Miller Magazine Issue: 135 March 2021

63 INTERVIEW MILLER / march 2021 control laboratories are absolutely indispensable for compa- nies producing flour.” Mr. Ozbal, first of all, could you share with us your company’s foundation story and its journey until today? Our company was established in Gaziantep in 1991 with a wheat crushing capacity of 80 tons/day. However, in the past 30 years, we have continuously increased our produc- tion capacity by adopting quality and stable production as a principle for all of our products. Between 1991 and 1998, we only produced flour for the bread group. In 1998, we includ- ed the products of the confectionery group in the product range. In 2008, we increased our capacity to 120 tons/day wheat crushing capacity and added pastry group products to the product range. Our daily production will reach 400 tons with our new factory in Gaziantep Organized Industrial Zone, which is planned to be operational in July 2021. We regard every customer as a friend. Friendships are based on trust. The basic principles of gaining this trust are to consider customer requests in product quality, and to keep continuous product development efforts by following the needs of the market. We continue our production with these principles, always with the same seriousness and devotion. Could you give us information about your production facilities and the technology you use? We are currently working with semi-automation in our current facility. However, we are planning to form the basis of wheat flour production with artificial intelligence in our new unit, which we will commission in April. We use the latest technology devices in our product acceptance, quality control and R&D laboratories. Where do you get your raw materials from? We meet our rawmaterial purchases from different regions of our country and abroad, depending on the area of use. Which markets do you work for? Our company has established a dealership network in 49 cities in the country. Internationally, we work with EU coun- tries, Britain, Iraq and Syria partially. Could you tell us about your R&D studies apart from facility investment? What kind of work do you do in your quality control laboratory? As I said before, we produce wheat flour in various groups. There are criteria and wheat varieties we set for the flour we produce for these different groups. Even if we do not buy wheat from every region, we conduct physical, chemical and rheological analyzes of wheat varieties in our country in order to create a data network. We record the seasonal conditions of the wheat sample and even the altitude of the location where it is grown. In our R&D studies, we evaluate complaints, demands and expectations of the market from us. The data network we apply in wheat is also valid for the R&D department. The product, the R&D of which is defined, is first tested in our own kitchens. Then, the products that we find suitable are presented to the evaluation of our expert masters in the sec- ond stage. After getting positive results from here, we start mass production. With these data networks, we aim to pro- duce the best product in the most standard way. “ABP IS THE COMPANY THAT WE CAN GET SAME RESULTS IN REPEATABILITY” Which company did you prefer for the laboratory set- up? One of the sine qua non in the laboratory is that the de- vices can perform the tests on the same standard norms. We worked with many companies, but the devices we bought did not work as standard after a few uses. We could not achieve the same results in repeatability. ABP was the com- pany that stood behind the device it provided and we could get the same results in repeatability. How do you manage your quality control processes? In 2006, after evaluating many different products, we pur- chased Chopin Alveograph MA device after the promotions of ABP Gıda. We preferred the AlveoLab device, which was renewed in 2015, because of the short analysis procedure process, automatic calculation and output of the results com- pared to the old models, high memory and excellent semo- lina tests. We continue to use AlveoLab, which we bought next to the existing Chopin SD Matic and Mixolab devices, with approximately 10 tests daily in wheat and flour quality control. In line with our production, all these devices are used in semolina-flour mixtures or in these two products. The struc- ture of the semolina and its reaction in the products to be created are measured. Gluten structures are tested in durum wheat. When wheat first arrives at our facility, certain criteria are set for semolina studies in the AlveoLab device and the process is carried out according to the results obtained. Sem- olina tests are also performed on the SD Matic device. Again, production is directed in line with certain results. With the Mixolab device, we design special protocols for ourselves, determine sunn pest damage, provide optimization of wheat and flour blends, and determine the effects of additives. Ac- cordingly, we are doing product development and additives studies. Wheat flour production is no longer disordered in Turkey as in the 1990s. The variety of wheat is very high. Custom- ers demand more from us. Diversity in flour production is increasing day by day. The quality is determined by the right wheat selection, production processes suitable for the prod- uct to be produced and end product standardization. Since there is high idle capacity in our country, many com- panies are trying to produce various product groups as a last chance. But it is not that easy to produce these special prod- uct groups. First of all, you need to know what you want to produce. You should have a lot of wheat and data on them. What should be the protein of your product? What should I do with damaged starch? Many criteria like these should be