Interview with Mustafa Nafiz Çavdar, Founder of Sanel Asansör

Could you give some information about your export activities in 2020? 
We are in first place among the national companies of package elevators export's sector in recent years and we continue to maintain this ranking. 70% of our exportations are concentrated in 47 countries as the Balkans, North Africa, The Middle East, Russia, Ukraine and Turkish states. Nowadays, our relations with Central African countries have started. Our first goal is to be permanent in these markets, after that, trying to increase it. According to 2019, we managed to develop our exports by 10% in 2020 despite the pandemic. 

Our goal for the next years is to  ensure our success in package elevators, also in the sales of components. We have added electronic products such as tube magnetics, elevator door photocells to our production such as elevator automatic doors, cabin, floor and cabin cassettes and control panels, rope bottles that we have been using in our own elevators for years. . Our goal is to be in the top ranks and the 1st afterwards in component exports and to become a world-renowned elevator brand, which we always emphasize. 

How do developments in the euro-dollar parity affect your exports? Is a high exchange rate an advantage for exports? 
The rapid changes in the euro / dollar exchange rates and the parity changes between them have always disturbed the producer. 

We are having difficulties in determining the price of a product. High exchange rate is not an advantage. At first, it may seem like, but not in the long run. . You do not have the chance to raise the price you set for a product later when the currency rates change. You can't explain this to your customer.  For us and export-oriented companies like us, a stable business environment is required, not constantly increasing and unpredictable exchange rates. 

What is your 2021 currency and parity forecast? 
This is a very difficult question, how will the developments in the world, will Turkey, be affected by them? How will our country's managers make decisions in these situations? The economic climate of our country is affected by all these questions and problems that we cannot answer. 
In addition, it's difficult to predict how our bilateral relations will be with the countries we export to?

As a company that has been operating in the sector for many years, what have you determined for the sustainable export policy for 2021? 
Sustainable exports actually have two basic points known to everyone: To produce quality products and to ensure customer satisfaction. 

After providing these two basic elements, customer retention and new demands come naturally. In order to provide these two basic points, the most important is that the product you produce is sustainable both technically and economically. Your technical infrastructure is constantly being renewed. One of our main goals is that your customers are aware of your R&D and P&D activities within this continuity. The only element of your permanence in the markets is to ensure the continuity of the operations I mentioned above. And another important factor is that all these are internalized by your company's staff. 

Which regions and countries is the market density shifting? Which products are in more demand? 
In our country's foreign trade, we have an average of 1.5% export potential in the world in other sectors. The share we get from the world export market in the elevator is 6 per thousand (0.006).

Elevator manufacturers of our country should develop themselves, first of all understanding, and then their technical and administrative infrastructures. We must look for ways to get more shares from the market mentioned above and to bring income to our country. There is a need for elevators all over the world. Wherever your target is, it can be directed to. 

When you evaluate your company data for this year compared to the same period of the previous year, what are your 2021 export predictions?
We postponed the commissioning of our Denizli factory investment due to the pandemic. We are planning it in 2021. We think that our productivity will increase with its activation. In addition, we aim to exist in the component market, where our activity is low due to the limited physical conditions, and to increase our share in this market.Due to all these, we anticipate that our exports will increase. 

What can you list as the main developments and events affecting our industry that you see important in terms of the elevator industry in 2020?

AS a country, the main goal should be to rapidly improve our production environment and to increase the rate of all components called average quality and not only for 2020.

What is the most important problem you have in export in our industry and what is your solution to this problem? 
As i mentioned in the explanations above, every stage of export requires knowledge and experience. Our companies should carefully do their products and services in order to protect the image of Turkish goods. In addition, it is necessary to establish export control mechanisms for these issues. Turkish companies often attack the existing market and customers instead of doing new market research.  This, in addition to sowing confusion in an already competitive environment, has no advantage on the contrary is harmful. We need to raise the image of Turkish goods in our industry. Our unqualified companies need to get their hands out of this sector. It causes serious harm to our country.