İsmail Hakkı Özdoğan, General Manager of Gediz Ambalaj, has stated that they started the construction of an additional closed area of approximately 15,000 ...

Gediz Ambalaj Exports 40% of Turnover

İsmail Hakkı Özdoğan, General Manager of Gediz Ambalaj, has stated that they started the construction of an additional closed area of approximately 15,000 square meters with the investment incentives they received for both of their factories, and that with this investment, they will implement an R&D project especially for the white goods sector, in addition to manufacturing products that will meet the needs of the sectors they are supplying.

Home Appliances Turkey Suppliers Magazine: Could you introduce yourself briefly?

İsmail H. Özdoğan: I was born in Gediz in 1977. After completing my primary, secondary and high school education in Gediz, I started studying at Middle East Technical University in 1994, and graduated in 2001. I started my work life in a French pharmaceutical company. After the extraordinary experiences I gained in different positions in sales and marketing, I started to work at Gediz Ambalaj Inc. as the General Manager at the beginning of 2010. We have continued to work with all our strength to move our company to higher levels for eleven years. I am married, and I have a twelve-year-old son and a six-year-old daughter.

Home Appliances Turkey Suppliers Magazine: Could you give information about the corporate identity of Gediz Ambalaj?

İsmail H. Özdoğan: Established in Gediz/Kutahya in 1982 with the joint venture of many investors, Gediz Ambalaj is the first and the leading polypropylene corrugated sheet manufacturer in our country. Currently operating with two factories, our company is one of the largest manufacturers in Europe. Our company's shares, which were listed on Borsa Istanbul under the code GEDZA in 2014, are traded on the Main Market.

Home Appliances Turkey Suppliers Magazine: What products do you manufacture in which sectors? Could you give information about your production capacity?

İsmail H. Özdoğan:  The polypropylene corrugated sheet we produce is primarily recyclable, food-friendly and resistant to heat, humidity and all kinds of harmful insects and rodents.

We are the main supplier of all leading national and global brands in the sector, considering the key industries including white goods, automotive, iron and steel, glass, logistics and insulation. In addition, we supply numerous products made of polypropylene corrugated sheet to many different sectors.

Home Appliances Turkey Suppliers Magazine:  Could you detail the products you supply?

İsmail H. Özdoğan: Our product, which is used in washing machines, dishwashers and drying machines in the white goods sector, is mostly used as a back wall in refrigerators. We supply refrigerator back wall to our domestic and foreign key industry in line with demand, with both plastic and alucarton product alternatives.

In the automotive industry, our products are used in many places inside the vehicles as well as being used as insulation material. In addition, we intensively manufacture transport boxes with separators, which we specially design for spare parts.

Considering the logistics industry, the smart pallets we produce are used extensively. We produce smart pallets of all sizes in line with demands of our customers.

In the iron and steel industry, wrapping the periphery, sides and inner part of the sheet rolls with our products makes the product more resistant to corrosion and impact.

In the glass industry, our product is used as a separator for the transport of glass packages produced by the industry.

Home Appliances Turkey Suppliers Magazine:  What percent of your production do you export? Which countries do you mainly export to?

İsmail H. Özdoğan: We export refrigerator back walls in the white goods sector, and other products in various sectors. We export to many countries, mainly Europe and Republic of South Africa. The share of our total exports in our turnover is around 40%.

Home Appliances Turkey Suppliers Magazine: Could you evaluate second quarter figures of 2021 compared to the previous year? What are your year-end goals and forecasts?

İsmail H. Özdoğan: Comparing second quarter of the previous year with second quarter of this year, I can say that we have experienced an increase in sales and profitability. We expect this positive start to continue throughout the year.

Home Appliances Turkey Suppliers Magazine: Could you evaluate the impact of the pandemic in terms of the company and the automotive/white goods sector?

İsmail H. Özdoğan: Although we, like every sector and business, were adversely affected during the first months of the pandemic, we were able to compensate for our loss with the recovery of the companies we supply and export to. I can proudly say that we, as Gediz Ambalaj, have successfully managed the pandemic process. In this process, we have received great support from Arçelik Co., besides the organizations such as BEYSAD and TAYSAD, which we are members of and work together with actively. We have received our COVID-19 safe workplace accreditation by adapting the trainings and applications to our company. By making our measures traceable and sustainable, we have not experienced any interruptions in supply to our key industry and customers, and we have continued to send our products without any problems.

Home Appliances Turkey Suppliers Magazine:  Do you have any short-term investment plans?

İsmail H. Özdoğan: With the investment incentive we have received for both of our factories, which currently have a closed production area of 20 thousand square meters, we have started the construction of an additional closed area of approximately 15 thousand square meters in total. In addition to manufacturing products that will meet the needs of the sectors, we will also have implemented an R&D project especially for the white goods sector.

Home Appliances Turkey Suppliers Magazine:  Do you have studies and investments regarding digitalization and Industry 4.0?

İsmail H. Özdoğan: As a company that has internalized the significance and necessity of the process, we continue to work especially with the studies we have conducted with BEYSAD on digitalization and Industry 4.0 applications.

Home Appliances Turkey Suppliers Magazine: Would you like to add more information?

İsmail H. Özdoğan: For years, I have been following and reading SUBCONTURKEY, which has a heightened awareness in the white goods and automotive industries. Thank you for including us in such an important publication that allows us to follow the sectors very closely, and I wish you continued success.