…ELCAB KABLO FAMILY IS PROUD TO HAVE OUR FLAG FLY IN THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA...

Could you introduce yourself?
I was born in Zonguldak on October 28, 1972. I completed my primary and high school education in Zonguldak. After graduating from Zonguldak Industrial Vocational High School – Electric Department, I moved to Istanbul and started working for a company that brought silicone and silicone cable to Turkey. In this company where I took roles at every level, I moved forward over time and became a top executive. I accumulated information and experience in every aspect of silicon-based products and I worked as Production Manager in several companies who are leaders in their sectors in 6 years. Next, I met Refik Balkan, who is my partner now, in 1998. We laid the foundation for our partnership that is still alive today by carrying out joint work with a company that was then a contract manufacturer. From the day we built Elcab Kablo till today, the company produces silicone cables, glass fiber cables, silicone seals, silicone tubes, plug-in cables and PVC cables etc. for the white goods production. I have 26 years of experience in the electric and electronic sector. I am married, have one child, and I studied Public Administration in Anadolu University.

Could you tell us about Elcab and its operations?
The main products we make include silicone cable groups in the unseen area and oven door seals in the visible area of the white goods cooker group as well as plug-in cables started to be made as a complementary product in our range for the white goods sector. Our main area of expertise involves silicone cables, silicone cable group and silicone oven door seals; we are among the top 3 companies in Turkey, which are specialized in the production of silicone-based products. 

When have your paths crossed with Elcab?
Elcab Kablo was founded in 1998 by two partners. It started business producing cable groups for the white goods sector in a building of 125 square meters with a team of 2. In 2008, we built our own factory and continued our operations in our Arnavutköy plants as of 2009. Our factory has a closed area of 7000 square meters and today we have 170 employees. Elcab Kablo that supplies to both the domestic market and its foreign customers exports 40% of its production. Our main customer in the domestic market is Arçelik and we provide other white goods companies with products besides Arçelik.

Could you tell us about the organizational structure of Elcab?
Our team has people with years of experience in their areas. We give much importance to the training of new team members and continue working enthusiastically in order to have a professional approach to our corporate identity.

Which sectors do you serve?
We are a company that produces silicone cables for the sector and offers solution proposals to its customers. Our target audience as a member of the White Goods Suppliers’ Association (BEYSAD) includes white goods and small household electrical appliances producers and electric markets.

Could you tell us about your export rates and which countries you export the most?
We export our products to all around the globe - Europe, Middle East, Balkans, North Africa and South America and in the upcoming years we aim to have an active presence in the Central and North America and South Africa. Since we work on product- and project-basis directly with the producers, we do not have challenges for preserving and manipulating this export structure. Besides, I can easily say that we export to major industrial countries. Elcab Kablo exports to 43 countries and as a result, is included among the top 10 companies that have reached to the highest export rate in 2 years in a row among the electrical equipment exporters in İMMİB.

What distinguishes you from your competitors?
We are a company that has a young and dynamic structure, replies quickly to demands, and yields high-quality production. Elcab Kablo has been in the sector for years and years and is the fastest growing company of the sector. Since the day we started production, our fundamental policy has been meeting customers’ needs and demands at the highest level, following and implementing technological developments, making environmentally and socially sensitive production and offering our customers the best service for the best price. This customer-oriented approach we adopted in a corporate structure brings us the advantage of being preferred more and a step forward than our competitors. 

Could you tell us about your new investments and R&D projects?
Our sales (domestic and foreign market), quality control, R&D and ÜR-GE teams work in coordination in all operations. For instance, our technical team gives its opinion and recommendations regarding materials to be used in a project to our customers via our sales team. Besides, we inform our customer about a project, conduct a sample analysis and work together with our customers in order to offer cost and quality efficiency in a project that is at the testing stage. Our technical team works to ensure that the end product is produced in an efficient and cost-effective fashion while calculating the section, terminal and size of the cable to be used in the product generation stage of the cable group. We are also assertive in the production of oven door seals. We work to preserve the A class energy in the production of this product group and to make it long lasting.

Besides all these, we ask for a sample of the product that is designed by our customer and try and test how we can make the cable, terminal and seal for this product more efficient and more cost-effective and then, we present our customers alternative offers. However, as a company that aims for constant improvement, we do not think this is sufficient; therefore, we continuously strive for making it better.

Could you tell us about your efforts to invest in South Africa to set an example for our members? Did you make this decision as a result of a need? Would you recommend it to other suppliers? What are the challenges and advantages?
After the leading domestic white goods producer Arçelik, which we are the approved supplier for, acquired the white goods producer Defy Appliances Pty (Ltd.) located in South Africa from Franke Holding AG, it suggested we establish a production facility in South Africa in order for us to fulfill their cable grouping and oven door seal needs on time and for a lower cost, which may come up during their production activities in the respective country. In line with this, after the meetings held between the parties, we acquired a certificate of incorporation on 23.11.2017 under the name ELCAB CABLE AND PROFILE (PTY) LTD. and opened our facilities established in a closed area of 5500 square meters in South Africa in April 2018 and started producing the goods we produce in our facilities in Turkey.

South Africa is a very big and intact market, but presents challenges like security weakness, slow and impractical way of working – much different than what we are used to in terms of working discipline. However, as the first company that invests in South Africa among BEYSAD-member white goods suppliers, we are considering to supply products to cooler groups, as well, and we are rightfully proud of it. Despite its many challenges, we are proud to have our flag wave in a foreign country and we wish other companies would also experience this feeling.

How was 2017 and what are your forecasts for 2018?
2017 was highly successful for Elcab; it achieved a growth of %25 and the goals set. With our turnover of 10 million Euros, we achieved the figures we planned. We have increased our share from the pie of customers in the group A we work with in the white goods sector day by day and gained growth in terms of both turnover and volume. We are planning 60% growth for 2018.

How do you see Industry 4.0’s development in Turkey? Do you conduct any preliminary works and take precautions?
No company that is being operated in any industrial areas today, when human power is made less important and needed than machines, can afford to ignore or resist Industry 4.0, which is a very big development and trend despite the fact that it will create certain challenges in terms of labor supply. Because the technological developments in the ever-changing world require using machines and robots more than labor in production today, I think the opposite is unthinkable. In this context, Elcab Kablo cares highly for this development; we adopt the data from the trips and workshops organized byBEYSAD as a road map and follow current developments closely.

You participated in the HEFI Fair. Could you provide feedback?
We participated in the HEFI Fair which I think is very important for the sector and prestigious for our country. Taking Germany into consideration, we would see how big a trade gain it benefited from its successful fairs. We think that by organizing a good fair in Turkey, we are contributing in the national economy as well as the development of the white goods sector.

What are your thoughts and expectations of BEYSAD?
Viewing BEYSAD not as a member but rather as an objective eye, I can honestly say that BEYSAD is a highly active and visionary organization with an organization structure of young and professional individuals in the leadership of Burak and with its operations that set good examples for other organizations, that works in line with its purpose, leads the main and suppliers’ industry, is a gathering point for companies, contributes greatly in the global recognition of Turkey with its Ur-Ge projects and in creating a positive outlook towards Turkey, and beyond all these, adds value in our country in terms of tourism.