Interview with Emrah Sözer, Administrative Affairs Director at Sözer Makina

We conducted a pleasant conversation with Emrah Sözer, Administrative Affairs Director at Sözer Makina. Emrah shared valuable information with our readers about Sözer Makina's operations, R&D work and quality policy.

Could you tell our readers about yourself and your professional background?

I was born in Istanbul in 1984, though I am originally from Rize. I have a seven-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son. I graduated from Şişli Terakki High School and then completed my Industrial Engineering degree at Kadir Has University. During my university years, I participated in various engineering projects under the scope of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, and I also gained experience in the production and machinery industries through project work at companies such as Arçelik, SPK Boru, and Şişecam. As a member of an industrialist family, we had the opportunity to spend time at the company during our school years and gain various experiences. After graduation and military service, I began my official working life at Sözer Makina as a third-generation member. During my approximately 15 years at Sözer Makina, I have held positions in different departments. Throughout this period, thanks to my industrial engineering education, I have served the company in various roles in both production and administrative departments. Since 2020, I have been working as Administrative Affairs Director at the company.

Could you describe Sözer Makina's development process since its establishment?

Sözer Makina was founded by Ali Sözer in 1946 in Istanbul-Karaköy. He was a graduate of Sultan Ahmet Technical School, Lathe Finishing Department, one of the leading schools of that era. With his way of thinking, he left behind valuable advice as a legacy that would serve as an example for future generations. Turkey's industrial heartbeat at that time was in Karaköy, known as Thursday Market. After both attending a technical school in Istanbul and working in Thursday Market to learn a trade, Ali Sözer laid the foundations of Sözer Makina in 1946 in a 30-40 square-meter workshop. The company continued its activities in various small workshops until 1967, when it relocated to a 110 square-meter facility in Eyüp. By this time, the second generation of the family was coming of age. The company made its first machinery export in 1986. As the volume of work increased, the company relocated in 1993 to a factory in the Dudullu İmes Industrial Site. From this point forward, Sözer Makina began to compete on equal terms with international competitors in the manufacture of machinery for the chemical sector, particularly for the paint industry. Following the increase in individual machine production for both domestic and international markets as well as turnkey, automated and high-capacity chemical plant projects, the factory in İmes became too small. By this time, the third generation had completed higher education and begun active, professional careers at the company. The company first relocated in 2008 to a factory in Tuzla and then in 2010 to a facility in the İmes Organized Industrial Zone in Dilovası, where it served as a founding partner. In summary, Sözer Makina has evolved from its humble beginnings in a small workshop in Karaköy Thursday Market to operating today from a modern factory with a total closed area of 4,750 m² in the İMES Organized Industrial Zone in Kocaeli Dilovası. We keep our machinery park as up-to-date and comprehensive as possible according to current production conditions and machinery manufacturing quality standards. As a company that exports 60% of its machinery production abroad, we have always endeavored to prioritize standardization and quality production. In this context, alongside universal machine tools and equipment, we continue our production with new-generation CNC machine tools and equipment in recent years. Even when processing large parts on machine tools, our aim is to ensure continuous standardization. Communication plays a very important role in managing human relations. Having a well-established communication network and employees working in an organized manner will impact company success and enhance company image and employee productivity. We provide our staff with various in-house training programs and send them to technical schools to specialize in their fields. By periodically including our employees in meetings held within the company, we gather input from those working on the front lines and refine our final decisions based on this information. Another factor affecting motivation and added value is financial support. We provide this support to our employees within our means when needed, with appropriate repayment terms. We also organize various events to enhance social development and communication. Sözer Makina, with its current structure and experience, endeavors to provide equal service to all customers regardless of size. Whether a customer requests a laboratory device with 10-liter capacity or a complete turnkey project with daily 60-ton capacity and fully automatic PLC system, we make every effort to provide solutions and assistance. Because we never lose sight of these values: our customers are our benefactors, we must always seek better results and produce higher quality, maintain business ethics and integrity under all circumstances, age gracefully while gaining strength, and strengthen the Turkish economy as we grow stronger. Both our management team and experienced staff work with all our might to carry the Sözer quality understanding forward to future generations. Being aware of the value we possess, we continue our work enthusiastically with the ongoing effort to create added value.

What are the main sectors and product groups you serve as Sözer Makina?

Today, as Sözer Makina, we serve mainly the paint industry, as well as the chemical, construction, cosmetics, agriculture and pharmaceutical sectors. Our primary area of expertise consists of mixers capable of serving different viscosities. Our product range includes: mixers, vacuum and scraper high-speed mixers, wet grinding and crushing machines, high-capacity platform mixers, planetary malaxer machines for medium-viscosity products, combined multi-shaft vacuum scraper mixers, Z-mixers for high-viscosity products, putty mixers, liquid filling and weighing machines, tank discharge presses, mixing impellers and various pumps. In addition to the high-capacity versions of all our products, we also manufacture laboratory-type versions for small-scale production. As Turkey has grown, awareness of the Sözer brand has also begun to increase abroad. Our company, which made its first export in 1986, today exports 65% of its annual production to 52 different countries, leveraging more than 75 years of accumulated knowledge and experience. When manufacturing our machinery, we carefully examine world machinery technology, particularly the products of our competitors in Europe. We should note that in trade fairs where we have recently participated in Europe and exhibited our machinery, we have received feedback that our products are at a level where they can compete comfortably with theirs in terms of design and technology, and that with our competitive prices we rank ahead of many companies. Additionally, wherever in the world, we can provide solutions for post-sale installation, technical service support and steady spare parts supply. We take pride in the fact that none of our machines, whether in Turkey or in any country we ship to, remain non-operational. Sözer Makina is a company that has spent the last 40 years particularly in the manufacture of machinery used in the chemical industry. The most important and distinguishing feature of our company is that we conduct customer-focused manufacturing. When establishing standards in our products, user feedback has been evaluated over years, shaping our machinery, and continuous R&D work has been conducted to produce new types of machinery. For example, when we suggest to a user that if our machine had such and such a feature, you could reduce your production processes and increase product quality accordingly, that user is pleased. Our constant aim is to produce high-value-added machinery, create differentiation, and while reducing the manufacturing processes used by customers, elevate the quality accordingly. Additionally, it is a continuous objective for us to advance our commercial relationships with our business partners according to win-win principles to higher levels.

Could you discuss the R&D work you do to develop your machinery and production systems? How do you work to adapt to the latest technological developments?

As Sözer Makina, we place importance on KOSGEB and TÜBİTAK projects. We benefit from support through projects we have prepared during various periods. We have long been benefiting from support encompassing many areas such as qualified personnel, international trade fair participation, software, catalogs and advertising under the KOSGEB general support projects heading. We have also implemented various projects within the scope of TÜBİTAK and have ongoing work in this direction. We endeavor to conduct industry-university cooperation work; in this context, we try to benefit from the R&D centers of some universities. For example, in the recent past, we brought to life a project for machinery that had never been produced with such features and varieties in Turkey. Normally, target customer groups manufacturing products with viscosity in the 1,500-3,000,000 centipoise range would need 2 different machines to complete their operations. With the new design machinery we developed, we brought together "Combined Planetary Mixer Machinery" by combining the high-speed mixer technology we have long produced with the planetary malaxer system we have long manufactured in a single machine. During that period, we had significant requests from both domestic and foreign customers regarding this machine. Following completion of designs and prototype production, final production began and achieved quite high sales volumes. Different models of this machine in varying capacities and types were also produced in this very short period and achieved high sales volumes in both external and domestic markets. Thanks to this R&D project that was brought to life, user costs were reduced by approximately 70%, and final production time was reduced by 40%. Beyond these, many other development work for our machinery and the systems we establish is being conducted in our factory's R&D department. We closely follow technological developments worldwide and in our country related to our field. We diligently conduct Industry 4.0 work particularly in the production departments of our factory. In the new world order, many devices and systems are beginning to move beyond human control. Both in our own machines and in all equipment used on our production line, we endeavor to use devices with digital software. Because the more a system relies on software-based operation, the faster and more seamless the desired results become. In this context, we make sure to follow technology closely. In accordance with the quality certificates we possess, while we continue our own internal company audits with our quality unit, we also periodically have independent audit firms conduct these operations. We send engineers, technicians and all qualified personnel within our company to training programs related to their fields periodically. We conduct evaluation meetings with each unit at year-end. In these meetings, we question our goals, what we have accomplished and what we have not. Regarding what we have not accomplished, we investigate the cause of the failure and attempt to extract lessons from our experiences and convert them into expertise. In the light of these experiences, we establish our goals for achieving success on solid foundations.

Could you describe your export activities? What types of products do you primarily sell to which countries abroad?

From the day we made our first export in 1986 until today, much has changed both in Turkey and worldwide. This change is actually an endless journey. Everything from sales techniques to post-sale understanding, and even the attitude after the warranty period that concludes after the sales process, has changed. In other words, the only thing that does not change is the word change itself. When Sözer Makina was founded 76 years ago, in line with both national values and Ali Sözer's vision, it has always aimed to grow and develop as it grew. Having machines operating in 52 different countries as of the end of 2021 is one of our greatest sources of pride. Reaching this point, I assure you, was not easy; while experiencing the pride that comes with being Turkish in foreign markets, we waged serious struggles to break down many prejudices. After all, we install machinery and systems and perform work requiring serious engineering and technical expertise. Furthermore, our work does not end with the installation of a facility or machine. Especially in active factories, the technical service we provide in the field or remotely after the sale has become a matter of serious importance. We provide these services to our customers in a correct and effective manner. Sözer Makina's foreign trade unit, by management decision, selects target countries at the beginning of each year. In making this selection, we consider many criteria such as the conditions of that day, Turkey's preference rating in that country. We then look at whether there are trade fairs, seminars or congresses related to our field in that country or region. If there are, we initiate participation requests. Besides these, we contact the unions and organizations to which the relevant institutions belong and obtain appointments from related companies; we first conduct online presentations and always make physical visits to at least 3 companies. We secure our place in nearly all trade fairs regularly held worldwide within the scope of sectors we address. When we give a simple business card to an official from a company we have never worked with before, almost everyone who hears or sees the Sözer Makina name and logo says they know the company. We can clearly say that we have obtained this result through our participation in trade fairs, exhibitions, congresses or customer visits in foreign markets over the last 20-25 years. Within the scope of export activities, a visit you make may not turn into an order that day, but the quality impression you leave, your technical presentation and especially your competitive pricing understanding in foreign markets will definitely bring returns in the medium or long term. We continue our export understanding in this manner. Additionally, within the scope of our other export activities, we currently have distributors working under our company, conducting commercial activities in related countries. The number of these companies is not yet at the level we desire, but our contacts with various companies in the relevant countries continue. The distributor work approach based on win-win principles has enabled us to achieve quite good results. In some countries, people prefer to contact individuals from their own nation, feeling safer. We make agreements with companies and individuals who can provide this trust and more importantly, sustain it. In this way, we can reach stronger positions in our effectiveness in that country. We can export all the machinery and systems we manufacture. Today, our machinery and systems operate in many countries on the European continent, as well as in Africa, Asia and the Americas. We can provide on-site installation and post-sale support. Thanks to our experienced and extensive technical team, we can even intervene on-site within 48 hours if needed at one of our customers located in El Salvador in the Americas. Because we work within such a broad network, we also place great importance on digitalization in our machinery. Because sometimes remote intervention solutions can be much more effective.

Could you discuss Sözer Makina's quality policy? What are the main points you pay attention to in order to provide better service to your customers?

In quality matters, we essentially think globally and make local decisions. We regard total quality management as an endless lifestyle and journey to succeed in the environment within which our company operates: "our employees," "our partners," "our customers," "our suppliers," "the environment," "the society we live in," and "technology." Among our indispensable principles is ensuring that all processes applied in our company are carried out at international quality levels and continuously improved with employee participation, protecting the environment during our activities, and ensuring that the products we manufacture are produced in the most appropriate manner for our customers' economic and technical requirements. As required by ISO 9001:2008, 14001:2004, 18001:2007 quality management systems, which aim to control every stage of the operational process in its entirety, high quality and productivity, low cost and timely delivery are targeted. There are universally accepted working standards. To maintain quality within this framework, you must work hard and research well. There is a phrase I greatly favor: "Quality is not controlled, it is produced." We are a company that makes efforts to work within this logic. To increase productivity, we conduct regular meetings with our team leaders and coordinators. The fact that the entire third-generation Sözer management consists of engineers speaks the same language and meshes well with our production-enthusiast professional staff. Everyone working at Sözer Makina, from the lowest level to our general director, is structured to focus on teamwork. We have a slogan: "Everyone working at Sözer Makina is a star..." Rather than controlling people, I believe processes should be controlled; this way productivity is reflected in the system and consequently in individuals. If you produce quality, if your methods are suited to current conditions – in other words, if you remain up-to-date – if you follow technology closely and apply it to your production, you will have increased your productivity. Our quality policy headings in general are: determining customer needs and expectations, ensuring customer satisfaction, performing work correctly the first time, employee satisfaction and development, win-win relationships with suppliers and customers, continuous improvement and development, and respect for the environment.

We have passed through a long pandemic period; what are your predictions for 2022? Could you tell us about your future projects?

The pandemic has not actually been overcome; rather, it would be more accurate to say that people worldwide and in our country have learned to live with the pandemic. Of course, during this period we have experienced and continue to experience much loss of life and many lasting health issues. We are going through a period of time when we are reminded of the importance of understanding for people. Anything can happen at any moment, and therefore I believe that people and institutions must continue their activities and lives prepared for realities. With the pandemic, our habits changed. The word online permeated many aspects of our lives during this period. Almost everyone has adapted or continues to adapt to this new normal. Our business lives have been shaped accordingly in this context. The Turkish machinery sector, industry and related industries have made serious advances globally in recent years, and as a result, our exports in different sectors have increased nationwide. For this momentum to continue, our most important expectation is particularly the increase in export support or credit facilities. The development of Turkish industry, companies' improvement alongside the state's outlook on industry, is a necessary element. Incentives, grants and support provided to large-scale or SME-status companies should be increased without discrimination. Every improvement made, together with interest in exports, will increase awareness of our country abroad. In the long term, I believe foreign investors will prefer our country more and other sectors may be positively affected as a result. Regarding semi-finished and raw material supply, import is certainly a point of serious importance in this respect. The ratio of exports covering imports is important. New factories and organized industrial zones should be opened in our country; opportunities should be provided to both domestic and foreign investors for these. Our country actually has many mines and underground resources that can be processed or exist naturally. Over time, I believe new factories will be established related to these in terms of raw material and semi-finished goods supply, and exports will decline accordingly. What is important is the continuation of production and export-oriented understanding. In our country, the sectors in which we work, as in many places, show a very volatile graph. Consequently, we are also affected by these balances and determine our investments accordingly. Economic balances have a cascading effect on customers, sellers, producers and suppliers. Under the leadership of our General Director Ahmet, among the goals we have set, the most important is to increase our production capacity every year. In accordance with our Industry 4.0 and quality policy understanding, we continue our work to create added value in every department. Being present in new markets, increasing our volume in existing markets, ensuring continuity of all trade fairs and seminars we participate in are among our general goals. In this context, we will conduct visits related to our field worldwide on a continuous basis to increase awareness of both our company and Turkish engineering and Turkish machinery manufacturing – this is also among our general goals.