COVER STORY
Powering the factory
The physical expansion is accompanied by investment in renewable energy, which has had a significant impact on the company’ s energy usage.“ We have installed solar panels on the roof of the factory through a Turkish government-supported programme,” says Mr Kaya.“ The installation was designed with capacity approximately twice the company’ s current needs, allowing us to generate more electricity than we consume and supply excess generation to the electricity system.” The company is also focusing on recycling materials generated during manufacturing. Paper and other waste materials are sent for recycling, while the solar installation provides an additional source of renewable electricity for the factory. For SMS TORK, these measures combine environmental considerations with practical business benefits, including reducing reliance on purchased energy and preparing for changing energy and environmental requirements. The company currently identifies solar power generation and recycling as its principal sustainability initiatives, suggesting that the immediate focus is on making existing manufacturing operations more efficient and resource-conscious rather than pursuing a long list of separate environmental projects.
To the future
Predicting the future of manufacturing is difficult, particularly in a global environment that can change rapidly. Nevertheless, SMS TORK sees a clear direction for its own development.“ Electrical actuation is becoming an increasingly important part of our portfolio, with new torque ranges under development and the multi-turn range moving towards international markets,” explains Mr Kaya.“ At the same time, lean manufacturing, digital monitoring, AI, automation and robotics are reshaping the way we produce our products.” The expansion of approximately 5,000 m 2 provides the physical capacity to support that growth, while solar generation and recycling form part of the company’ s efforts to make its manufacturing operation more sustainable. For SMS TORK, the next chapter is not defined by one particular valve or actuator. Instead, it is about building the manufacturing capability, technology and capacity needed to take the company into its next stage of international growth. www. valve-world. net Valve World October 2026
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