Şahap Sarıer
CEO
Votorantim Cimentos Türkiye
With a deep-rooted industrial heritage on a global scale, Votorantim Cimentos aligns its sustainability-focused vision with the dynamic structure of the Turkish market, securing a strategic position in the region. Through investments of strategic importance—such as its Sivas facility—the company not only contributes to regional development but also leads the industry’s transformation with low carbon emissions. By leveraging cementitious materials, alternative fuel strategies, and digital training systems, it reinforces operational excellence. Its human-centered leadership approach and socially impactful responsibility projects further deepen its commitment to sustainable growth. Votorantim Cimentos stands out as a strong industrial player, taking responsibility not only for today, but also for building the future.
How would you define the strategic position of Votorantim Cimentos Türkiye within the global structure, and what local dynamics differentiate you in the Turkish market? How do these strategies align with your long-term vision?
Votorantim Cimentos Türkiye operates under the umbrella of Votorantim Cimentos, the world’s 7th largest cement producer headquartered in Brazil, with a presence in North America, Latin America, and the Europe & Asia region, which includes Spain and Türkiye. Votorantim Cimentos entered the Turkish market in June 2012 through the acquisition of long-established plants and facilities that have been contributing significantly to the region.
Votorantim Cimentos operates in the regions it serves with a commitment to “best-in-class operations,” “sustainable practices,” and a “management approach rooted in ethics and transparency” — placing strong emphasis on decarbonization, compliance, and regulatory alignment. As a reflection of these three core values, we can state that Türkiye demonstrates a distinct approach shaped by its own internal dynamics in the areas of decarbonization, sustainable practices, and compliance with relevant regulations — a distinction that is clearly evident in practice.
With our Sivas plant, Votorantim Cimentos plays a leading role in the journey toward decarbonization thanks to our low CO₂ emissions, positioning us as a pioneer in the Turkish cement industry as well.
The newly introduced Climate Law may soon bring taxation mechanisms onto our agenda. Therefore, taking a leading position in this field today will translate into a strategic advantage for companies. This is also critically important in terms of shaping the future with a visionary perspective. After all, Europe is already designing the game in this very direction.
What are the key factors you consider when determining your investment priorities in the Turkish market?
Maximizing our current operations and capacities, and sustaining this performance over time, is a key investment priority aligned with Votorantim Cimentos’ core values. At the same time, we remain committed to investing continuously— using our current resources—to enhance workplace safety, reduce net CO₂ emissions, support sustainable growth, and provide better service to our business partners.
What is the current status of Votorantim Cimentos’ operations in Türkiye in line with the “Net Zero by 2050” and “475 kg CO₂/ton by 2030” targets? What are the key strategic and technological actions being implemented to achieve these goals?
At Votorantim Cimentos Türkiye, our sustainability-driven growth strategy is fundamentally rooted in combating climate change. In alignment with our global “Net Zero by 2050” target and our commitment to reduce CO₂ emissions in clinker-based cement products to 475 kg CO₂/ton by 2030, we continue to make determined progress. Our operations in Türkiye represent one of the key regional implementation areas for these targets and hold a strategic position within this framework.
Within the framework of its operational excellence approach, Votorantim Cimentos Türkiye is making significant contributions toward achieving the global targets of Votorantim Cimentos — despite the absence of a formal carbon management regime in Türkiye. These efforts include low specific fuel consumption, the use of cementitious materials to enhance concrete performance and enable the production of lower-clinker cement, the incorporation of decarbonized materials in clinker production, high utilization of alternative fuels, and increased use of biomass as a fuel source.
Today, CEM I production has become a concluded phase across our operations, including grinding units.
We recognize the importance of high alternative fuel utilization rates. In this regard, the more effective use of biomass and biomassderived wastes in energy generation not only contributes to carbon reduction but also enhances resource efficiency.
Our efforts to reduce carbon emissions go beyond energy-related actions. Approximately two years ago, we completely phased out CEM I production at one of our plants. Since then, CEM I has only been produced in limited quantities at our Sivas facility, and strictly to meet specific demands. Today, CEM I production has become a concluded phase across our operations, including grinding units.
Due to efficient fuel utilization at our Hasanoğlan, Sivas, and Yozgat plants, there is currently no waste heat recovery for energy generation. In addition to efficient fuel usage, our fuel feeding systems are equipped with safety mechanisms against combustion and explosion risks to ensure operational continuity in a secure manner. This setup minimizes unplanned downtimes and enables high equipment utilization rates.
We are engaged in long-term sustainable partnerships across our hinterland to secure alternative raw materials, supplementary cementitious materials, and biomass sources. These collaborations play a vital role in ensuring the continuity and consistency of our environmental performance. As previously mentioned, three of the top ten cement plants in Türkiye with the lowest CO₂ emissions per ton of clinker are operated by Votorantim Cimentos.
We continuously ask ourselves, “How can we do better?” Guided by this question, we have been sustaining an uninterrupted cycle of continuous improvement and development for many years.
Votorantim Cimentos’ investment in Sivas once stood out as the company’s largest outside the Americas. Looking at the current state of the plant today, how would you assess its development and significance for your company?
Our Sivas plant held a special significance as one of the first factories established in the Republican era, and this importance was further reinforced by its distinction as the largest investment outside the Americas.
Our Sivas plant has been contributing to its region for many years, and with our investments, it has gained a well-designed, high-tech infrastructure, enabling it to continue creating value through more environmentally friendly and sustainable means. With our Sivas plant, Votorantim Cimentos plays a leading role in the journey toward decarbonization thanks to our low CO₂ emissions, positioning us as a pioneer in the Turkish cement industry as well. Given our strategic location, we are able to utilize both road and rail transport efficiently. Our preference for rail not only results in lower emissions but also contributes to safer and more sustainable logistics practices.
In addition, the Sivas plant plays a vital role in the reconstruction of the region affected by the February 6 earthquakes in Türkiye. Despite the tragic nature of the earthquake, we have been actively supporting the area, and in order to maintain and strengthen our contribution, we also operate a terminal in Malatya.
At the Sivas plant, we are contributing to the development of the region in which we operate by leveraging our full technological infrastructure — and we remain committed to continuing this contribution.
Three of the top ten cement plants in Türkiye with the lowest CO₂ emissions per ton of clinker are operated by Votorantim Cimentos.
The fact that your Sivas Plant has operated for the past 10 years without a “lost-time injury” clearly demonstrates your strong commitment to occupational health and safety. How do you support this safety culture through digital technologies?
Occupational health and safety is one of the core values at Votorantim Cimentos. We consistently uphold this value through visible leadership in the field, refusing to tolerate unsafe conditions or behaviours, and making the fundamental principles of health and safety an integral part of our organization and operations. As management, we are actively present on-site, observing and supporting our employees with feedback on safe practices and behaviours. We respond rapidly to incidents and near-misses, drawing lessons and sharing them across all Votorantim Cimentos operations to prevent recurrence. At Votorantim Cimentos, transparency, knowledge sharing, learning from lessons, rapid response, and taking preventive actions to avoid recurrence are among the top priorities in occupational health and safety management.
Additionally, all our operations are managed through automation systems and equipped with safety measures that function independently of individual choices.
At Votorantim Cimentos, we are fully aware that our employees must return home safe and sound to their families and loved ones at the end of each workday. This awareness drives our strong emphasis on training, where we extensively utilize digital technologies.
During orientations and trainings, we leverage the Votorantim Cimentos Smart Training Center, a first-of-its-kind platform in the cement industry enhanced with digital technologies. The Smart Training Center serves not only as a platform where new employees in the cement industry complete their on-the-job training through a “learning by experience” approach but also as an environment where experienced workers can refine their skills and review their expertise. Through tailored training videos, virtual reality games, and simulators, employees are expected to develop a level of risk awareness sufficient to effectively manage hazards before transitioning to the actual production line. This immersive experience is designed to ensure they develop a strong risk-awareness mindset.
At the Smart Training Center, the goal is to facilitate learning through 16 hours of exclusive video content recorded under real operational conditions. Learning outcomes are measured through pre-test and post-test assessments designed for employees. In addition, the “Virtual Reality Hazard Hunt” stage—featuring “Hazard Sources” placed in actual work environments—enables employees to reinforce the theoretical knowledge they acquire from training videos. This is achieved through an experiential learning methodology that allows them to practice and internalize this knowledge in realistic settings.
Simulators designed based on the lessons learned from previous “High Potential” incidents enable employees to apply the knowledge gained in earlier modules within realistic environments and experience firsthand the potential consequences of failing to implement a risk control measure.
How does your “people-centered leadership” approach impact internal efficiency and engagement? How are global Votorantim Cimentos values blended with local practices in Türkiye?
It is no coincidence that all companies which have achieved great success in their fields have placed people at the center of their corporate culture. Undoubtedly, psychological capital has become one of the most crucial resources in enabling companies to reach their goals. At Votorantim Cimentos, we are fully committed to upholding our culture—referred to as “Our VC Way”—across all geographies in which we operate. This culture has been built on nearly a century of heritage, enriched by a continuous development mindset. This culture has been shaped by blending a legacy of nearly 100 years with continuous improvement. Our culture—rooted in ethical work practices, open communication, trust, simplicity, and a strong customer focus—can only be effectively embedded throughout our organization if our leaders fully embody these values. Undoubtedly, we offer a wide range of development programs aimed at cultivating the leadership competencies we aspire to. Leadership training, coaching, and mentorship practices supported by our international network are at the forefront of these efforts.
The primary objective of these initiatives is, of course, to ensure the continuity of a positive employee experience. In the new world order that emerged particularly during the pandemic, we have observed that our company’s turnover rate has remained at half the industry average. We are pleased to see a consistent upward trend in our employee satisfaction scores, which we measure systematically on a global scale. Beyond internal assessments, it is also a source of great pride for us to be recognized by independent authorities such as Great Place to Work, Stevie, and Inspiring Workplaces for our company culture and employee experience, both nationally and across Europe. These recognitions are among the most tangible outcomes of our human-centered leadership approach.
How do you integrate your social responsibility policies with your business strategies? Do you see these projects not only as support mechanisms but also as active tools for transformation?
Votorantim Cimentos is one of the companies committed to the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Therefore, beyond focusing solely on our carbon footprint, we also develop annually monitored strategies with KPIs aimed at creating value for the communities in which we operate, and we implement these strategies through a series of projects.
Votorantim Cimentos is one of the companies committed to the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Our social responsibility efforts cover not only the environment but also education, healthcare, and support for individuals with special needs and minority communities. These projects are carried out not only through sponsorships and financial or in-kind donations but also through volunteer activities in which our employees play an active role.
To provide examples of our recent social responsibility projects: we donated enough cement to rebuild approximately 700 homes by sponsoring the “1 Support 1 Home” project, initiated by Needs Map and the Nef Foundation, for the rehabilitation of the areas affected by the Mediterranean wildfires. Every year, we sponsor the participation of our employees in the Istanbul Marathon to compete on behalf of various charitable organizations. LÖSEV’s annual traditional “Boxful of Happiness” event has also become a tradition within our company. We sponsored the renovation of a primary school where children with cerebral palsy receive education, and in addition, our colleagues actively participated in the volunteer efforts related to this renovation.
Beyond specific projects, we regularly organize blood donation drives, tree planting events, and environmental cleanup activities. For example, as part of our environmental cleanup projects, we carried out coastal clean-up activities in the Samsun Coastal area—home to endemic sand lilies—for two consecutive years, and this year around the Serpincik pond in the province of Sivas.
The examples shared above are just a few of the social responsibility efforts we have implemented. Therefore, I can confidently say that each project we bring to life serves as a genuine tool for transformation, first and foremost for our country, and subsequently within our organization.
Votorantim Cimentos, we are fully committed to upholding our culture—referred to as “Our VC Way”—across all geographies in which we operate.
How would you describe your leadership? What were the key decisions or turning points that brought you to where you are today?
It is difficult to answer this question with a single definition. Throughout my long-standing professional journey, I have encountered numerous crises, transformations, and evolving customer expectations. These processes were not merely challenges to be managed, but also valuable learning opportunities. Thanks to these experiences, I have been able to enhance my personal competencies and expand my professional portfolio. Experience is not always readily available in advance; however, when needed, it proves to be highly valuable and guiding.
To be successful, “developing a strategy and executing it” are two distinct yet inseparable competencies. Achieving this requires a team aligned around a shared goal, which I see as absolutely critical.
What I consistently strive to do is to bring the bigger picture into focus in every meeting, every conversation, and every interaction — and within that picture, to meaningfully convey the role of both our organization and ourselves.
I support open and transparent communication with all my colleagues, as I believe it’s important for everyone to see the bigger picture and understand the value they create within our business processes. Guided by the values of Our VC Way, we work hard together with open communication to achieve meaningful results aligned with our strategic goals.
