive and fiber optics makes us even more enthused. Turkey becomes more and more important for us with her capacities and capabilities. We heavily rely on our team in Turkey. We have a team, that is open to transformation and change. We will continue to exist with new investments in this industrial country, which has been a meeting point throughout the history for all cultures.
We don’t feel uneasy
Noting that they have decided to invest in Turkey despite the increase in the dollar rate, Coats’ CEO explained: “We stay away from politics and just do our job. The important thing for us is the market’s characteristics here. First of all, Turkey has the required talent pool, standing where Asia and Europe connects. It has a very good infrastructure. So, we don’t feel uneasy about investing here.”
Noting that it is possible to see the tag “Coats made in Bursa” anywhere in the world, which is a great success, Sharma said that Bursa has gone up the higher with this Innovation Center. The Innovation Center employs 50 people, and has many targets for the year 2022.
Rajiv Sharma answered a question on what distinguishes Coats from other brands: “First of all, we are a customer-oriented company. Our production processes is one of the best in the world. I can proudly say that. Coats is a value and principle-oriented company among others where I have worked at. We don’t use shortcuts, so we don’t try to make more money in less time. Sustainability is very important to us. We aim to protect the environment, so we have a balanced approach.”
We Produced the World’s First Eco-Friendly Polyester
Stating that they are the first company to adopt Six Sigma in 2011, Sharma emphasized that they attach importance to sustainability. Sharma said, “We are the company that has produced the world’s first eco-friendly polyester, which is made entirely of recycled products. Most of the electricity we use comes from the solar and wind power. We also minimized our environmental impact by increasing the use of renewable energy and reducing water consumption by 45%. We aim to produce yarns for clothes from renewable products in 2024.”
We Have A Start-up Work That Dyes without Water
Coats CEO Rajiv Sharma said the following for the investments they have and plan to make in Turkey: “50% of the yarns we make from 2 millimeter to 50 millimeter thickness are produced for industrial use, and 50% for the apparel industry. As of 2018, we have set for ourselves an ambitious target. We aim to provide 50% of our growth in the next 5 years with a completely new product portfolio. 50% of our employees are women. And we have opened a latest generation nursery for the children of our female employees at our facility in Bursa. We have a start-up work that dyes without water. We will also be operational in the vehicle composites field in the future. Bursa is located on the seismic belt. Therefore, we invest to make our buildings earthquake resistant. ”
Bursa will continue to grow with investments
In his opening speech, Bursa Metropolitan Mayor Alinur Aktaş expressed his gratitude especially for the management and employees of Coats for their contributions to the development of Bursa, and stated that Bursa is among Turkey’s largest industrial cities and they would continue their efforts with the same pace.
News: Dilek Hayırlı