| Forming Focus — Dr. Birol Sonuparlak, Vice President, Composites Business "Responding and providing solutions to challenging customer demands is an exciting mission for me," Dr. Birol Sonuparlak says. "The biggest reward is to see the satisfaction of our customers, employees and shareholders when goals are met." Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, Birol graduated from Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. Even then, he was setting goals high, leaving the university with several degrees: a BS in Chemistry, MS in Metallurgical Engineering and Ph.D in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, with an emphasis on ceramic materials. Following his Ph.D, he worked for a year as a technical manager for ECA in Turkey, a corporation producing ceramic plumbing fixtures, as well as wall and floor tiles. In 1983, he applied to the University of Washington as a Post Doctoral Associate, and joined the faculty to lead the Colloidal Processing Group in Materials Science Engineering.
Following a short stint in academia, Birol then joined Flow Industries Advanced Materials Division in 1985 as a senior research engineer. He was the project manager for a government-funded program to develop high-strength dental ceramics, as well as chemical precursor development for high-temperature Hf C fiber production and infrared transparent mullite. "Flow Industries was the first and leading company to commercialize water jet cutting technology," Birol says. "In advanced materials technology we not only developed and improved materials used in water jet cutting equipment, but also developed processing technologies and new products for other industries." Birol joined PCC-AFT in June 1995 as R&D Manager, where he was immediately tasked with developing the company's vision for future growth in metal matrix technology and MMC products. According to Birol, developing market penetration strategies was — and still is — among his most important responsibilities. The Composites Business unit was moved under the umbrella of AFT in 1997 because of the synergies between Metal Injection Molding and Composite manufacturing processes. Soon after, in 1999, Birol was promoted to his current vice president position.
For Birol, the greatest joy of his job is being on the cutting-edge of technology and constantly pushing limits. According to him, the engineers and technicians he works with are the biggest assets of the company and help make his job both enjoyable and exciting. "Our people are high achievers, highly skilled and dedicated to being the best in their job while enjoying what they do," he says. "I am delighted to be a member of a team that continuously competes with itself to be best in every performance measurement, including safety, quality and productivity. They make things happen." But being at the forefront of composites technology can also have its frustrations. Failures and setbacks are often a big part of the scientific process of experimentation, testing and development. However, Birol — like many scientists — sees these frustrations as stepping stones to future successes. "In our journey to achieve excellence, I often have a lot of frustrations," he says. "But these frustrations last only until we find solutions. I see today's frustration as tomorrow's success." |
