Page 45 from: Recycling International May/June issue
TECHNOLOGY EXPERT
45recyclinginternational.com | May/June | 2025
FAMILY VISION
‘We are a family company so sustain-
ability is the most important thing, not
the profit,’ Karahan emphasises.
Another key aspect is reputation, which
can be hard to earn but easy to lose.
‘You can lose or earn money multiple
times but trust is a one-time thing.
‘Another lesson I learned from my
parents over the years is that if you
stop investing in technology and
quality then you move backwards. In
hard times such as today we don’t
invest as heavily as normally – but nor
do we stop.
‘In recent months, we have received a
new grinding machine and a new
machining centre. Bad times are also
good times for buying so we grab the
opportunities when we can.’
Birim Makina’s oldest customer is
Soyic Metal in Bursa, Turkey. The
recycler processes steel sheets from
pressing and stamping mills for the
auto industry and delivers baled scrap
to mills and foundries.
‘They received one of our first balers
more than 30 years ago. Since my
father’s original deal with Ramazan
Soyic, we have delivered seven more.
I sold the last two balers to Caner
Soyic, who is his son and now manag-
ing director. It is a great feeling hav-
ing such a long-running and close
relationship.’
He adds: ‘We focus on the most
important requirements of the cus-
tomer and deliver it with a reasonable
price. While doing so, we listen to the
customer deeply and are flexible
about their wishes. Our top manage-
ment is always at hand for them, as if
they were a member of our own fami-
ly.’
NEXT GENERATION TALENT
Karahan says he is like his parents in
some ways, though different in oth-
ers. His father is a trained mechanical
engineer while his mother was a
teacher. He joined the company 22
years ago after graduating as a
mechanical engineer.
‘The real entrepreneur in the family is
my father. He started the company
and took all the risks. He is 100% a
start-up entrepreneur while I am a
more of a manager entrepreneur.
‘I work on regulations, rules and pro-
cedures that ensure the business is
sustainable. My goal is to scale up our
business and keep it running smooth-
ly through innovation. I feel real joy if
I make things perform better.
Optimisation is my main motivation.’
Karahan adds that family members
have always had their own specialisms,
allowing teamwork ‘while not stepping
on each other’s feet’. Karahan’s father
was focused on design and produc-
tion, his mother took care of finance,
and he tackled sales.
‘When my father wanted to slow
down, I took over the production side
of things as well. Mother’s role is still
the same. All three of us are still in
the company, although nowadays we
have a bigger team including my
cousin Sezen who was trained by my
mother to be part of the next genera-
tion.’
Karahan talks of high levels of trust
and transparency. ‘We can take deci-
sions very fast and act accordingly.
This is what customers love about us.
If they want something, they know
when it will be happening without los-
ing momentum. This reflects the
scrap industry, which is made up of
lots of family businesses.’
Karahan imagines his daughter
or his son (due in June) may take over
from him one day. ‘If they are inter-
ested in scrap and want to join, they
are more than welcome. If not, I will
support them either way.’
BIG EMOTIONS
Consolidation is a given in the scrap
industry, although Karahan believes
family businesses remain strong and
robust players. ‘We have to be practi-
cal. If the new generation is not join-
ing the family company or the compa-
ny has a weak market position, then
selling it to bigger players is a typical
way to keep it running. It is the
healthy way to secure the jobs of the
people and to keep competition in
the market.’
The ceo believes it can be difficult for
two family companies to merge
because there are ‘too many emo-
tions’ at stake. ‘When I look at the
top four of our equipment production
industry, I see two family owned and
two big corporations. So it’s a draw.
When you look at the bigger picture,
there are still many more family com-
panies in the game. I don’t feel bad
about takeovers: there’s a good bal-
ance.’
Birim Makina’s main factory in Izmir.
ALL ABOUT BIRIM MAKINA
Birim Makina is a family-owned company in Izmir, Turkey run by the
Karahan family and founded in 1988 by Sevket Karahan. It produces a
range of metal scrap processing machines, such as shears, balers, chip pro-
cessing plants, as well as material handlers.
‘Our products are running in 70 countries worldwide,’ says company ceo
Aykut Karahan. ‘We have our own office in Germany serving the European
market and many other agents around the world to cover the rest.’
Karahan says Brim Makina’s major difference in the market is its production
philosophy. ‘We build all our parts in the factory and assemble them prior
to testing. All the products are tested in-house to meet scrapyard condi-
tions before being shipped to the customer.’
Birim Makinda produces its own cylinders, hydraulic manifolds, blades,
wear plates and electrical panels on-site. Its production process covers:
• laser cutting
• plasma cutting
• oxygen cutting
• welding
• machining
• assembly
Today, the Birim portfolio covers more than 85% of the metal recycling
machines required in the scrap trade, automotive industry and steelworks.
As well as providing machines and service, the company also trades in used
machines and the hire and overhaul of metal recycling equipment.
‘Our mission is to serve as a “one stop shop” for all metal scrap processing
equipment,’ Karahan says. His company also produces its own electrical
power from solar panels on the factory roof. ‘We also use the water we har-
vest from the rain on our factory roof. This way, we are trying to reduce our
carbon footprint as much as possible. I’m also proud that the company is
an ISO 14064 certified company.’
www.birimrecycling.com
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