“We believe that innovation could not be limited to products and processes, but should rather include services as well” -Goksal Gungor, General Manager, Assan Alüminyum

Assan Alüminyum, a subsidiary of Kibar Holding, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in the flat-rolled aluminium industry. The company produces coil & sheet, foil and pre-painted aluminium products for a variety of sectors such as packaging, distribution, construction, consumer durables, automotive and HVAC with 1500 dedicated employees. With 300 thousand tonnes of production capacity, Assan Alüminyum is the leading flat-rolled aluminium producer in Turkey. Goksal Gungor, General Manager of Assan Alüminyum, has shared his views on the company’s new R&D strategy and investment plans for 2020 with AlCircle in a brief interview.

AlCircle: The use of aluminium FRPs in packaging and automotive saw a rise in 2019 with the shift from alternative packaging materials to aluminium-based packaging and increased production of electric vehicles. Do you think these two sectors will continue fuelling the aluminium FRPs demand even in 2020?

Goksal Gungor: Aluminium use is dependent on a developed industry base and could therefore be referred to as the metal of the developed world. With the rising concerns for the environment and the dire need for sustainability, aluminium gains even more importance. Aluminium is “green” by nature, as it is infinitely recyclable, it is light so it helps reduce carbon emissions by making transport vehicles lighter, it preserves energy in HVAC applications thanks to its high conductivity, it helps reduce food waste by enabling packaging products to be more resource-efficient and so on. In short, aluminium will become even more prominent for many different industries in the near future. We foresee that the consumption of aluminium will rise significantly, especially in sectors such as transport and packaging. These are clearly areas, where aluminium use will lead to new innovations, as automobiles need to become lighter and more fuel efficient year by year.