Dear BEYSAD Readers,

We use every opportunity to say that our member visits are very beneficial to us because we see how true that is with every member visit. We would like to introduce you a member of ours, which impressed us with their business, years of Japanese working experience and almost a century-long presence in the sector as well as their young and dynamic executive team. 

Could you introduce yourself, please?
I am Mehmet Evren Dirim. I am a Sales Manager for Nitto Automotive Inc. I was born in Izmir in 1979. I graduated from Mechanical Engineering of Istanbul Technical University in 2002. During my university years, I undertook many projects which improved my business skills. After graduation, I had the chance to work in several regions of Turkey during my almost 14 years of professional life, which gave me the opportunity to get to know various cultures. 

Could you inform us about Nitto, its operations and the organization in Turkey?
Looking at the history of Nitto briefly, I should say that it was founded in Osaki, Tokyo, Japan in 1918 initially to make electric isolation materials under the name Nitto Electric Industrial Co. and opened its first overseas office in New York in 1961. In Europe, the company started its operations in 1974 under the name Nitto Belgium N.V. In 1988, its 70th year anniversary was celebrated and the company’s name was changed to Nitto Denko Corporation. As at 2018, Nitto has approximately 30,000 employees and 93 companies all over the world, operating in various sectors.

The first Nitto products entered the Turkish market in 2002. The company opened a sales office in Istanbul in 2008, started operating mostly in the white goods and automotive sectors in 2010 and engaged a production facility in Tuzla Mermerciler Organized Industrial Zone.

When did your paths cross with Nitto Automotive?
I had the opportunity to work for the top international companies operating in both the white goods and the automotive sectors in Turkey and I decided to share my experience with Nitto Automotive as of the end of 2016.

Could you tell us about the organizational structure of Nitto Automotive?
Nitto Automotive has a young and dynamic employee profile and a customer-oriented working environment with a high level of interdepartmental coordination. With our IATF 16949 and ISO 9001 quality certificates, we continue operating with the zero-error approach to production.

Which sectors do you provide service with?
We provide service to companies that are operated in the white goods and automotive sectors by 95% with our PVC band and NVH production and we aim to be a leading company in other sectors in the upcoming period.

Could you tell us about your export rates and which countries you export the most to?
With our new investments and projects, our export rate within 2018 makes up approximately 45% of our total sales. Our main export countries are North African countries including Morocco and Egypt, and East European countries including Romania and Hungary. With our innovative product range that can meet every need, our goal is to increase our turnover locally and internationally in the upcoming term.

What distinguishes you from your competitors?
One of the most prominent features that differentiates Nitto, which says “occupational safety first,” is that it cares for innovation and it can meet the market needs with its innovative products. As an indication of this, Nitto has been named among the top 100 innovative companies in the world by Thomson Reuters for the 7th time in a row since 2011. This innovative approach has led to developing products that can meet regionally specific needs with the ongoing ‘Area Niche Top` strategy and enabled to spread its products all over the world as the next step.

Could you tell us about your new investments and R&D projects?
As an indication of being customer-oriented, I would like to tell you about our laboratory which we engaged this year in order to provide better service to our customers in both project periods and the serial life. Today we are at the stage of rapidly responding to customers’ test needs with our climatic test cabin and flammability test cabin, etc.

What do you think about the Industry 4.0 developments in Turkey? What are your activities and measures towards it?
The Industrial Revolution began with the introduction of water and steam energy-operated production facilities towards the end of the 18th century and entered its 3rd stage with the automated production in the beginning of the 1970’s. With the digitalized industry which we call Industry 4.0 today, factories are equipped with smart systems. Turkey’s integration to Industry 4.0 moves rapidly forward with the ongoing investments and increased competition and efficiency towards becoming a part of the modern world. In this framework, Nitto Automotive continues to takes steps to Industry 4.0 with especially automation in production and instant follow-up of data.

What are your thoughts on and expectations of BEYSAD?
I would like to state that I, personally and we, as the whole company are proud to be a part of the operations of BEYSAD for the good of our country. What we expect of BEYSAD is the continuation of its local and global activities.