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1978
Tekfen Construction completed its first
project abroad. The 10.2-km Fahaheel
Highway in Kuwait, built jointly with
the American Sangamo Group, marked
the beginning of Tekfen’s international
expansion. The Riyadh High Point Terminal
in Saudi Arabia, the first international
project Tekfen completed using its own
teams and equipment between 1980 and
1983 was another cornerstone of Tekfen’s
international expansion.
Murat Gigin
Chairman of the Board of Directors,
CEO
We had a serious culture shock
when we first arrived in Kuwait. No
one among our engineers spoke a
second language; none of them had
international experience. We had
to discover the wheel all over again
in terms of how to send people
abroad, because until then, Tekfen
had no expertise in that area.
1980
Tekfen partnered with the Central Union
of Agricultural Loan Cooperatives (Tarım
Kredi Kooperatifleri) to found Tarsan and
Tareks, two companies that would be active
in agricultural trade. Tarsan would make
manufacturing investments in prefabricated
greenhouse construction, while Tareks
would specialize in the trade of various
agricultural goods and equipment as well
as growing seeds. Unfortunately, neither
company was long-lived due to changing
circumstances.
1981
In order to expand
its exports begun
with Mis Dairy
and to market
the products of
other companies
abroad, Tekfen
established Tekfen
Foreign Trade,
Inc. (Tekfen Dış
Ticaret) in August
1981. The company
was Turkey’s leading exporter in 1987 with
a turnover of USD380 million. Active in
close to 50 countries, the company was the
international representative of over 200
industrial companies in various sectors.
Following changes in foreign trade, the
company shrank in the 2000s and after
2006, it became part of Tekfen Industry
and Trade, Inc.
Toros Agri’s Ceyhan Production Plant was
commissioned following great difficulties in
construction.
EsinMete
Former Chairwoman of
Toros Agri
I can never forget that day. I was at the
plant and the first batch of fertilizer
began to come out. I immediately
called Necati Akçağlılar and said,
“The fertilizer is here, production has
begun.” Such happy days!
1982
Toros International Transport and Shipping,
Inc. was founded in order to meet the raw
material need of Toros, and a ship was
purchased and named Toros Alize. The
company eventually built a fleet of rented
ships and grew in shipping.
1983
The construction of the 457-km Yumurtalık-
Kırıkkale Crude Oil Pipeline, the first
major pipeline built solely by Tekfen,
began in 1983. This was also Tekfen’s
first EPC (Engineering, Procurement and
Construction) project.
SamimAnıl
Consultant to the General Manager
The Yumurtalık-Kırıkkale Crude Oil
Pipeline was one of the most difficult
routes in the world. The pipeline
descended from the
steepest slope of the
Taurus Mountains.
We employed a very
peculiar method and
it may well have been
the first time pipes
were brought down
using cable cranes.
1984
Tekfen Engineering, Inc. was founded
to address the engineering needs of
in-house projects at Tekfen and to offer
effective engineering services for projects
demanding technologically specialized
knowhow. The company was to handle
the engineering side of the EPC triangle in
turnkey projects.
Alparslan Güre
General Manager, Tekfen Engineering
This company is established upon the
culture of engineering visionaries such
as Haldun Erktin, Günay Ünlüsoy,
Mehmet Kösebay, and Ülkü Tatlıdil.
We all are people who love their job,
nurture ambitions about it, always
trying to create something new and
make a difference.
Time
magazine issued an 8-page Tekfen
supplement with its October 8, 1984 issue.
Until then,
Time
had only issued country
and industry supplements, which made the
Tekfen supplement all the more exceptional
and noteworthy. The magazine introduced
the co-founders of the company as “The
Three Musketeers.”