İğrek Makina, well known manufacturer of automotive stamping dies, machine-tool parts, wind energy equipment parts, castings for aerospace industry whom exported 30% of its total production last year keeps on strengthening its R&D Centre and making new products. Company also aims to establish a warehouse with a liaison and sales office in Germany to increase direct export and introduce the new series of machine tools to European market.

Fatih İğrek, the Production and Planning Manager of İğrek Makina, which was founded by Osman İğrek in 1946 and having a casting capacity of up to 70 tons/piece today, said that the years 2017 and 2018 have been good for the automotive sector in Turkey and that their company continues to work with the manufacturers of important wind turbine producers, automotive brands and their tool & die suppliers. İğrek, stating that they finished the year of 2017 with a growth rate of 5%, said: “We produce and do machining for various castings for the leading European manufacturers of wind turbines and we also make stamping die castings for automobile manufacturers. Our casting production continues for Ferrari, Renault, Daimler, Volkswagen and many other companies. We came to be known as a leading brand in our field in Europe. In 2017, we exported 30 percent of our total production. Germany and Italy have been our main focus countries in exports. Our current goal is to increase our export volume and we have been preparing our projections in this direction. We want to increase our direct export ratio and introduce the machine tools we produce to Europe by establishing a warehouse with liaison and sales office in Europe.”

Production area enlarged to 50.000 m²  by recent investments and the experience in producing for wind turbines advances

İğrek, who said that they have increased their production are up to 50.000 m² by investing in additional facilities and renovation in the direction of production of casting parts and CNC machine tools for automotive, aerospace, energy and other heavy industry branches also mentioned that: “Our company is divided into four main departments: Foundry, Machining, Machine Tools Production and R&D. We have installed new equipments and systems for the purpose of improving casting surface quality and enhancing the capacity. We have a successful metallurgical laboratory team working for the best surface and structural quality. Our R&D staff works for developing large sized, high speed and precision type CNC milling machines and vertical lathes with high technology. Which up to date not locally produced in our country. We have been working on the production of simultaneous, 2-axis, electromechanical milling heads for the first time in the industry. We will introduce to our local market the advantages of being able to purchase large type CNC milling machines and vertical lathes domestically. Our prototypes will be completed this year and their introduction to market will begin. We use 3D scanning and measuring technology for reverse engineering in addition to CAD-CAM support for casting part and polystyrol pattern production and quality control.”

The company İğrek, which has one of the richest and most sophisticated processing machining equipment park in our country, has a high competence in the production and machining of casting parts for wind turbines. The company, which can do casting, milling, grinding and turning the main parts of the wind turbine, such as generator rotors and stators, gear boxes and interconnection parts, hubs, carriers, mainframes, shafts is quite ambitious to be one of the main providers of the wind turbine production industry, which is increasing day by day in Turkey. With a casting capacity up to 2000 tons per month, the company meets domestic and foreign demands with its 10-meter bridge type 5-axis CNC milling machine, 2 CNC vertical lathes with 5-meter diameter, and 12×4-meter horizontal boring mill machine with rotary table. We are also considering additional investments in the horizontal boring mill machines. These machines are capable of machining the casting parts of wind turbines in the most appropriate, productive way and with high quality. As one the suppliers of the MILRES project, which is the first locally produced wind turbine of Turkey, our company is the direction of becoming a a major solution partner for wind turbine manufacturers to be established in our country in the following years. Company is up to become a main provider in the 1 GW YEKA project, and apart from this, also comes to the forefront with the supply of parts in other wind turbine production excluding the YEKA.

About the production of 1.5 MW wind turbine and CNC machines tools at its R&D centre

İğrek stated that they had received the official R&D centre title officially from the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology in 2017, and said, “We created an office space of 500 m² for the R&D centre. We perform the outcomes of studies in the R&D Department in our new production building of 5000 m². We have also built a material research lab.  We have started off with the 27-staff R&D team, but we will increase this number even further. Our R&D centre will provide service for the production of machine tools made from casting body structure for mainly automotive, energy, aerospace sectors. On the other hand, İğrek reminded that they returned to the machine manufacturing they had stopped years ago by manufacturing the largest ever locally produced bridge type 5-axis CNC milling machine in 2016, and indicated these:

“Our goal is to produce CNC vertical lathes, milling machines and machining centres. We have been supplying many parts for machine tool manufacturers for many years up to now. We have noticed the lack of domestic production in the machine tools which are present in every company, needed in the automobile tool and die sector and can work in the aerospace industries, which are the high valued targets of our country and the World. For this reason, we have concentrated on milling and turning machines. Our aim is to produce very high-tech machines at European quality but at affordable prices.

Our R&D activities have been continuing rapidly in the production of Wind Energy Turbine, and in this regard, we are about to complete the production of the first 1.5 MW direct-drive wind energy turbine generator as domestic production. Our challenge and major goal for this year is to complete the prototype of our wind turbine with direct-drive generator technology. As regarding machine tools, we will complete the performance tests internally and start the market introduction of the 5-axis milling machine with simultaneous processing milling head.

In 2018 and 2019, we aim to participate in all domestic and European fairs on Machine Tools, Foundry Technologies and Wind Energy to discover new technologies while introducing ourselves and be close to them. Turkey aims to close 2018 with a record of (over 170 billion dollars) export volume. We are also aiming to contribute to this goal by correcting the import-export balance in our favour. We see that this is an important task on our share on behalf of our country as our debt to ourselves as well as to our country.”

 “We aim affordable prices and good quality of domestic products”

Fatih İğrek pointed out that they started off with the aim of affordable prices and good quality of domestic products in the machine tools, and made his remarks like that: “We want to produce very high-tech machines and wind turbines at European quality, but at affordable prices. At the forefront of the most important features of our machine tools and turbines is that they are adaptable to the benefits of Industry 4.0. We have set the goal to sell at least 5 milling machines for the year 2018 and 2 vertical lathes in machine tools. In wind turbine, we aim to complete the prototype this year, to carry out the tests and to start the mass production in 2019. If there is more demand, we may go for capacity increase. We also aim to export.

One of the oldest established companies in its field

Fatih İğrek, who stated that the main activity of work of İğrek Makina was established in central Bursa as a manufacturer of cast iron and bronze parts. He added that the company started to manufacture woodworking machinery in 1950’s and became one of the leading brands of Turkey in its field. Then, İğrek remarked that the company moved to its factory in Bursa Central Station. “When it came to 1970’s, the factory investment was made in Bursa Organized Industry Zone and all production was taken there. In 1980’s, the first electric induction furnace increased the casting technology and capacity. Thus, the production of the woodworking machinery came to an end. Starting to concentrate on high peak, nodular cast iron and steel castings, in 1990’s, setting up its first CNC machine tools and started machining of large parts. In 2003, putting CNC polystyrol pattern production machines into use. İğrek Makina made an impression in the market with its hi-tech pattern production shop all across Europe. Therefore, it transformed into an integrated factory which gives pattern production, casting and machining services at the same facility. İğrek Makina, which established R&D and machine design departments in 2016, has reached a casting capacity up to 70 tons/piece in the foundry”, he said.