Polish family office Koronea has opened a new transformer factory in Izmir, Turkey, after acquiring local manufacturer Atlas Trafo for a quarter of a billion zlotys. The facility, which cost an additional 100 million zlotys, will produce up to 4,000 oil transformers annually, targeting the booming European energy market.
The newly built plant spans 16,000 square meters and employs around 200 people. It boosts the company’s monthly production capacity from 300 MVA to 400 MVA – enough to power a medium-sized Polish city like Kielce or Gdynia at peak demand. The factory represents the final stage of Koronea’s takeover of Atlas Trafo, a leading Turkish manufacturer of oil-immersed transformers.
Koronea now controls the entire production chain for these critical energy devices. As Michał Wypychewicz, executive director of Koronea Family Office, explained: – The acquisition increases our potential and strengthens the group’s operational independence across the entire value chain, as well as its competitive position on European markets.
Strategic investment in a tightening market
Transformers have become a bottleneck in the global energy transition. Without them, electricity from wind farms, solar parks, or battery storage cannot reach the grid. Demand is outpacing supply, with lead times stretching across months. By owning a transformer factory, Koronea secures reliable deliveries for its own projects and reduces dependence on external suppliers.
Atlas Trafo does not just assemble components – it has its own design and engineering department and manufactures key parts in-house. Around 70 percent of a transformer’s cost comes from materials, especially high-grade electrical steel, which is mostly sourced from Japan and China. Turkey’s location at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa gives the company logistical advantages for both sourcing and exports.
Currently, 70 percent of Atlas Trafo’s production goes to Western Europe, primarily the Benelux countries and Scandinavia. The company exports to 40 countries and differentiates itself through high quality rather than low price. – Atlas stands out among Turkish producers for quality – said Michał Sobański, chairman of the supervisory board of Atlas Trafo.
Why Turkey became the production hub
Turkey is one of the fastest-growing economies bordering the European Union. Its GDP grew by 3.6 percent last year, reaching a nominal value of about $1.6 trillion – nearly 60 percent higher than Poland’s. The country has become a global center for transformer manufacturing, attracting international investors.
The former Turkish owners of Atlas Trafo chose Koronea over financial investors or bank loans because of the long-term strategic fit. – Financial investors often exit quickly, and high inflation makes bank loans unattractive – noted Michał Sobański. A known industrial partner offered stability and a shared vision for growth.
The new factory’s output will primarily consist of three types: oil-immersed transformers for grid and industrial use, dry-type transformers for safety-sensitive applications, and specialty transformers for renewable energy connections. Each device is custom-engineered, making warehouse stocks impossible – ordered units go straight to projects.
Transformers as the new gold of infrastructure
Industry experts now call transformers the new gold of energy infrastructure. Without them, Europe’s massive grid expansion cannot proceed. The number of projects – from offshore wind farms to electric vehicle charging networks – keeps rising, but transformer production capacity has not kept pace.
For Koronea and its subsidiary ZPUE, owning a transformer plant means faster project execution and greater independence. As Wypychewicz concluded: – Transformers have become a strategic product due to the numerous energy investments worldwide.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Dariusz Malinowski / PTWP
