In fact, the story is the same in all family businesses. Everything begins in a small workshop, followed by production, which is then succeeded by growth and new companies.
However, the story of Polat Machinery, founded by İbrahim Polat in Aydın, is a bit different. It’s the story of 40 years of success, nourished by determination, elevated by hard work, and empowered by technology.
"I have dreams," he said, "dreams that have yet to see the light of day. Sweet as sugar, at the horizon, the color of clouds. As vast as the seas, I have dreams that I believe will make me who I am tomorrow." Thus began his journey. Starting alone, he later brought his siblings alongside him; what started as one grew to three, then multiplied to ten, and now has become the cornerstone of Aydın's industry with over 1000 employees. He pursued his dreams, and as Polat Machinery, he exported not only machines to over 40 countries across five continents but also the friendship and trust of the Turkish people.
İbrahim Polat was born on a warm spring day in 1956 in the village of Çiftlik, in the center of Aydın, as the second child of a farmer with four children. His father was not wealthy, and they made a living from the land. Due to financial difficulties, he could only attend elementary school and, despite his strong desire, could not continue his education.
After finishing elementary school in his hometown, he was sent by his farmer father to work with a cold blacksmith in the Aydın industrial zone, saying, "You will learn both the meat and the bones of the industry." For a year, he got to know the industry and learned the craft of cold blacksmithing from his master. However, his thirst for knowledge and desire to do better drove him to seek new opportunities.
While wondering what else he could do besides cold blacksmithing, he noticed a master who was automating cotton ginning machinery in the industrial site. “I should work here; I need to learn this job,” he said, rolling up his sleeves. He chose both his job and his master.
Despite being young, his goals were grand. He advanced toward the future he dreamed of with slow but steady steps. He remained with the cotton ginning master for exactly eight years. There, he learned to read technical drawings and practice sketching. Learning technical drawing significantly boosted İbrahim Polat’s self-confidence. He began to tackle many tasks independently, with focus and determination.
He was in the industry from the age of 11 to 20. He grew and transformed, becoming intimately familiar with metal. While continuing in the industry, he received his military call-up and went to serve. He managed to make his mark even there.
After a successful military service, he returned to his workplace, working alongside his master for another three months, after which he sought permission to open his own shop. His master indicated he wasn’t ready yet and convinced him to work a bit longer. He patiently waited another six months and then reiterated his desire to open a shop. This time, his master agreed, and while he had received permission, he lacked the financial means to open a shop.
He was determined to make something happen. He asked for a corner in his brother Mustafa Polat's carpentry shop. The foundation of Polat Group companies was laid on that 4.5-square-meter area on February 3, 1978.
He established his own cold blacksmith workshop. He was so financially strained that his friends had to buy the tools for his workshop. His friends believed in him: “If İbrahim is involved in something, success will surely follow.”
Orders started coming in one after another, and in a short time, he expanded his 4.5-square-meter shop to 20 square meters. As İbrahim Polat produced new items and increased his profits, his ambitions grew. By 1980, he rented a 40-square-meter workshop and began making facilities for washing and sifting gravel and automating cotton ginning factories.
Now, he was receiving the most challenging jobs in Aydın and becoming a known industrialist in the city. Between 1980 and 1982, he began working on steel construction, roofing, and building projects. In 1982, the arrival of the first continuous olive oil machine in the city completely changed İbrahim Polat’s life. He was so fascinated by the technology that he said, “I should make this too,” and despite the mocking looks from those around him, he rolled up his sleeves. Within 15 days, he produced the same machine as much as his budget allowed. The Italian technician who came for installation was astonished by what he saw.
From 1982 to 1992, İbrahim Polat continuously improved himself and his technology, working on units other than decanters and separators. At the end of ten years, with the accumulation he made, he produced 17 sets of machines. He felt immensely happy and proud.
İbrahim Polat crowned the success story he began in a small workshop by transforming Polat Machinery into a corporation in 1993. That same year, he started producing continuous olive oil pressing machines with an ambitious goal of producing modern olive oil pressing facilities on par with foreign companies.
As a result of his impactful activities, Polat Machinery continued to grow day by day, incorporating the POLAT GROUP REDÜKTÖR company into its structure in 1998.
Polat Group Reducers Inc. started its production activities within Polat Machinery Industry and Trade Inc. in 1998. Due to its rapid growth and development, it gained separate legal entity status in 2004. Since it began operations, PGR has maintained a dazzling growth trend, even during crisis periods. It has become a leading company in the sector, making serious progress in the branding process within the domestic market and establishing itself as an exporter to over 70 countries on five continents, with Germany being a significant market.
With an annual production capacity of 250,000 reducers in the Astim Organized Industrial Zone, a 15,000 m² central factory area, a 20,000 m² assembly factory in Aydın Umurlu Organized Industrial Zone, around 300 employees, branches in Ankara and Istanbul, numerous dealerships and distributorships both domestically and internationally, and since 2014, a 5,000 m² assembly factory established in Germany, the company continues its operations.
The goal is clear: to take a place among the world giants in the continuous olive oil system.
In line with this goal, Polat Machinery has increased its market impact with the reducers it produces. The prototypes of the reducers, produced since the early 2000s, have been meeting the reducer needs of both POLAT MACHINERY and various industrial producers, supported by a trained technical staff, CNC production machines, and a closed area of 30,000 m².
Embracing the principle of “the future will come one day,” İbrahim POLAT aims to reflect his rich production potential in product diversity, which led him to establish Aykutsan Corrugated Cardboard Packaging Plant in his facilities in 2002.
In 2003, he established POLAT TARIM LTD. ŞTİ as a model facility with a 240 tons/day capacity olive oil pressing facility, which continues to research the needs of producers and the perfection of machinery while striving for better. In 2012, Polat opened its first sales office abroad in Greece, and in September 2014, established its first factory in Germany.
İbrahim Polat began his journey by dreaming and chased those dreams. He built his life with passion, collected experiences, merged them, and shared them, increasing and multiplying his successes.
Starting from a 4.5-square-meter area, İbrahim Polat continues his journey on a land of 88,000 square meters where he was born and raised, having established a total of 10 companies catering to different sectors, including 4 abroad (Germany, Greece, Morocco, Italy) and 6 domestically. As a group of companies, he introduced the Polat brand to the world by exporting to 80 countries across five continents.
Beneath many firsts, one can find the signature of İbrahim Polat through Polat Machinery. In 2005, the first fully automatic milk separator in Turkey, the first mineral decanter, and Turkey's first domestic industrial decanter all bore the Polat signature.
