“We have to tell that thanks to the projects Aybakar has made over the past 85 years, our customer portfolio has been increasing every day. We want to move our company forward both in terms of technology and sales. Our target is not only to enter new markets. At the same time, we want to be a reliable partner in the countries we have already entered and continue to be the company’s solution partner position. 2018 will be a year of export record for Aybakar.”

Kazım KAVUKÇUOĞLU / Sinan AYBAKAR

Aybakar Foreign Trade Inc. - Domestic Sales Director / Member of Board - Aybakar Foreign Trade Inc.

Aybakar Foreign Trade Inc., which started its business in a small workshop in 1932, is a family business that has installed turnkey mills in nearly 30 countries and has machines in 45 different countries. With a century-old history, the company is now being managed by the third generation. The Aybakar Family aimed to carry the flag that they took over from their ancestors further and wants to break their export volume by entering new markets. In order to realize this aim, Aybakar believes in its ability to combine their sector experience of more than 80 years and high technology.

Speaking to Miller Magazine, Sinan Aybakar, a board member of Aybakar Foreign Trade Inc. and Kazım Kavukçuoğlu, Domestic Sales Director, made an assessment of the previous year and shared their plans for 2018. Labeling 2017 as a productive year in which they surpassed their targets, Aybakar noted that eight facilities became operational during 2017 in Turkey. Aybakar said they want to expand into new countries in which their machines are not working yet and added, “Our target is not only to enter new markets. At the same time, we want to be a reliable partner in the countries we have already entered and maintain the company’s solution partner position.”

Here are Sinan Aybakar and Kazım Kavukçuoğlu’s answers to our questions:

Aybakar is a long-established company with 85-year-history in mill machines sector. We already know Aybakar but would you tell about the company a bit for our readers? Sinan Aybakar: Founded in 1932, we take firm steps forward with experiences based on our long-standing background. Today, the third generation is at the helm and every new generation works in order to pass the previous generation’s success and to carry the flag that they took over from their ancestors further. Our acquaintance with the sector started when our founders, İhsan Aybakar and Ferruh Aybakar, had begun to supply spare parts for flour mills at a small workshop. Following Ferruh Aybakar’s death, his wife, Hatice Aybakar, took over the management. Aybakar had started to produce pneumatic cylinder during Hatice Aybakar’s management for Turkey’s mill machines. Nowadays, Aybakar products are working successfully in mills located in 45 different countries.

2017 is now left behind. Can you evaluate 2017 for the sector from Aybakar’s point of view? How much of your year-end goals were achieved? Which projects have you implemented? Kazım Kavukçuoğlu: As Aybakar, we have made many revision and turnkey projects both in Turkey and abroad. When we evaluate 2017, we can say that the results are even above our targets. The biggest factor in this achievement is our active work in the domestic market. Eight facilities have become operational during 2017 in Turkey. These facilities are: Nora Flour 400 tons/day (Ankara) /delivered. Şevsan Flour 2x250 tons/day (Ankara) /delivered. Tosun Flour 350 tons/day (Kırıkkale) /delivered. İpek Flour 300 tons/day (Nevşehir) /delivered. Tarım Flour 200 tons/day (Nevşehir) /delivered Tungaş Flour 250 tons/day (Tunceli) /delivered. Ata Flour 280 tons/day (Nevşehir) /delivered. Altın Flour 280 tons/day (Mersin) /delivered.

Can you tell us about your targets, expectations and plans for 2018? Sinan Aybakar: 2018 will be a year of export record for Aybakar. We have to tell that thanks to the projects Aybakar has made over the past 85 years, our customer portfolio has been increasing every day. First of all, we aim to have a bigger Aybakar family. We want to move our company forward both in terms of technology and sales. Our target is not only to enter new markets. At the same time, we want to be a reliable partner in the countries we have already entered and continue to be the company’s solution partner position.

In abroad and Turkey, how many factories does Aybakar machinery have? Sinan Aybakar: Our machinery is being run in more than 600 facilities across 45 countries. Aybakar’s machinery has been working at Beşler Flour, the biggest mill in the Middle East, since 1993. We are striving to operate in different countries every year and to expand our market. In 2016, we realized our first exports to Saudi Arabia, India and Pakistan. We had an agreement with a customer that bought machinery from us 15 years ago for a new project in Yemen. This agreement proved that we are on the right track.

Is there an area you particularly concentrated in Turkey? Which are the most successful and most effective regions? Kazım Kavukçuoğlu: It would be wrong to name a region. In most regions of Turkey, we had a number of successful projects. Recently, we are more active in the Central Anatolia Region. Apart from these, we also have many references in the Eastern Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia regions. Our quality plays a substantial role for the customers to prefer our machines. For example, we installed Mobak Flour Mill in Adana and we utilized this project as a good reference and realized many revisions in that region. Now, as a company philosophy, we strive for our customers’ success as well as our own. Because even if we build the best factory in the world, we don’t think that our job is done unless our customer is successful, too.

You have formable rivals in Turkey and abroad. In this rivalry, through which means do you compete against your rivals? Quality, price range, spare parts or service? Kazım Kavukçuoğlu: After all, many of Turkish machine producers can compete against the European manufacturers. The competition contributes to the strengthening of our industry. Domestic competition through price is over. This is because of the fact that the factory owners care the quality more than the price. Apart from quality, technical service and supply of spare parts play an important role in customer’s preference. At this point, Aybakar offers solution partnership to its customers.

What do you attribute the success of Turkey’s flour exports? Can Turkey sustain this success? Sinan Aybakar: I think that institutionalization played a key role in Turkey’s flour sector in recent years. Together with this, I think that this success can be sustained with technological solutions and information transfer provided by machine manufacturers.

You are building turnkey factories. Would you tell us the capacities of the facilities you deliver and their type? Kazım Kavukçuoğlu: When we make offers to our customers, we give them the best bids for their geographical location. The systems that we build are usable and competitive and this makes our customers successful. We have the capacity to install any kind of facilities ranging from a minimum 100 tons per day to any maximum tons that a customer determines. Our job is to find solutions for the demand of our customers. Generally speaking, our customer’s demand is flour mills with high tonnage. The main reason for this is to reduce the production cost of flour to low levels.