MOSDER Hosts Major Gathering

The Furniture Manufacturers Association (MOSDER) held a comprehensive 'Strategic Assessment Meeting' with members from different cities across Turkey to shed light on the sector's future.

The event, held at Bursa Swissotel on 6-7 December 2024, took place under the hosting of MOSDER Board Chairman Davut Karaçak. Leading names in the furniture sector came together at this meeting. The meeting, where exports, economy and branding were discussed and presentations were delivered, was attended by Mehmet Ali Kılıçkaya, Export General Director of the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Turkey, Ahmet Güleç, Deputy Chairman of TIM and Board Chairman of MOSFED, Erkan Özkan, Chairman of the Istanbul Furniture, Paper, Wood and Forest Products Union, Doğuş Tozanlı, TIM General Secretary, Ali Rıza Oktay, Export Department Head, Association Heads and MOSDER General Secretary Ebru Ünlü, who made important contributions to the organisation.

Economist Dr. Bader Arslan presented on "Furniture Sector Economic Outlook" and Brand Architect Ömer Şengüller presented on "Becoming a Global Brand in the Furniture Sector".

Following the presentations, the meeting continued with "2025 Economic Expectations" and "MOSDER Member Expectations and Experience Sharing" with the participation of very distinguished figures.

Davut Karaçak, who delivered the opening speech of the meeting, said: "MOSDER was founded in 2003 with the aim of bringing together strong brands of the Turkish furniture sector and opening Turkish furniture to the world. Today, the strongest companies in our sector have united under the MOSDER umbrella. Our members produce with a total of 100,000 employees in 2.5 million square meters of closed space."

"We have given the furniture sector in Turkey great momentum over the last 20 years"

Continuing his remarks, Karaçak said: "Our sector, which previously consisted of small-scale enterprises, has grown today with companies with strong technological infrastructure, design at the forefront, and capable of competing on a global scale. We are currently producing USD 12 billion in the sector and with exports exceeding USD 5.5 billion, we rank in the top 10 in world rankings. We achieved this success in as short a period as 20 years."

"Exports are the foundation of the country's economic development and its power in the global arena"

Emphasizing the importance of exports, Karaçak said: "We are mobilizing all our resources to support growth and achieve sustainable success. With our strong production capacity, we must take stronger and more decisive steps in world trade. In particular, our priority target in exports is to export value-added products and increase unit export prices. In this direction, we are making a great effort to further strengthen the perception of Turkish furniture in the world and increase our brand strength. The Istanbul Furniture Fair will provide us with a great opportunity in line with these goals. We will reaffirm confidence in the sector by showcasing the quality of Turkish furniture once again to the entire world. Among our future plans, our greatest goal is to exceed the USD 10 billion export target and then reach USD 20 billion. To achieve this goal, our domestic and national machinery, equipment, raw materials and software infrastructure must be entirely within our own resources. Just as Italy is the leader of the furniture sector in the world, we as Turkey have great potential to reach this point. We aim to make Turkey a global brand in the furniture sector by remaining strong in our existing markets and entering new markets. On this journey, we are aware that we will move forward hand in hand with our government and all sector stakeholders. As MOSDER, we believe that we will become a country with the potential to be a global authority not only in the furniture sector but in many areas. Building a strong economy is the first step on the path to global success. We will achieve this, as we have until now, with conviction, determination and tireless work," he concluded.

Speaking at the opening, Mehmet Ali Kılıçkaya, Export General Director of the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Turkey, explained the support they provided to effectively promote the furniture sector, particularly in the American market. He noted that they participate in all major fairs worldwide and will continue to do so, stating that they provide support to over 1,800 fairs in 80 different countries.

MOSFED Chairman Ahmet Güleç stated in his speech that Turkish furniture industry has achieved significant success on a global scale in the last 20 years in terms of quality, design and trade, and that this is closely followed by the entire world. Emphasizing the importance of Turkey being the only country whose name does not change in the ranking of countries that increased their exports the most in the last 20, 10 and 5-year periods, he said that this point was reached thanks to 'cooperation' and 'entrepreneurship'. He noted that as a country and sector, their goal is leadership rather than leaving this point they have reached.

Additionally, member brands that place importance on innovation and contribute to the development of the furniture sector displayed their 2025 new collections at the organization.

The MOSDER Strategic Assessment Meeting, which achieved significant gains on behalf of the sector, was held with the sponsorship of MDF & Chipboard Manufacturers Association, Flokser Textile, Kubilay Paint, Altun Textile, Has Box, Inter Sponge, Genç Paint Varnish, Hayat Finance, Horoz Logistics and Tradeport.