Giant corporations and centuries-old corporations of the classical economy are following the changes in material while keeping pace with the digital transformation. On its 142th anniversary, Henkel developed innovative products to take its share of the digital transformation. The road map for this transformation was shared with journalists and analysts in a recent event in Germany.
How does a chemical giant that combines Persil, Pril, Vernel in laundry and home care, Gliss, Blendax, Palette in beauty care, and Pritt, Loctite, Technomelt in adhesive technologies under the umbrella of Türk Henkel focus on the communication infrastructure of the future and automobiles? We see the clues of transformation in changing lifestyles, materials, and business processes.
Henkel, which generated 9.4 billion euros ($10.58 billion) in revenue in 2018, is gearing up for the digital transformation and striving to stay stronger for one more century. For this purpose, it is trying to lighten electric vehicles of the future with new materials and to ensure that they are constantly connected with sensors.
Henkel shared important milestones in the changing world and how the company would adapt to this change with journalists and analysts. Some 250 new electric car models will be introduced in the next two years. From 2020, an average car will use approximately 12 cameras. Henkel aims to become a part of the automotive industry by developing over 300 innovative solutions. To this end, the company is looking to respond to changing raw material needs in the use of the new type of energy, the lightening of electric cars and driverless vehicle technologies. It is estimated that Henkel will continue to produce the raw materials needed by camera and sensor manufacturers, while autonomous automobiles are in use. Considering the average use of 17 kilograms of glue in each vehicle, the new add-ons that will accompany this transformation lead to more use of Henkel's raw material production.
Henkel adhesives even in diapers
Ordinary diapers are no longer used for newborn babies. Every year, 15 million newborn babies use diapers made with Henkel adhesives. The use of adhesives is increasing for a more practical lifestyle. Such innovative solutions stand out in many new products that we use in our daily lives. In other words, companies with white-collar employees, as well as those with blue-collar workers, are using Henkel products.
It is vital to create value from waste. Chemical manufacturers use recycling technology to contribute to the development of a sustainable lifestyle. Plastic manufacturers are now saying something else but only 14 percent of waste plastic is recycled.
Today there are 30 billion devices connected to the internet. The figure is expected to reach 75 billion by 2025. Autonomous vehicles now use more cameras. Moreover, materials that you think you know like wood are processed and gain different values. While architectures of the processors change, they use the building blocks of chemical companies like Henkel as raw materials, which is why processor manufacturers such as Qualcomm and Intel are affected by the development of material technology. While 5G infrastructure smartens up every device, sensor manufacturers continue to be Henkel's customers.
Used in 3D printers
The use of 3D printers is increasing every year. Supporting the 3D printer ecosystem to use innovative new materials, Henkel works closely with companies such as Autodesk. Newv 3D printers are used in many areas from transportation to health, from space technologies to education. Henkel uses 3D printer solutions in space technologies, hearing aids, dental treatments, and transportation vehicles. The company plans a series of innovations at its center scheduled to open in 2020. Scenarios and startup support programs designed with business partners aim to increase the ability to use materials.
Established in 1963, Türk Henkel delivers many solutions in everyday life, from dishwashing detergent at home to adhesives in the building industry. It operates with approximately 1,000 employees in Turkey. Headquartered in Istanbul, the company's factories are located in Ankara, Istanbul and Kocaeli. It has an average sales figure of 400 million euros and an organic sales growth of 25 percent.
PAYG model for entrepreneurs doing business in the cloud
İnanç Erol, the chairman of NGN, which undertook one of the biggest data center investments in Turkey, said that they would support the startups in Turkey with cloud technology and the pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model in the Star of Bosphorus data center.
The increase in the number of institutions and technology entrepreneurs taking a digital transformation step has a positive effect on data center investments.
"With this investment, we aim to contribute approximately TL 2 billion to the Turkish economy within five years. When the data center reaches full capacity, we will employ more than 1,000 people," NGN Chairman and CEO İnanç Erol said.
He further informed about the support given to the startups.
"Within the scope of our cooperation with İTÜ ARI Teknokent, we are committed to supporting startups and contributing to the venture ecosystem and growing together. Successful implementation of new business ideas for the development of the sector is very valuable," Erol continued. "We support the startups of our choosing with the cloud and training package we have designed on our NGN Cloud infrastructure. We have also completed the investment of our Turkish-patented and domestic cloud infrastructure, which we offer under the NGN Cloud brand from Star of Bosphorus. We started to offer flexible cloud solutions that are suitable for every scale of business with pay as you go model. Our vision is to bring out global brands from Turkey by providing the Turkish market with a local and reliable platform."
Investment in big data
İnanç Erol said data consumption is expected to reach 40 zettabytes in 2020.
"The protection and accessibility of such large-scale data require serious investments. We are always open to all entrepreneurs who think global and big and who need to protect their data in a secure, high-level backup," Erol noted. "The most important building block of the digital age is undoubtedly big data. Today, mobility, cloud and social media are changing the way we communicate and work. The infrastructure for this transformation requires reliable, high-performance, and uninterrupted data center infrastructures. In order to support digital transformation and stand out from the competition, enterprises must first consider how they will transform their IT infrastructure."
Underlining the importance of the countries that own the big data source, İnanç Erol explained their investments.
"We have prepared an infrastructure where the owners of the data sources in Turkey can also receive service in our data center. As of today, NGN has become a reliable technology partner of the leading companies in Turkey. Today, as a regional technology group, we serve many companies in Turkey and the region," he continued. "With NGN Cloud, our Turkish-patented cloud managed by Turkish teams, we offer our customers flexible and first-ever billed cloud service in Turkey. We provide management services that we collect under the name of Managed Services together with Cloud Services and Server Hosting Services, enabling organizations to become more efficient in their operational processes."
Star of Bosphorus data center figures
The data center project has reached a significant level of certification and investment for both electrical infrastructure and the ability to remain permanently operational. Thanks to the seismic isolation structure technology, the center is not affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes.
As an operator-independent data center, customers have the flexibility to receive services from any operator and redundant connectivity if an operator service is interrupted. It operates over 2,000 standard cabinets on a white area of 5,000 square meters with 16 megawatts in total electric power.
Network not difficult to manage
Many small or medium-sized businesses gain the ability to do digital business while facing a technology barrier. Especially when connecting to the internet, managing the network and providing security is often quite complicated. Technology startups are developing fast and easy-to-use solutions to these complex issues.
Netbox, supported by Türk Telekom's startup acceleration platform PİLOT, offers a network platform that enables small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to meet their needs in computer networks such as cloud-based services. Netbox enables management and security systems in computer networks to be easily obtained through the cloud in service. All Wi-Fi access is taken under control. Whether restricted or blocked, it allows you to have a separate user list for your employees and customers. Now that everyone has a username, it adds personalized access and control.
It provides easy access to all access reports. The startups are supported by the broad customer potential of Türk Telekom. Netbox makes its solutions available abroad, thus proving to be a global solutions provider.
Timur Sırt / Daily Sabah
