Assan Panel – £45 million investment in Advanced Manufacturing site and job creation in East of England

ASSAN PANEL

Assan Panel, part of Kibar Holding, is a global leader in sustainable building materials with more than three decades of experience in the industry. Headquartered in Turkey and exporting to over 85 countries, Assan Panel has since become one of Turkey’s industry leaders in sustainable construction materials. Assan Panel currently operates five manufacturing plants across Turkey, Jordan, and Azerbaijan. In 2023, it expanded its global presence by opening sales offices in the UK and Hungary.

From insulation boards and fire-safe sandwich panels to integrated solar energy solutions, Assan Panel’s products are designed to improve construction efficiency while lowering energy consumption and supporting sustainable building practices. Through advanced technologies like SmartCore and BioCore, the company leads the green construction global market. In recognition of its international success, Assan Panel was named the second firm in the “Stars of the Exports” by the Istanbul Mining and Metal Exporters Union, reflecting how Assan Panel leads the industry both domestically and internationally with their innovative products.

Working with Freeport East

In early 2024, Assan Panel confirmed plans to establish its first UK manufacturing facility at Gateway 14, which forms part of Freeport East. The new facility is a £45 million investment in the East of England and will enable Assan Panel to serve markets in the UK and Europe. The facility broke ground in May 2025, marking a significant milestone for both Freeport East and Assan Panel, and will go to on provide over 100 high quality jobs.

Following the establishment of the new manufacturing facility, the company also reinforced its partnership with Freeport East by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in early 2025. The agreement reaffirmed Freeport East’s commitment to support Assan Panel in building its presence in the UK and contributing to the development of sustainable construction practices in the East of England.

In July 2025, Freeport East and Assan Panel also met jointly with the Freeports Minister Alex Norris MP and the Turkish Ambassador to the UK, Koray Ertas, to discuss the investment and the potential to deepen UK-Turkey trade relations. The Assan Panel investment was featured in the Government’s 2025 Freeports Annual Programme Report as an example of alignment with the new Industrial Strategy and the Advanced Manufacturing sector plan.

As part of the partnership, Freeport East has worked closely with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) in the UK and Turkey, supported Assan Panel’s engagement with UK agencies such as the Land Registry and the Building Research Establishment, and collaborated with Gateway 14 and Mid Suffolk District Council to resolve planning and infrastructure barriers for Assan Panel. Freeport East has been actively involved in helping Assan Panel to expand its market into the UK and has empowered the development of greener manufacturing through utilising the investment drawn to the Freeport East region.

Thanks to the support from Freeport East, Ihsan Tolga Akar, Managing Director of Assan Panel companies, is optimistic about their investments in Freeport East. He said,

“Freeport East is the perfect place for us to expand our market into the UK. With the new manufacturing hub, I am confident that Assan Panel will create local job opportunities and accelerate skills and innovation development in the green manufacturing industry in the East of England and beyond.”

For more information on Assan Panel, Gateway 14 or to discuss inward investment opportunities please email enquiries@freeporteast.co.uk.