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EXPERIENCE + YOUTHFUL ENTHUSIASM + IDEALISM =
TEKFEN ENGINEERING
WHY IS ENGINEERING IMPORTANT?
Engineering is closely linked to a coun-
try’s economy and development. It is not a
service that functions merely within its own
limits. When you design something, you de-
fine all its components and steps from its
material to the way it will be manufactured.
In a sense, you open up new business oppor-
tunities to the industry on a sectoral scale.
Let’s say you are building a refinery. If you are
designing and procuring the equipment of a
refinery, your first choice is to look at the lo-
cal manufacturers. That of course seriously
motivates the manufacturing sector. In a
chain reaction, this leads to more permanent
investments that create jobs in the other sec-
tors as well.
SINCE THE DAY IT WAS FOUNDED IN 1984, TEKFEN ENGINEERING HAS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN
THE CONTRACT PROJECTS OF THE GROUP WHILE ALSO INDEPENDENTLY MEETING THE ENGINEERING
NEEDS OF VARIOUS INDUSTRIAL AND INFRASTRUCTURAL PROJECTS. TEKFEN ENGINEERING HAS GROWN
STRONGER WITH ITS PROGRESSIVE MEASURES IN RECENT YEARS, UNDERTAKING SIGNIFICANT
INNOVATIONS THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SECTOR
HOW CAN THE ENGINEERING
INFRASTRUCTURE OF A COUNTRY
DEVELOP?
Design engineering depends on knowl-
edge and experience. The more work you do,
the more experience you gain. That is why
each and every investment in engineering in a
country is important for the local engineering
design firms to gain experience. State incen-
tive and protective policies are essential for
Turkish design engineers to be able to partake
in the investments in Turkey. It is not enough
to just say, “Let’s establish engineering firms
and keep them alive.” It is also necessary to
regularly provide them new business; and
new business means protective state policies.
WHAT EXACTLY IS DESIGN
ENGINEERING?
At a construction site mechanics, electri-
cians, civil engineers, and architects work to-
gether, and at the center of that work is the
architect. They are the conductors of the or-
chestra. When technological projects are con-
cerned, the process engineer plays the role of
the architect. Structures like refineries and
petrochemical plants require complete design
engineering. This also includes procurement,
control, and automation. This type of engi-
neering has extremely high added value, be-
cause it involves a much higher level of work
based on expertise. In such projects, process
engineers play a vital role.
HOW DOES ONE BECOME A PROCESS
ENGINEER?
Actually, universities don’t have process
engineering departments. Most process en-
gineers graduate from university as chemical
engineers. They become process engineers
through the types of jobs they choose in their
careers and the special graduate programmes
they attend. We generally prefer hiring newly
graduates and training them as process engi-
neers. The number of experienced personnel
in this field is extremely limited. There are
about 16-17 process engineers at Tekfen En-
gineering, and most of them are very young.
WHAT MAKES TEKFEN ENGINEERING
DIFFERENT?
Today, if you want to be competitive on a
global scale, you have to incorporate different
types of engineering, and be able to offer en-
gineering services that involve a higher level
of added value. There are many layers and dif-
ferent disciplines in engineering. Tekfen Engi-
neering brings many different disciplines to-
gether in any given project. Projects with high
added value, which involve advanced technol-
ogy and know-how, require such an approach.
Engineering can never be done on its own. In
each plant, process, instrumentation, piping,
construction, infrastructure, and architecture
all work together. And they need to work to-
gether concurrently and in coordination for
the project to be completed on time. This is a
process that needs to be well-coordinated and
carried out very carefully. Knowledge plays a
big role in this, as does experience.
HOW COMPETITIVE IS TEKFEN
ENGINEERING? IF SOMEONE SAID,
“WE NEED A RESEARCH LAB ON
MARS,” WOULD YOU BE UP TO IT?
I don’t know if we would be up to it, but
we would definitely do our best to do it.
That’s actually how we got involved in pro-
cess projects in the first place. We are quite
courageous in these matters, but not blindly