TürkTraktör Invests €29 Million in Erenler Factory
Foreks - Turkish tractor manufacturer TürkTraktör, the oldest active producer in the Turkish automotive sector, continues its investments at the Erenler Factory, which is the largest tractor manufacturing hub in Europe. In addition to tractor production, it is launching a cabin frame production facility with an investment of approximately 29 million Euros, alongside its assembly production for cabins, which is one of the largest components of the tractor.
Haydar Yenigün, the Chairman of the Automotive Group at Koç Holding and a board member of TürkTraktör, stated that the company is taking steps to further enhance its world-class production quality as it celebrates its 70th anniversary. Yenigün mentioned, “TürkTraktör, the most established manufacturer in the Turkish automotive sector, continues to grow in line with its heritage from the past and the future vision of Koç Group. In addition to the technological advancements required by the age, it also continues its investments in local production. I believe the new facility in the cabin line will enhance TürkTraktör's production capacity.”
Matthieu Séjourné, the Company Leader of TürkTraktör, noted that the Erenler Factory, which opened ten years ago, has made significant progress over the years. Séjourné stated, “As the TürkTraktör family, the year 2024, in which we celebrate our 70th anniversary, is also an important milestone for our Erenler Factory. Erenler operates with approximately 900 employees, including field and office staff, and stands as Europe’s largest tractor manufacturing center in various aspects, from production capacity to technological infrastructure, energy sources, and sustainability. It differentiates itself from competitors with its flexible production capabilities ranging from 48 HP to 170 HP.”
He also emphasized that they would continue their efforts to reduce energy consumption in line with sustainability goals in 2025, stating, “We are achieving significant savings in our operations according to our sustainability criteria. With the ISO 50001 energy management system, we continuously reduce energy consumption per product, achieving a 15% improvement last year. With the rooftop solar power plant launched in 2023, we meet 52% of our electricity needs with solar energy. This has allowed us to save 58% on electricity in 2024 while also reducing natural gas consumption by 13%.”
Séjourné mentioned that investments continue in the factory that features the first 8-robot painting line in the sector, stating, “In our cabin assembly line, which became operational in Erenler two years ago, we are producing our 5,000th cabin this year while also strengthening our infrastructure for cabin welding, painting, and cathodic electrophoresis processes. In this context, we are preparing to launch our new cabin frame production facility with an investment of approximately 29 million Euros, which consists of robotic welding and robotic painting processes, by the end of the first quarter of 2025. With our new 8,000 m² welding, cathodic electrophoresis, and painting facility, we will also produce cabin frames in-house, thus integrating the welding operation into our production processes for the first time to enhance our production capabilities.”
Regarding the technological infrastructure of the new facility, Séjourné said, “We are advancing for Industry 4.0 by utilizing image processing and artificial intelligence technologies. This allows us to gain flexibility in meeting high quality and customer demands in our production processes and products. We have implemented a flexible and continuously flowing AMR assembly line, which is a first in Turkey, by conducting our operations on AMR robots in our cabin assembly lines. With our high automation welding line employing 12 robots, we will further enhance our quality level with 100% robotic control. Skeletons transported from the welding workshop by AGV will be coated in the newly established fully automated cathodic electrophoresis line and delivered to the assembly line with a Class V paint standard achieved through 100% robotic powder coating.”
Continuing as the locomotive of the sector in production, exports, and R&D, Séjourné emphasized, “While we work tirelessly to prepare agriculture and cities for the future, we have maintained our leadership in the Turkish tractor market for 18 consecutive years. In the first ten months of this year, we alone accounted for 61% of tractor production and 77% of exports in Turkey. During this period, we produced 37,781 tractors, selling 26,929 tractors in the domestic market and reaching 11,500 in exports. Our New Holland brand ranks first in the market, while our premium brand Case IH ranks second. As we progress strong towards the end of the year, we believe we will complete our 70th anniversary while maintaining our leadership.”