Polymer Market and Industries in Turkey

Plastics Industry in Turkey

The share of Turkey in the global plastics industry is 1.6%. In terms of plastics processing capacity in Europe, Turkey ranks 6th behind Spain, while ranking second in the production of synthetic fibers and third in window profiles. The industry is composed of more than 6000 companies, most of which is small and medium size enterprises (SME), and provides employment for more than 160,000 people.

Turkish Plastics Industry Profile
NO. OF COMPANIES OPERATING ABOUT 6.000 ( MOSTLY SMS’S)
No. Of Companies With Foreign Share 128
Annual Processing Capacity 5,1 Million Tons/ Year Very significant production of synthetic fibers, PVC profiles, BOPP films
Avarage Annual Growh Rate Of The Production (2003-2008) 14%
Outperforms GNP Growth Rate Of 4,5 Employment Over 200.000
Per Capita Consumption 64 Kg
Annual Turnover 15 Billion USA
Value Added To GNP 6 Billion USA
Raw Material Demand Covered By The Local Production 15 – 20 %
Direct Exports 3.5 Billion USA
Indirect Exports 4.5 Billion USA
Plastics Industry Total Production Value / GNP 3%
Plastics Industry Exports / Total Chemical Exports 30%

While the production capacities of the various companies in the industry differ greatly, mostly due to domestic consumption levels, the number of companies that make exports and compete in global markets is on the increase in parallel with the increase in technology use. Products made with modern manufacturing technologies meet the demand of the domestic market, while export is also on the increase due to the regression that has been affecting the market recently. In addition to finished products, plastics processing machinery and technologies and raw material blends and additives are also in demand in surrounding markets.

Main Export Markets (% Share in Total Exports)

Approximately 6000 companies manufacture hundreds of types of products in the plastics industry. Because companies indicate their production capacities in varying units such as tons, meters, square meters, cubic meters or pairs, it is impossible to express the total current capacity in unified terms.

It is estimated that the plastics industry has made an investment of 3.1 billion dollars in machinery and equipment between 2002 and 2008, 88% of which was through imports. It is known that these investments are made for the purposes of expansion, modernization, bottleneck relieving and renovation, causing a rapid expansion of the industry’s production capacity. The reason that the growth rates for both domestic plastics consumption and exports have increased beyond 25% is the expansion of established capacity. Judging by the growth rates of previous years, it is estimated that the industry has made a machinery and equipment investment of more than 600 million dollars in 2008, thereby expanding its capacity to 7 million tons minimum.

According to the Association of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, there are 5132 companies registered in the plastics industry, and these companies have a cumulative capacity of 11.9 billion pieces, 190 million pairs, 1 billion meters, 3.5 billion square meters, 26 million cubic meters and 3.5 million tons as reported individually.

With respect to the estimated 7 million tons of established capacity in 2008, production level has remained at 5.1 million tons. The latent capacity of 30% may be associated both with the impact of the global financial crisis, and with the fact that many businesses mostly deal in traditional products. Should the financial crisis ensue for longer, it is expected that companies with weak financial structures will go out of business as part of a natural selection process, and fewer companies will remain in business in the future years.

Comparison of Turkish Plastics Industries Processing Capacities

Based on the estimates for annual growth in the plastics industries of EU countries, it is known that Turkey continues to share 5th place with Britain in terms of processing capacity among EU countries in 2008.

The Turkish plastics industry has considerable competitive advantage in global markets. This is mostly due to plastics being a young and dynamic industry in Turkey.
The Turkish Plastics industry growth rate is greater than its competing countries. Turkey is in close proximity of both raw material producers and leading consumers of plastics, which enables the industry to respond swiftly to demands. These two attributes pose a tremendous opportunity for the development of the industry in Turkey.
Turkey has a plastics consumption market that is not yet saturated. This makes the Turkish plastics industry attractive for investments. Additionally, the shift of production from Europe to the East will open up further investment opportunities for Turkey.

Another opportunity expected in 2009 is the enablement of additional petrochemical capacities in the Gulf Region, which will translate to a reduction in prices due to abundance of raw materials. Low raw material prices will help the growth of the plastics industry in 2009, which will have a positive impact on the operating capitals of businesses in the industry. A reduction in raw material prices will help expand the penetration of low-cost plastic products. It is expected that the packaging industry, as one of the principal users of plastics, will continue its successful performance in 2009.

https://www.bpf.co.uk/events/Plastics_Industry_in_Turkey.aspx