The road between the Marmara seaside town of Yalova and Bursa is one of the busiest and most dangerous in Turkey but this does not prevent Yasar Kucukcalik's chauffeur from driving at breakneck speed, violating every traffic rule known to man. We are on our way to the Kucukcalik textile works outside Bursa, a large industrial centre south-east of Istanbul. "Relax, nothing will happen," says Kucukcalik, as the powerful BMW overtakes and passes yet another lorry on the wrong side of the road.
Kucukcalik, who is on this road virtually every day, is a man in a hurry and does not mind the speed. In seven years he and his younger brother have built a $60 million business to become one of the largest home textiles manufacturers in Turkey. He has a busy agenda. Each of the company's three plants near Bursa is undergoing extensive expansion. Construction will soon start on the fourth, a $25 million polyester yarn plant near Istanbul. His brother Yilmaz is in Canada to sell their net curtains and furnishing fabrics. One of his buyers is in China, where more and more of the company's raw materials are sourced.