Chairman of the Board of İncekaralar Mr. Özgür İncekara Answers Our Questions

One of the leading firms in medical systems as well as laboratory equipment and systems, İncekaralar, answered our questions through its Board Chairman Özgür İncekara. İncekara noted that they have been in the sector since 1951 and stated that they strive to provide the best technology to our country through their global partnerships.

Mr. Özgür İncekara, could you briefly tell our readers about yourself, your education and your professional background?

I was born in Istanbul in 1966. I received English linguistics education at Hacettepe University. During my master's degree in Economics at Florida Atlantic University in 1990, I served as Vice President Assistant at Olympus America. With the innovative vision I gained during this period, I returned to Turkey and held various positions in İncekaralar's management team. Since 2002, I have continued my duties as Board Chairman. I believe that participation in civil society organizations is important both in professional business life and in social life. For this reason, I have been involved in many different organizations. Currently, I continue my active duties as a member of the Turkey Ethics and Reputation Association, the Health Volunteers Turkey Board, and as President of the Turkey Medical Council of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey.

Could you tell us about your company's development process from 1951 to today?

The foundation of our company was laid by Hüseyin Avni İncekara on 8 August 1951. Due to the conditions of that time and the limited business volume, İncekaralar initially began operations with only 2 personnel alongside Hüseyin Avni İncekara. Thanks to Hüseyin Avni İncekara's diligence, foresight and business acumen, İncekaralar, which he founded, began to advance toward becoming a brand through steps taken with the vision that it should be universal rather than local. Today, when we look at it, İncekaralar, with its team of 190 people and offices in 8 provinces, represents over 20 world brands from Japan, Germany, the USA, Switzerland and England in Turkey.

Could you tell us about your company's vision, mission and quality policies?

Our vision is to open new horizons in the sector by expanding our areas of expertise and to exceed our customers' growing needs and expectations, bringing their satisfaction to the highest level. Our mission is to carry out our sales and after-sales services at the highest level in line with our ethical principles, values, objectives and strategies, and to continuously and visibly increase the value we add to all our stakeholders and the environment. In this direction, our company, which aims to be a pioneering organization in the medical and laboratory sectors, is based on providing reliable sales and service services in compliance with domestic and international legal regulations, in a quality that meets the satisfaction of our customers and employees, with its dynamism, reliability and reputable staff.

What can you say about your products and product groups? In which sectors do you operate?

Today, we have a very wide range of products and systems ranging from criminology laboratories to food laboratories, from chemistry laboratories to mining laboratories and hospital laboratories serving many branches of health. We bring the products of many world brands such as Olympus, Eppendorf, Thermo Scientific, Biochrom and Schmidt+Haensh to our customers. With our broad product portfolio that we offer for both industrial and life sciences fields according to today's needs, we continue to contribute to the sector.

Could you tell us about the technical support you provide after sales?

We strive to do our best to provide our customers with the same quality we offer during the sales process after the sale as well. With our service team, which has high expertise through domestic and international trainings they attend, we work to provide our customers with a flawless service experience. In our service offerings, we prioritize customer satisfaction and produce quick solutions. Following the guaranteed delivery of equipment, we provide support on installation, training and remote assistance. To ensure the continuity of equipment outside the warranty scope, we provide İncekaralar assurance to our customers through maintenance contracts.

Could you tell us about your social responsibility campaigns?

As you will see in our slogan, we have been moving forward for 66 years with the slogan "Everything we do is for people." In addition to our commercial activities, we share the successes we achieve in the sector through our social responsibility projects with our people for a better society. Through our support for education, the environment, health and sports, we contribute to our country and work for the future. Our belief in education being the most important building block that forms the foundation of society is infinite. For this reason, we allocated our most important work under the title of social responsibility projects to education. İncekaralar Primary School operating in Nevşehir, Hüseyin Avni İncekara Science High School, Nevşehir University İncekaralar Health Services Vocational School and Hüseyin Avni İncekara Science High School Student Dormitory are at the forefront of the projects we have implemented. The Hüseyin Avni İncekara Science High School Dormitory, Turkey's first public green building, was built from nature-friendly materials, can produce a large portion of the electricity it consumes, and is an exemplary nature-friendly project that collects rainwater and enables its reuse. Along with all our team members, we regularly support the Turkish Red Crescent every year with the "Traditional İncekaralar Blood Donation" day. Not content with this, we make donations to the Turkish Red Crescent with each invoice we issue. As İncekaralar, we believe that everything increases as it is shared. This is why we prefer to say "we" rather than "I" in all our actions. Being recognized for commercial successes is certainly a source of pride for every company, but commercial successes cannot be said to have reached moral maturity unless they are crowned with moral feelings and achievements.

What is the reason your customers choose you?

First, I would like to point out that from our founding until today, we have not believed in coincidence and chance; we have acted with our vision and foresight. Without ever deviating from our moral and ethical values, we built İncekaralar as this foundation, the most important legacy between generations. The fundamental basis of our position in the sector for 66 years is our desire to provide the best to our customers without compromising our core values from the day we were founded. No company can be a reason for choice without a reason, and it is not possible to speak of situations like chance and coincidence. To be a preferred company, of course, a lot of work is required, but work alone will not be sufficient. First, we properly identify our customers' needs and guide them correctly. By planning process management correctly, we work in coordination both within the team and with our customers, ensuring we are always in communication. Through our global partnerships, we strive to provide the best technology to our country.

When it comes to medical devices and laboratories, the thought of necessary safety measures comes to mind. What does İncekaralar pay attention to regarding device safety?

With our business partnerships of over 20 from Europe, America and the Far East, we always aim for high security and flawless user experience without compromising our quality standards. In medical and laboratory equipment, there are some important topics to ensure user, patient and device safety. Correct device selection, installation and positioning, user training, use of original accessories, periodic maintenance, and preference for authorized technical service play a determining role in creating a safe working environment. We increase our customers' awareness on safe working practices through information and closely monitor our devices after delivery. For reliable results and user safety, first and foremost the correct device selection is important at the outset. Our customers are informed about the selection of the area where the device will be positioned and the creation of appropriate conditions. Our service engineers with authorization certificates, through trainings they regularly attend abroad, convey their experience to users and emphasize important points. Our customers' use of original accessories emerges as another important point in ensuring user safety. Unauthorized interference with devices should be avoided, and seeking support from a professional service team at the smallest problem will both allow the device to be used for a longer period and eliminate security vulnerabilities.

Finally, do you have a message you would like to convey to the sector?

We operate in a quite dynamic sector. Companies and individuals that cannot keep pace with the sector's dynamism unfortunately fall halfway in this process. Every milestone in our 66-year history is a different experience for us. As İncekaralar, we walk toward the future without forgetting our past on this path leading to success. My most important advice to companies in our sector is that they must correctly identify the needs of the time and provide the correct answer to customer demands. As much as sales, infinite customer satisfaction must be provided through after-sales services. If a customer knocks on your door for the first time, this is not a success; it would be more correct to speak of success when they knock on your door a second or even third time.