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7
1963
1964
Tekfen lightbulb factory began production
in 1964 and the first lightbulbs were sent off
on July 26. A distribution unit had been set
up within the company to make a fast entry
to the market. In order to attain economic
efficiency, this unit also sold some basic
goods, such as matches, produced by other
companies.
1965
Tekfen took
part in the
construction
of the Ereğli
Steel Plant
(Erdemir), one
of the biggest
heavy industry
investments
of Turkey.
The most
comprehensive
job Tekfen
undertook in the project was the Gülüç
Dam, built to provide the plant with cooling
and tap water. During construction, Feyyaz
Berker and Nihat Gökyiğit had a serious
accident with the small plane they used to
go to construction sites.
Upon a suggestion by Kamuran Sertel, who
was Nihat Gökyiğit’s friend from his years at
Robert College, the three partners decided
to go into lightbulb production as their
first industrial investment. A new company
named Tekfen Industry and Trade, Inc.
was founded for this purpose in 1963 and
construction of the plant began in Levent,
İstanbul.
Feyyaz Berker
Co-founder and Honorary President
In those days, we thought there
were three big lightbulb companies
in the world: Philips, Osram, and
General Electric. We had the mettle
to fight against these three giants.
We came up with the motto, “When
the sun sets, Tekfen rises.” That is
the most valuable thing for me.
İpraş (İstanbul Petroleum Refinery Inc.)
became one of Tekfen’s clients. The first
project Tekfen undertook for İpraş was
the construction of a 40-km pipeline that
would carry water from Lake Sapanca to
the refinery area. The success of this project
and the subsequent ones made Tekfen a
preferred solution partner for İpraş in the
years to come.
Tekfen, together with the French Entrepose
and Italian Techint companies, won the
tender for the Turkish Petroleum Crude Oil
Pipeline between Batman and İskenderun in
1965. Except for a few short and local lines
and military facilities, this 493-km long line
was Turkey’s first oil pipeline. The project
significantly increased Tekfen’s expertise in
pipelines.
1966
United Lighting
Industries (Birleşik
Aydınlatma Sanayi)
was founded in İzmit
as a partnership with
Philips to produce
glass for lightbulbs
and fluorescent
lamps.
1967
1969
Tekfen Construction moved to İstanbul in
1967 and was incorporated the same year,
becoming TİAŞ - Tekfen İnşaat AŞ (Tekfen
Construction, Inc.). The new headquarters
of the company was the lightbulb plant
in Levent. The name of the company was
changed to TİTAŞ - Tekfen İnşaat ve Tesisat
AŞ (Tekfen Construction and Installation,
Inc.) in 1968.
Begun in 1969, the construction of the Tofaş
automotive plant in Bursa was the first
project of TİTAŞ; however, the construction
was damaged as a result of the earthquake
in Gediz on March 28, 1970. Tekfen
conducted an inquiry, which found that the
reason for the extensive damage was “soil
amplification” caused by earthquake waves
growing stronger as they pass through soft
and layered soil. This incident was noted
as a contribution to world earthquake
literature.