Interview with Ayla Çuhadaroğlu, General Manager of Odak Kimya

We conducted a pleasant interview with Ayla Çuhadaroğlu, Founder and General Manager of Odak Kimya. Çuhadaroğlu shared important information about innovative products they offer to the industry for color management solutions.

Ayla Çuhadaroğlu, could you briefly tell our readers about yourself, your educational background and your professional career in the industry?

I graduated from the Chemical Engineering Department at Istanbul Technical University in 1989. During my career, I worked at two highly valued firms. I served as Chemical Process Manager for three years at Profilo A.Ş. production facilities, and subsequently worked as Sales Manager at Tara Kimya for six years. At the end of 1998, we established Odak Kimya Ltd.

Could you tell us about Odak Kimya's development process from its establishment to today?

Odak Kimya was established at the end of 1998 with the aim of operating in color management solutions. We started with sales of color measurement instruments in what we call industrial sectors (paints, plastics, automotive, etc.).

For this purpose, we partnered with GretagMacbeth, one of the world leaders in the field. Each year, we added new products to our product portfolio in a complementary manner. We were cautious in expanding our product portfolio.

While adding new products, we also obtained the right to sell in other GretagMacbeth sectors (printing, packaging, inks).

In 2006, as a result of the merger between GretagMacbeth and X-Rite, another strong brand in color measurement systems, the strong X-Rite product portfolio in industrial sectors and the strong GretagMacbeth product portfolio in printing, pre-press and textile sectors merged, creating a very powerful color management solution provider across all sectors.

As a result of this merger, we were positioned as a distributor by X-Rite in the industrial sector.

Until 2014, we were responsible for all sectors except textiles. As of 2014, we began working as a solution partner responsible for all sectors at X-Rite. We work with a team of 28 people in our three offices on the Asian Side of Istanbul, European Side of Istanbul and Adana.

What are Odak Kimya's products and product groups? Which sectors do you serve?

We can name more than 10 sectors where color is important: paints, plastics, automotive, ceramics, packaging, printing, cosmetics, textiles, inks, photography, retail paint, food. For this reason, we serve the aforementioned sectors. Odak Kimya, with its flagship X-Rite products and accompanying complementary solutions, offers solutions in color measurement, management and communication technology that help users obtain the correct color on the first try, from the design point of the product through selection, measurement, formulation, communication and color matching. As of 2014, we began offering products for in-line color measurement solutions for color control in the process. Today, Odak Kimya has become one of the leading organizations in the sector with applications and innovations based on color excellence; it works with many brands that are world leaders in color measurement systems, quality control programs, recipe programs, inline color measurement systems, color standards, online printing solutions, printing and proof papers, graphic monitors, illuminated proof inspection stations, dispensing machines, paint test instruments and road marking paint test instruments.

This year, you realized a major reorganization with X-Rite Turkey in a single distributor sales and service model. Could you provide information about this?

Following the GretagMacbeth-X-Rite merger, Odak Kimya was in the position of "exclusive distributor" in all sectors except textiles in 2006 and served as "Exclusive Authorized Service and Calibration Center." In 2014, we took over the textile sector. Between 2014 and 2018, we continued to serve as two channels in the paints and plastics sectors. As of 2019, Odak Kimya was positioned by X-Rite as "Single Distributor for All Sectors" and "Exclusive Authorized Service and Calibration Center." Thus, Odak Kimya achieved the designation of being the single distributor serving all sectors among X-Rite partners worldwide.

"When looking at our area of operation, investments in the necessary equipment and training in product sales, post-sales application support, service and sectoral training services to maximize customer satisfaction are priorities."

Have you recently introduced an innovative product to the industry?

I believe that the TAC7 Total Appearance Capture and VLB Virtual Light Booth products, which support color measurement with appearance and support digital workflow from design to production, are revolutionary in innovation.

Could we learn about your after-sales service and customer satisfaction philosophy?

Because the products we work with operate at high technological and quality standards, we believe we make a difference by providing services with a technically equipped sales and application (technical support) team. In other words, our difference is our "equipped team." At the same time, our role as an authorized service and calibration center providing local support gives significant flexibility to both the industry and us. Odak Kimya makes a difference through the consulting it naturally provides to its customers because of the diversity of sectors it serves and its extensive field experience. When looking at our area of operation, investments in the necessary equipment and training to maximize customer satisfaction in product sales, post-sales application support, service and sectoral training services are priorities. We will continue our investments toward strengthening our identity as a solution provider and not just a product supplier through the development of complementary products in our product portfolio.

Odak Kimya is a specialist firm in the color field. What is the importance of color and how does it affect consumer behavior?

According to psychological research conducted in marketing, the purchasing decision is made based on the impression gained in the first ninety seconds, and we form 93% of our perceptions based on color. Color plays an 83% role in our purchasing decisions. For this reason, the importance of color as a quality control parameter is increasing day by day. Therefore, all sectors must be sensitive about color.