Erdal Ferhan Özkan
Chemical Engineer
Summary
I am a Chemical Engineer with 23+ years of overall experience working as General Manager, Plant Manager, Production Manager, Process & RD Manager and WCM Manager at different companies.
I worked as General Manager at İşbir Sünger Sanayi A.Ş between 2023 and 2024. For my initial project at the company, I developed a structure that allows the business to operate and grow without relying on specific individuals. The goal is to ensure the company's independence from bosses, managers, and other critical personnel, and to guarantee its continued success. The project's primary objectives are to promote effectiveness, consistency, transparency, fairness, accountability, participation and dissemination, and responsibility.
Among other significant initiatives, I spearheaded the implementation of systems within our stores to gauge customer needs and behaviors. Simultaneously, I led projects focused on analyzing competitor products in the market and conducting thorough price evaluations.
I worked at Saint-Gobain from 2008 to 2023 in various roles, including Plant Manager, RD & Process Manager, Production Manager, and WCM Manager. During my 15 years at the company, I successfully completed several projects related to energy, CO2, raw material, water consumption, and labor hours reduction. Additionally, I developed new products and processes that earned me awards from Saint-Gobain Furthermore, I received recognition from Turkish authority for my contribution towards sustainability.
I worked as the Process Control Manager at Şişecam, Soda Sanayi Kromsan Plant where I actively implemented process control strategies and standards to improve operational efficiency. Additionally, I played an important role as a Designer and Key User of the “PP (Production & Planning) Module during SAP Implementation projects for Kromsan Plant. We worked for 8 months and successfully went live without any issues. This project was recognized as the most successful project by the Consultant Company.
My experience in different industries has allowed me to work in various positions and gain different perspectives, leading me to a higher standpoint.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
1
1
Language
7
7
Certificates
Work History
General Manager
İşbir Sünger Sanayi A.Ş.
07.2023 - 01.2024
- Drove year-over-year business growth while leading operations, strategic vision, and long-range planning.
- Introduced new methods, practices, and systems to reduce turnaround time.
- Implemented operational strategies and effectively built customer and employee loyalty.
- Provided strategic oversight of marketing and promotional campaigns to keep campaigns aligned with overall goals and objectives.
- Analyzed market trends and competitor activities to create competitive advantages.
- Monitored financial performance, set budgets and controlled expenses to provide financial stability and long-term organizational growth.
- Managed budget implementations, employee reviews, training, schedules, and contract negotiations.
Plant Manager
Saint-Gobain Rigips Alçı Sanayi A.Ş.
01.2023 - 07.2023
- Reduced costs by eliminating materials waste and unnecessary labor hours.
- Directed employees and related programs to maximize team productivity and facility output.
- Optimized processes to maximize efficiency.
- Provided direction and leadership to all levels of employees and managers.
- Maximized plant safety through proactive strategies and well-structured training.
- Managed direction and planning for plant with focus on optimization of daily functions, exceeding customer expectations, and achieving KPIs.
- Identified and implemented viable strategies for continuous improvement.
Research and Development Manager
Saint-Gobain Rigips Alçı Sanayi A.Ş.
01.2017 - 01.2023
- Created process recipes and conducted statistical analysis to define specifications and determine equipment capabilities.
- Analyze challenges in current processes so as to recommend appropriate solutions
- Develop process control strategies and standards to improve operational efficiency
- Prepare projects for optimizing costs and process parameters
- Reviewed staff competencies to build employee skill sets based upon future technical requirements.
- Leveraged data and insights to inform conclusions and support decision-making.
- Used multiple sources of information and broader stakeholder views to develop solutions and recommendations.
- Search for new raw materials, additives, chemicals to reduce the cost
- Follow new technologies, processes, products
- Follow patents, scientific papers, articles
- Prepare all benchmark reports
World Class Manufacturing Manager
Saint-Gobain Rigips Alçı Sanayi A.Ş.
04.2008 - 01.2017
- Drive Continuous Improvement to quantitatively and qualitatively improve costs, quality and service.
- Train and educate the organization and implement continuous improvement methodologies.
- Responsible for discrete categories of OEE opportunity, including tracking downtime results, improving data integrity, and developing improvement plans based on data.
- Support safety as a top priority in training, job design, ergonomics, and regulatory compliance.
- Ensure product quality. Establish and manage systems for “right first time” performance and incorporate this philosophy in the continuous improvement teams.
- Focused on plant wide issues and inter-plant initiatives including developing synergies and business opportunities to optimize other manufacturing plants. Prepare Benchmark Reports.
- Prepare projects for optimizing costs and process parameters. Start from a clear analysis of losses (with monetary values from cost deployment linked to established Key Performance Index), use a clear logic on the choice of method, select of cross functional teams, follow the project program, and evaluate the project results that are tracked immediately and continuously.
- Prepare Plaster/Plasterboard Benchmark, Key Performance Index and Supply Chain Reports.
- Follow new technologies about products and process.
Production Manager
Saint-Gobain Rigips Alçı Sanayi A.Ş.
01.2014 - 01.2015
- Sourced materials to keep up with production goals and meet customer demands.
- Managed continuous improvement initiatives to drive gains in quality, flow, and output.
- Reviewed work for quality and compliance with company standards and design specifications.
- Preparing and implementing action plans to maximize overall equipment efficiency, quality and cost reduction
- Ensure compliance of company, safety, environmental, governmental policies and regulations
- Distribution of work load to operators in order to achieve daily production target
- Planning day to day production to achieve maximum production
- Improving existing operations, incorporating new methods and processes
- Investigating operational problems affecting production and dealing with them in a systematic manner.
- Analysis of daily consumption and generation of production reports
- Provide weekly/monthly reports on specific operating results or activities
- Preparing management information reports to ensure progress in the department
Process Control Manager
Şişecam / Kromsan Krom Bileşikleri Fabrikası
06.2006 - 04.2008
- Analyze challenges in current business processes so as to recommend appropriate improvement solutions
- Develop process control strategies and standards to improve operational efficiency
- Implement process control models, strategies, and other methods for ensuring quality output
- Develop new standards that incorporate the new/modified control system architecture
- Implement changes to the process control system in a timely and accurate manner
- Assure process documentation is regularly developed and maintained
- Identify and train resources on process control improvements
- Execute work assignment in accordance to company standards and quality systems
- Ensure compliance of company, safety, environmental, governmental policies and regulations
- Provide daily/weekly/monthly reports on specific operating results or activities
- Provide technical expertise in support of capital projects, process evaluation, and project modifications
- Assist process technology and production teams in the development and programming of control sequences for all system-controlled processes
- Determine the bottlenecks, high cost processes or idle capacity.
- Prepare projects for optimizing costs and process parameters.
- Follow new technologies about products and process.
Process Control Engineer
Şişecam, Kromsan Krom Bileşikleri Fabrikası
06.2002 - 01.2006
- Analyzed critical line data to make recommendations for improvement.
- Evaluated proposed project economics and identified alternative solutions and designs producing improved results.
- Participated in project reviews to enable ongoing status tracking and reporting.
- Met weekly with team members to discuss project implementations and alleviate any issues.
- Provided technical assistance to production team when issues arose.
- Developed documentation, diagrams, and specifications to meet project requirements and regulatory standards.
- Reviewed processes, identifying areas requiring improvement.
Production Shift Engineer
Mopak Kağıt Ve Karton Sanayi
07.2001 - 12.2001
Quality Engineer
Yakupoğlu Tekstil Sanayi
01.2001 - 07.2001
Education
High School Diploma -
Yenimahalle Technical High School, Electronic
AnkaraBachelor of Science - Chemical Engineering
Middle East Technical University
Ankara 04.2001 - 01.1999
Skills
Team Building and Development
Timeline
General Manager
İşbir Sünger Sanayi A.Ş.
07.2023 - 01.2024
Plant Manager
Saint-Gobain Rigips Alçı Sanayi A.Ş.
01.2023 - 07.2023
Research and Development Manager
Saint-Gobain Rigips Alçı Sanayi A.Ş.
01.2017 - 01.2023
Production Manager
Saint-Gobain Rigips Alçı Sanayi A.Ş.
01.2014 - 01.2015
World Class Manufacturing Manager
Saint-Gobain Rigips Alçı Sanayi A.Ş.
04.2008 - 01.2017
Process Control Manager
Şişecam / Kromsan Krom Bileşikleri Fabrikası
06.2006 - 04.2008
Process Control Engineer
Şişecam, Kromsan Krom Bileşikleri Fabrikası
06.2002 - 01.2006
Production Shift Engineer
Mopak Kağıt Ve Karton Sanayi
07.2001 - 12.2001
Bachelor of Science - Chemical Engineering
Middle East Technical University
04.2001 - 01.1999
Quality Engineer
Yakupoğlu Tekstil Sanayi
01.2001 - 07.2001
High School Diploma -
Yenimahalle Technical High School, Electronic
Certification
New Managers, Saint-Gobain, Paris
Additional Information
Date of Birth : 1973
Marital Status : Married
Military Service Status : Completed
Driving License : B Class
References
Available upon request.