ASTOR Transformer: A Journey into the Energy of the Future – A Real Industry Experience from Theory to Practice

22 April 2026

Students from Balıkesir University Balıkesir Vocational School, Department of Electricity and Energy, Electricity Program, together with members of the IEEE community, Electrical and Electronics Engineering students, and with the contributions of the Chamber of Electrical Engineers (EMO) Balıkesir Branch, carried out a comprehensive technical visit on April 17, 2026, to the ASTOR Energy Inc. Transformer Factory located in Ankara.

Our trip to Ankara began with a visit, in line with our students’ request, to Anıtkabir, the eternal resting place of the founder of our Republic, the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Through this meaningful visit, our students once again expressed their commitment to Atatürk’s principles and reforms, and embarked on their professional journeys with a strong sense of national unity and responsibility. This visit demonstrated that the technical trip had not only a professional but also a cultural and value-oriented dimension.

This meaningful organization went beyond being merely a technical visit; it became a highly qualified educational experience where academia and industry met, and where future engineers and technician candidates came together in the same environment, directly engaging with real production processes.

Within the scope of the visit, our students were welcomed by Enver Geçgel (Founder / Chairman of the Board), Hakan Ünsal (General Manager), Murat İyipilavcı (Specialist in Special Industrial and Large Power Transformers), and Taha Uluayak (R&D Manager). This provided a highly valuable opportunity for direct interaction between top-level representatives of the sector and future engineers and technicians.

Throughout the technical visit, students had the opportunity to go beyond theoretical knowledge and observe all stages of transformer production on-site.

During the visit, students examined in detail:

Magnetic core production (sheet cutting and stacking processes)
Core (nucleus) formation techniques
Winding technologies – high-voltage and low-voltage windings
Insulation and drying processes (vacuum, resin, oil filling)
Tanking and mechanical assembly
All testing processes including short-circuit, temperature rise, loss, and routine tests

These were analyzed specifically for both power transformers and distribution transformers.

Through these processes, students gained a comprehensive understanding of how electromagnetic principles, material science, and production engineering are applied in the field.

As a result of this technical visit, students:

Observed the industrial applications of the knowledge they learned in class,
Experienced production discipline, quality control processes, and engineering approaches on-site,
Increased their career awareness through direct interaction with industry professionals.

In this respect, the event was not only an observation but also an applied learning process that contributed to professional vision.

Within the scope of the technical visit, significant gains were achieved in terms of:

Improving students’ practical skills,
Increasing sectoral awareness,
Concretizing the contribution of external stakeholders.

Additionally, the fact that the organization was carried out without a formal meeting structure, through effective sector communication and coordination, demonstrated the dynamic and solution-oriented nature of the department.

Through this technical visit:

Engineering students and technician candidates were brought together in the same environment,
Knowledge and experience sharing were encouraged,
The foundations of a multidisciplinary working culture were established.

In this respect, the event became a strategic step serving the vision of training human resources for not only today’s but also the future’s energy sector.

As the Department of Electricity and Energy of Balıkesir University Vocational School;

We would like to express our sincere gratitude, especially to Enver Geçgel (Founder / Chairman of the Board of ASTOR Energy Inc.), as well as to General Manager Hakan Ünsal, Specialist Murat İyipilavcı, and the expert team for the valuable experience, close attention, and meaningful contributions they provided to our students’ education.