In every challenge we face and decision we make it is a tradition to us to draw strength from our past. Below you may catch few glimpses from the life of the SUPTEX family since its foundation.
Manufacturing in a basement store
1967 – Two one-time blue-collar workers Ali AL and Fikri TAK together decide to go for a new venture of their own at a time when availability and variety for any rubber sealing compound was relatively limited in the country. The two co-found SUPTEX Oil Seals in July 1967.
They start the business in a small workshop in Istanbul, with 2 hand-presses for vulcanizing rubber, a punch press for steel cutting and forming, a vertical drill to remove rubber flash, a simple chemical treatment apparatus and a single employee. They acquire the rubber from a local supplier and sell the very first seal they manage to manufacture, sized 50x72x10, to a small company in Karakoy, Istanbul. Daily output is around 100 pieces.
Turkey is still in the early stages of its economic development. The GNP is around $12 billion and exports slightly above $500 million US dollars.
1968 – Fikri TAK, one of the co-founders, tragically lost his life in a car accident.
1973 – The company moves to its new place in Istanbul where it will stay for the next 17 years. New hydraulic presses and a punch press are added to the highly modest machine shop. Entire equipment for production consists of a rubber cylinder, 2 punch presses, 4 vulcanization presses, a lathe and 4 drills used as spring coilers.
1975 – Construction of the main factory building, house of operations today, takes off in Kartal on the Asian side of Istanbul.
1978 – The factory building is completed. All production processes will be gradually shifted to the new building while the old establishment on the European side will continue to serve as the head office and warehouse.
1978 - Fabika binasının yapımı tamamlandı ve imalat kademeli olarak buraya kaydırılmaya başlandı. Merkez ofis ve depo Kurtuluş Bayır Sokak'ta kaldı.
From workshop to factory
1979 – Reorganization of the manufacturing processes and relocation of the production machinery are completed.
1982 – A semi-automatic flash remover, a spring coiler and a rubber mixer are added to the tool shop. Suptex® product range hits 1,000.
1985 – Certificates of “compliance with TSE (Turkish Standards Institution) standards” and “eligibility for production” are obtained.
1988 – First SUPTEX export goes to Greece.
The same year witnessed record high for the country’s exports with more than $11.5 billion USD worth of goods and services exported.
1990 – Head office and warehouse move to a new address in Istanbul to stay there for another 7 years.
1992 – The first attendance to an international fair in Kazakhstan.
Early steps toward professionalism
1993 – The company is incorporated under its new title SUPTEK Yag Keceleri San. Ve Tic. A.S. (SUPTEK A.S.) but stays a family business. SUPTEX remains the legal trademark of the company.
1994 – SUPTEK A.S. adds the first CNC lathe and CNC milling cutter to the tool shop, giving a boost to in-house mould making and processing.
Turkey suffers the most severe financial crisis in her history. Turkish Lira is devalued by 70 per cent. GDP is shrunk by 26 per cent from the previous year down to $132 billion US dollars.
1995 – SUPTEK A.S. together with its partner co-venture SUPTEK Conta San. ve Tic. Ltd. Şti. (SUPTEK LTD.). The new venture will design and manufacture hydraulic and pneumatic seals, and gaskets.
1997 – Head office joins the factory, effectively concluding its standalone operations.
1998 – Factory building receives an expansion to house the growing need for space. New units join the organization. SUPTEX product range reaches 3,000.
1999 – The company initiates standardization efforts to achieve compliance with ISO 9001:1994 quality standards.
2001 – SUPTEK receives DIN EN ISO 9001:1994 MfQA compliance certificate due to successful implementation of its first quality system. A year later the ISO 9001:1994 MfQA certificate is upgraded to ISO 9001:2000 QMS.
Turkey faces the second most devastating economic crisis in its history. GDP drops from $200 billion to $145 billion US dollars.
2003 – Two partners at SUPTEK LTD. decide to split up and go separate ways. SUPTEK A.S. reserves all rights to SUPTEK commercial title and SUPTEX trademark and decides to focus on oil seal manufacturing. SUPTEK LTD. dissolves and the former organization becomes a new entity relocating all business operations to its own plant and starting to manufacture under a new brand.
2004 – New automatic vacuum presses are added to the manufacturing equipment, enabling the company to catch up with global standards for pace and capacity. This new addition enhances SUPTEK A.S.’s, a long-time manufacturer of non-mainstream special seals in a niche market, capability to compete in the high-volume segment. The number of employees reaches 100.
2006 – SUPTEK A.S. decides to enter the hydraulic and pneumatic sealing segment with own brand and capabilities. The company creates a new business unit to manufacture pneumatic and hydraulic seals under Suptex brand name.
GDP reaches $400 billion dollars while exports hit record high $85 billion USD for the first time.
Family even stronger with new set of goals
2010 – First comprehensive, publicly funded R&D project is completed.
2012 – SUPTEK A.S. moves to its new location established on 8.000 sqm area in IDOSB in Istanbul.
2016 – Efforts to become a part of the automotive supply chain result in certification for ISO/TS 16949.
GDP exceeds $800 billion USD. Exports start to push the limit of 150 billion dollars.
2017 – Management systems certified for ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001.
2018 – Qualified and certified for the official recognition of company R&D center.
2020 - EN 9100: 2018 certification is obtained as a result of the studies initiated to be a part of the space, aviation and defense industry supply chain,