Gulsan Group


Gaziantep, Turkey
www.gulsan-group.com
2012 Nonwovens Sales: $160 million
 
Key Personnel: Mehmet Kuyucu, general manager nonwovens and films
 
Plants: Gaziantep, Turke and Cairo, Egypt
 
Processes: Spunbond
 
Major markets: Baby diapers, feminine hygiene, adult incontinence
 
New to this year’s top company report is Gulsan Nonwovens. The maker of spunbond nonwovens for hygiene applications is based in Gaziantep, Turkey and reportedly saw its sales hit €120 million ($160 million) in 2013.
 
The increase came on the heels of the company’s first foreign investment, a 4.2-meter, six-beam Reicofil 4 machine located in Cairo, Egypt. The new line, capable of making 20,000 tons of nonwovens came onstream in late 2012 and is expected to boost sales even further in 2013, according to Mehmet Kuyucu, general manager nonwovens and films.
 
“The decision to invest in Egypt supports future growth in the industry and the region and reinforces the company’s position as one of the leading manufacturers of spunmelt materials in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa),” he says.
 
Within Turkey, Gulsan operates two high capacity spunbond lines capable of making about 45,000 tons of nonwovens per year. The first was built in 2004 and the second followed in 2011. Kuyucu says the company is strongly focused on hygiene.
 
“With our advanced technology and experience, we produce high quality, ultra lightweight and diversified nonwoven fabrics for use in baby diapers, adult incontinence and femcare applications,” he says.
 
Our entire building and production fields are designed to fully meet hygiene standards and produce in accordance with the EDANA norms. Our facilities are highly valued and approved by the global and local leading baby diaper manufacturers.
 
Gulsan, which prioritizes technology, quality and customer satisfaction has proven that it has the best service to baby diaper, adult incontinence and fem care industries in terms of its production capabilities and quality, Kuyucu says.
Gulsan Group
Gaziantep, Turkey
www.gulsan-group.com
2014 Nonwovens Sales: $175 million

Key Personnel

Mehmet Kuyucu, general manager, nonwovens and films  

Plants
Gaziantep, Turkey; Cairo, Egypt  

Processes
Spunbond  

Major markets
Baby diapers, feminine hygiene, adult incontinence  

In expansion mode is Turkish producer Gulsan Nonwovens. The maker of spunmelt nonwovens for hygiene applications recently completed its first foreign line, near Cairo, Egypt and has already pledged an expansion within its local market.

In December, Gulsan announced it would add a 20,000-ton spunmelt line in Turkey to support future growth and provide it with state-of-the-art technology. The line, a 4.2-meter six beam Reicofil 4+ nonwoven line, is set to be operational in December 2015 and will serve the hygiene and medical markets.

Once the new line is complete, Gulsan, which is based in Gaziantep, Turkey, will have a global capacity of 105,000 tons including a recently added 20,000-ton Egyptian line, which came onstream in October 2014.

At the time of the announcement, executives said the new investment decision for Turkey will support Gulsan’s future growth in the industry and in the region with highly sophisticated and up-to-date production technologies and reinforces the company’s position as one of the leading manufacturers of spunmelt materials in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.

All of the company’s nonwovens are high quality, ultralightweight materials that are used in baby diapers, adult incontinence items and femcare applications.
Gaziantep, Turkey
www.gulsan-group.com
2015 Nonwovens Sales: $186 million


Key Personnel
Mehmet Kyucu, general manager, nonwovens and films

Plants
Gaziantep, Turkey; Cairo, Egypt

Processes
Spunbond

Major Markets
Baby diapers, feminine hygiene, adult incontinence


Gulsan, one of Turkey’s major nonwovens producers, reports its latest investment, a 20,000 ton spunmelt line, came onstream at its Gaziantep headquarters at the end of 2015. The 4.2-meter, six-beam Reicofil 4+ brought Gulsan’s global capacity to 105,000  tons and will largely serve the hygiene and medical markets.

“We invest in state-of-the-art technology and move to meet the requirements of the market and our customers,” says Mehmet Kuyucu, general manager, nonwovens and films. “Gulsan is fully committed to top quality and the utmost customer satisfaction with a focus on innovation.”

In October 2014, Gulsan completed its first foreign investment, a 20,000 ton Reicofil line near Cairo, Egypt. This new line supports Gulsan’s future growth in the industry and other regions and reinforces the company’s position as one of the leading manufacturers of spunmelt materials in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.

Kuyucu would not comment on where or when Gulsan’s next investment would take place.

“Our strategy is to support Gulsan’s future growth in the industry and in the region with highly sophisticated and up-to-date production technologies to its business partners and reinforces the company’s position as one of the leading manufacturers of spunmelt  materials in EMEA region.”
Gaziantep, Turkey
www.gulsan-group.com
2016 Nonwovens Sales: $200 million


Key Personnel
Mehmet Kyucu, general manager, nonwovens and films

Plants
Gaziantep, Turkey; Cairo, Egypt

Processes
Spunbond

Major Markets
Baby diapers, feminine hygiene, adult incontinence

The latest news from Turkey’s Gulsan Group is the installation of a brand new Reicofil 5 line, announced in April 2017 at the INDEX show. The announcement came just hours after Reicofil had announced the launch of the Reicofil 5 technology, which supercedes the Recofil 4+ technology and sets new standards for spunbond and composite nonwovens, according to Reifenhauser.

The new line, which will be located in Turkey, will feature six beams, will be 5.2 meters wide and will add 35,000 tons of capacity to Gulsan’s operation. It will serve the hygiene and medical markets and begin commercial sales in July 2019.

In addition to this 35,000-ton investment, Gulsan is adding a second line at its site near Cairo, Egypt, which will double that site’s capacity to 40,000 tons. Announced in February 2017, the new Reicofil 4+ line is on track to start in 2018.Gulsan completed work on the Egypt site, its first foreign investment, in October 2014.

“The new lines will support Gulsan’s future growth in the industry and in the region with highly sophisticated and up-to-date production technologies and will also reinforce the company’s position as one of the leading manufacturers of spunmelt materials in EMEA region,” says general manager Mehmet Kuyucu.

With sites in Egypt and Turkey, Gulsan already makes 105,000 tons of spunmelt nonwovens per year. According to Kuyucu, the company is satisfied with the footprint and has no plans to add sites in other regions.

“We invest in state-of-the-art technology and move to meet the market’s and our customers’ requirements,” Kuyucu says. “Gulsan is fully committed to top quality and the utmost customer satisfaction and focus on innovation.”

These new investment decisions for Turkey and Egypt have been made to support Gulsan’s future growth in the industry and in the region with highly sophisticated and up-to-date production technologies to its business partners and reinforces the company’s position as one of the leading manufacturers of spunmelt materials with total of 160,000 tons per year capacity in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.
Gaziantep, Turkey
www.gulsan-group.com
2017 Nonwovens Sales: $244 million


Key Personnel
Mehmet Kuyucu, general manager, nonwovens and films

Plants
Gaziantep, Turkey; Cairo, Egypt

Processes
Spunbond and meltblown


Gulsan Group continues to invest in spunmelt technology for the global hygiene markets. The Turkey-based company’s latest investments—at sites in Turkey and Egypt—will bring the company’s global capacity to 160,000 tons. In 2017, Gulsan announced it was going to be the initial investor in Reicofil’s latest spunmelt technology, the Reicofil 5, with a six-beam, 5.2-meter-wide spunmelt line capable making 35,000 tons of nonwovens per year. The line, which will serve hygiene and medical markets, is expected to begin operation during the fourth quarter of next year.

Meanwhile, in Egypt, at its site near Cairo, Gulsan’s second production line began operation in July 2018, bringing total capacity in the country to 40,000 tons. “The investment was made to reinforce our position as one of the leading manufacturers of spunmelt materials in the EMEA region,” says general manager Mehmet Kuyucu.

Gulsan opened the Egyptian site—its first foreign investment—in October 2014.

Kuyucu says that there is no plan currently to expand into other countries or regions.
Gaziantep, Turkey
www.gulsan-group.com
2018 Nonwovens Sales: $215 million


Key Personnel
Mehmet Kuyucu, general manager, nonwovens and films

Plants
Gaziantep, Turkey; Cairo, Egypt

Processes
Spunbond and meltblown


In 2018, the company reported that sales were $215 million thanks to the contribution of new lines in Turkey and Egypt. The company currently makes 85,000 tons of nonwovens in Gaziantep, Turkey, and 40,000 tons in Cairo, Egypt. Additionally, the company’s second Turkish plant, in Corul, Istanbul, is set to come onstream in the fourth quarter of 2019. The site will manufacture 35,000 tons of spunmelt nonwovens based on Reicofil 5 technology.

Gulsan announced its latest investment in 2017 right after Reicofil announced the latest version of its spunmelt technology. The six-beam, 5.2 meter line will largely serve the hygiene and medical markets.

Gulsan opened its Egyptian site in October 2014.
Gaziantep, Turkey
www.gulsan-group.com
2019 Nonwovens Sales: $275 million


Key Personnel
Mehmet Kuyucu, general manager, nonwovens and films

Plants
Gaziantep, Turkey; Cairo, Egypt

Processes
Spunbond and meltblown

Sales continue to rise for Turkey’s Gulsan Group reaching €245 million in 2019 on the heels of new investments in Turkey and Egypt, according to Mehmet Kuyucu. This trend should continue as recently investments continue to come onstream.

Gulsan’s latest investment announcement, in January 2020, came amidst the coronavirus pandemic and represented a new nonwovens technology for the company. The latest investment is a 3.2-meter state-of-the-art Reicofil meltblown line, which will come onstream by the end of 2020. “This is a very important step to secure our national healthcare as well as EMEA region by producing enough meltblown capacity, which is the key component of facial masks,” Kuyucu says.

The line will be able to make enough meltblown nonwovens to make 250 million face masks per month and will primarily serve the local Turkish medical market.

Prior to the meltblown investment, all of Gulsan’s capacity has been centered around spunmelt nonwovens, primarily serving the global hygiene markets. Its most recent investment, a 5.2-meter Reicofil 5 line came onstream in 2019—after being announced in 2017—bringing 35,000 tons to a new site in Corlu, Turkey. Additionally, the company makes 85,000 tons of nonwovens in Gaziantep, Turkey and 40,000 tons in Cairo, Egypt.
Gaziantep, Turkey
www.gulsan-group.com
2020 Nonwovens Sales: $444 million


Key Personnel
Mehmet Kuyucu, general manager, nonwovens and films

Plants
Gaziantep, Turkey; Cairo, Egypt

Processes
Spunbond and meltblown

Investment continues for Turkey’s Gulsan Group. In October, not long after finalizing construction on a Reicofil 5 line at its Corlu, Turkey, site, the company announced it would add a second Reicofil 5 line in Turkey, with start up scheduled for June 2022, as well as a second line at its site near Cairo, Egypt, later in 2022.

Gulsan already makes 160,000 tons of spunmelt nonwovens–including 120,000 tons in Turkey and 40,000 tons in Egypt—per year and started up a meltblown line—a company first—in Turkey in March 2021.

Gulsan has not released capacity details for the new lines but reports the investments will support its future growth in the industry and reinforce its position as one of the leading manufacturers of spunmelt materials to supply top quality, ultra-light weight, diversified nonwovens with highly sophisticated and state-of-art technologies to its business partners for baby diapers as well as medical and health products in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.

In 2020, company sales continued to climb, reaching €341 million in 2020 on the heels of new investments in Turkey and Egypt as well as increased demand for nonwovens amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, according to Mehmet Kuyucu, general manager, nonwovens and films. This trend should continue as recently completed investments continue to come onstream.

Gulsan’s latest spunmelt investment, a 35,000 Reicofil 5 spunmelt line, announced in 2017, came onstream in early 2020 in Corlu, Turkey. The company currently makes 85,000 tons of spunmelt nonwovens in Gaziantep and 40,000 tons in Cairo, Egypt. Capacity figures for the two planned lines were not announced.

In January 2020, Gulsan announced it would diversify into meltblown with a 3.2-meter state-of-the-art Reicofil line, which came onstream in March 2021 and is capable of making meltblown materials for 250 million face masks per month.
Gaziantep, Turkey
www.gulsan-group.com
2021 Nonwovens Sales: $451 million


Key Personnel
Mehmet Kuyucu, general manager, nonwovens and films

Plants
Gaziantep, Turkey; Cairo, Egypt

Processes
Spunbond and meltblown

Sales continue to climb at Turkey’s Gulsan Group. The company reported sales of $451 million compared to $444 million the prior year.

Growth is expected to continue thanks to new investments including a second line in Turkey and a second line at its site near Cairo, Egypt. Both lines were announced in October 2020 with an estimated start up sometime in 2022. Currently, the company is unable to provide an update on their progress.

Gulsan has not released capacity details for the new lines but reports the investments will support its future growth in the industry and reinforce its position as one of the leading manufacturers of spunmelt materials to supply top quality, ultra-lightweight, diversified nonwovens with highly sophisticated and state-of-art technologies to its business partners for baby diapers as well as medical and health products in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.

Gulsan already makes 160,000 tons of spunmelt nonwovens–including 120,000 tons in Turkey and 40,000 tons in Egypt. Its most recent investments, a 35,000 Reicofil 5 spunmelt line, announced in 2017, came onstream in early 2020 in Corlu, Turkey, and a 3.2 meter meltblown line, the company’s first investment in this technology, in Gaziantep, Turkey.

For Gulsan Group's 2020 top company profile, click here.
Gaziantep, Turkey
www.gulsan-group.com
2022 Nonwovens Sales: $430 million


Plants
Gaziantep, Turkey; Cairo, Egypt

Processes
Spunbond and meltblown

Total nonwovens sales clocked in at $430 million at Gulsan Group. The Gaziantep, Turkey-based company has spunmelt nonwovens operations in Turkey and Egypt. While inflation, sudden demand changes and supply chain fluctuations affected the company throughout the year, business started to normalize in the second half of the year.

In 2020, the company announced it would add new lines at both sites with an estimated start-up planned for last year, however Gulsan has released little details on these lines including whether or not they have started up as planned.

These investments will support its growth in the industry and reinforce its position as one of the leading manufacturers of spunmelt materials to supply top quality, ultra-lightweight, diversified nonwovens with highly sophisticated and state-of-art technologies to its business partners for baby diapers as well as medical and health products in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.

Prior to these investments Gulsan made 160,000 tons of spunmelt nonwovens–including 120,000 tons in Turkey and 40,000 tons in Egypt. Its most recent investments, a 35,000 Reicofil 5 spunmelt line, announced in 2017, came onstream in early 2020 in Corlu, Turkey, and a 3.2 meter meltblown line, the company’s first investment in this technology, in Gaziantep, Turkey.