A Strong Signature In The Mortar Of Industrial Structures​

Oytaş Yıldız Construction

Interview: Murat Günay

Almost all of the smart, hardworking, creative business people raised by Bursa have expertise. It has made a name throughout the country, some in the textile field, some in the sheet metal processing sector, and some in the manufacture of factory constructions. Osman Yıldız, which has broken records by manufacturing nearly 500 factories so far, is a Civil Engineer well known by industrialists. Yıldız, who is also an industrialist, continues to contribute to the city's economy with the employment of 250 people in its company called Oytaş Yıldız İnşaat. In addition to his trusted businessperson profile, Osman Yıldız is seen as a school in the presence of young engineers. We talked with Oytaş Yıldız Construction Chairman Osman Yıldız about the workplace phase and the industrialization development in Bursa.

Murat Günay: Mr. Osman Yıldız, you have a nature that is happy by doing business. Your personality plays a big role in the Oytaş Construction you have created. Why do you love working so much?

Osman Yıldız: Working is a family tradition. My father is a person who is happy to work and is proud to benefit his environment. Our nuts shop in Kayhan Bazaar was a workplace that remained open until midnight. I remember the days when 40 people were queued in front of our shop on New Year's Eve. It was a very valuable experience for me to learn that the culture of a tradesmen. I grew up working in that shop since my childhood. After my school time until noon when I was in high school, I would go to my father right away and be happy to work with him. This desire to work has spread to all my life and we have come to these days with enthusiasm.

Murat Günay: When did you start your engineering studies?

Osman Yıldız: In 1985, I started to work as an engineer in the construction of Mersin Gezende dam. I worked for 4-5 years. It was a double curved thin arch concrete dam construction. It is a very technological dam. The construction works and 8.5 km long tunnels were not easy to complete. It was a great job with hundreds of engineers and was a very instructive professional experience for me. An environment for pouring ready-mixed concrete with the cable car lines was created there. The structure was very impressive. When I finished there in 1992 and returned to Bursa, the work done here was very easy for me.

Murat Günay: What kind of work did you do after returning to Bursa?

Osman Yıldız: Everyone knows me as an engineer who builds factory buildings, but I built quite a lot of residential too. We built and sold 2,500 homes. When I first started, cooperative works were being done. So I made these projects with my own company, Osman Yıldız. The Hukukçular Site of 56 flats in Beşevler was my first contracting job. I built 28 more flats just under it. Then I built Seyirtepe Houses in Burgaz, Mudanya, it consisted of 140 apartments. I am from Kestel and I have built many houses in Kestel. However, the flats we sold at the price of 100 thousand Mark before the 1999 earthquake fell to 30-40 thousand Mark after. This resulted in a meltdown we have made up to that point.

Murat Günay: Is this one of the reasons why you turned to constructing industrial facilities?

Osman Yıldız: Yes, this was one of the reasons, and besides this, in the construction of industrial facilities, after the price agreement, things go very easy. We have produced nearly 500 factories so far. Industrialization had accelerated at that time. In other words, a great intensity has been seen in the establishment of textile factories in Bursa since 2000. Everyone wanted to buy a weaving machine. When we started to make textile factories in Demirtaş Organized Industrial Zone, we were working in the mud up to our knees. There were no settlements, factories or buildings. Now there is no land left to build.

Murat Günay: Are the structures of factories and industrial enterprises long lasting?

Osman Yıldız: The walls, columns, floor concrete of the factory constructions do not wear out very quickly, but roof covers wear out in 10-15 years because they are aluminum or sheet metal. After changing the roof cover and making an epoxy paint on the floor, that factory building looks like brand new. Thus, we can say that these structures have a long life span. The demand turned from multi-storey factories to single-storey factories. In other words, textile factories were closed one by one in Bursa OSB and these structures were transformed into automotive-related production facilities. At this point, Oytaş Construction came into play again. Then, textile developed in Demirtaş Organized Industrial Zone. But here in Bursa Organized Industrial Zone, there was an automotive return. For these single-storey and high-rise industrial establishments, we have stepped in. We demolished the old ones and made new ones. Although I said, "There is no more land left here," I built 60 new factories in the last 5-6 years.

Murat Günay: It means that you shouldn't just build a factory that is suitable for a job. Do industrialists first consult you on this matter?

Osman Yıldız: Yes, industrialists should come to our side as they bought the land and exchange ideas with us about their work. Because we have been going through serious research processes for every factory, school and hospital we have been doing for so many years. Believe me, I research new textile machines more than textile manufacturers. Some machine lines become 40 meters. Here we need to produce structures that can fit into this machine. That's why we talk to industrialists in detail before starting work. Let's consider a nurse who has switched from merchant to industrialism. Will they want to do their father's job after the children of this industrialist grow up? If they do not want to, they will have to demolish that factory and prepare a structure suitable for the new job. Therefore, the factories to be built should be able to lease at least 3-5 different sectors. It is necessary to think about 50, maybe 75 years later, not just today.

Murat Günay: How is the industrial life in Bursa as far as you can observe?

Osman Yıldız: Our industrialists are very brave people. By constantly learning new areas, they invest in those areas. This then causes many other sectors to flow to Bursa. Bursa has become a fully industrial city. However, it is necessary to think a lot when entering new businesses or investing. Our industrialists are very smart people. Before building a factory, you have to convince them what and how to do. If they are not convinced, they will not build with you.

Murat Günay: Mr. Osman Yıldız, how is your economic exchange with business people? Can you support them?

Osman Yıldız: I have mentioned that Oytaş Construction has built nearly 500 factories during its 30 years of operational life. We do not get any of these business people. We make a deal when we start working, but we support the person we build the factory. For example, we spread the payments to be made in terms of 30 months-40 months and we give it a shoulder that it will lean on in a sense. That person will not forget this and if he is going to expand his factory in the future, he will call Oytaş again. There is such solidarity in Bursa. I can say that by trusting this solidarity and our country, our Scholarship; Despite the shrinkage in the world economy, Oytaş Construction continues its factory and office construction. I hope we will continue as long as our health allows.