Leitz, which has been serving in many different parts of the world since its establishment in 1876, has become one of the important players in the Turkish woodworking machinery industry since 1993. We talked about the past, present and future of the industry with Leitz Türkiye General Manager Cem Gül, who has closely witnessed the change and development of the industry since the date they entered Türkiye.
Leitz, one of the world’s most established brands, is one of the companies that dominates the cutting tools industry. Leitz, which has been serving in Türkiye for more than 30 years, is one of the partners that supports the development of the sector. Stating that the Turkish woodworking machinery industry has come a long way, especially in the last 10 years, Leitz Türkiye General Manager Cem Gül said: “Today, no matter which machinery company we go to in Türkiye, we encounter engineer staff of at least 10-15 people. This makes us both happy and proud. Because together with engineering, machines have come a long way. Türkiye has become competitive with Europe and the world in the woodworking machinery industry.”
The Turkish woodworking machinery industry has come a long way, especially in production, in the last 10 years. How do you evaluate this process? What needs to be done to continue success in the field of production?
The Turkish woodworking machinery industry has come a long way in both production and domestic and international sales in the last 10 years. The impact of domestic manufacturers taking the right steps at the right time in their production processes has a great impact on this success. As a cutting tools company, we are very happy with the growth and development of the Turkish woodworking machinery industry and the increasing sales figures. Because we wholeheartedly wish for local brands to increase in the global sector and their presence in the sector to increase. In order to realize this wish, we, as a cutting tools company, have been carrying out various activities and carrying out projects together with local machinery manufacturers for many years. Thanks to these activities, both their and our sales increased. As a cutting tools company, we recommend that the changes and innovations to be made in the machines be customer-oriented and aimed at increasing efficiency in order to further increase the sales in question. In short, I believe that adding innovations to machines that will increase customers’ efficiency will provide greater gains in terms of sales, rather than trying to gain benefit through price competition. In general, I can say that the Turkish woodworking machinery sector is making studies and investments in this direction. I think that investments in this field will increase in the coming years.
“Machines have come a long way along with engineering”
How did these important changes in the woodworking machinery industry reflect on you?
I joined the Leitz Family in 2000. When I went to my first machine customer, I was meeting with a foreman. Even though we went to different places regardless of the brand, we mostly spoke with foremen. You would choose one of the standard products in line with the wishes of the foreman and make your sale. The customer had no problem, but you weren’t solving a problem either. In short, you were continuing the existing system. There have been serious changes in the machinery manufacturing sector over the years. There has been a significant increase in investments in R&D and P&D. Companies started to employ engineers. We were able to offer the real Leitz and its services to those customers. Today, no matter which machinery company we go to in Türkiye, we encounter engineer staff of at least 10-15 people. This makes us both happy and proud. Because together with engineering, machines have come a long way. Türkiye has become competitive in Europe and the world in the woodworking machinery industry. It is now possible to see Turkish woodworking machines all over the world. In addition, the global sector closely follows Turkish machinery and invests in Turkish machinery.
“We, Leitz, have been providing services in Türkiye with since 1993”
In what year did Leitz enter the Turkish market? In which field did the company first start working?
Leitz was founded in Germany in 1876. A company that is approximately 150 years old. As of today, we have a catalog of 825 pages and more than 8 thousand standard products. The reason I say this is that Leitz does not just want to sell tools. It wants its customers to thrive and industrial production to increase. In this context, there is a policy of expansion to all potential regions, continents and countries. Leitz opened its first branch in the world in the Netherlands in 1965. In this context, Leitz was opened in Türkiye in 1993. When Leitz came to Türkiye, it immediately began to carry out studies to determine the needs and deficiencies of the country. And it was noticed that the performance of the cutting tools used decreased very quickly. Serious investments, that were quite costly for those years, were made to solve this problem and sharpening machines were brought to the country. After these sharpening machines arrived, a mobile service was immediately established. These things I’m talking about seemed unreal in the 90s. It was a great innovation and a great service to go to the customer’s facility, pick up the blunt product, sharpen it with the high-tech machines of that day in our facility, and then take it back to the customer’s machine and install it. This was a point where the Leitz brand took the lead in Türkiye, as everywhere else. Our most important goal in doing this was to develop the sector. Because Leitz company has six factories in the world. Its aim is to send the products produced in these six factories to various countries of the world. Currently, Leitz has its own subsidiaries in 38 different countries around the world. It also provides significant support to employment by making significant investments in every country it serves.
“Türkiye has always been a center of attraction in the world throughout history”
What do Türkiye’s geographical location and regional trade potential mean to you?
Ang acourage everyone to think about that point, the team’s performance and desire will increase as the team will see its contribution to the company strategy and will be happy and motivated by it. Finally, I think that providing personal and professional development opportunities to our teammates directly affects performance, and I am trying to take action on this subject. When employees can clearly plan their future and there are fewer question marks about tomorrow, their motivation to work increases. The value given to the personal development and professional development of the employee creates value for you and increases the employee’s loyalty to the company. It is only natural that people tend to show more care and loyalty when they feel valued. Türkiye is a bridge connecting Asia and Europe. Considering these factors, Türkiye becomes an attractive centre for many foreign investors.
“The leading brands of the MDF industry entered this business with our innovations.”
You have been serving in the Turkish market for many years and follow the market closely. Which projects did you take part in as Leitz Türkiye during this long process?
When Leitz first entered the Turkish market, its target audience was carpenters since there was no industrial production in the country. We have provided many successful services to them over the years. Additionally, when we came to Türkiye, there were two or three chipboard and MDF production lines in the industry. We were supplying the cutting tools for these lines. In fact, these customer groups prove to us that Leitz is a leader in the industry. First, we worked with carpenters, then we provided equipment for chipboard MDF production lines. Leading brands of the MDF industry such as Kastamonu Entegre, AGT, Çamsan entered this business with our innovations. Then, with the development of domestic machines, there was a serious boom in the field of modular furniture. We developed tests and projects for this. Finally, laminated flooring industry made a great initiative. The number of production lines in Türkiye is among the top three in Europe. We are currently ranked first in terms of capacity and production.
Which markets do you serve in Türkiye?
We have some work with the Turkic Republics. In addition, we work with Cyprus and Greece.
“WoodTech Fair has the qualities to be among the top three in the world”
As you know, the WoodTech Fair, which we will organize for the 37th time this year, is the biggest meeting point for our industry in Eurasia. What would you like to say about the WoodTech Fair that brings the industry together?
I can say that it is a very high quality organization. WoodTech is a very successful fair with its preliminary preparation, services during the fair and post-recycling analysis. Namely, since Leitz is a global company, it participates in the world’s leading fairs. I also go to many of these fairs. When evaluated in terms of both participants, visitors and product quality, WoodTech Fair truly has the qualities to be among the top three fairs in the world. As a Turkish citizen, this makes us very proud. Speaking from Leitz’s perspective, it is very important for us to take part in such a quality fair. We are talking about a lot of machines at this fair. It is especially important how our foreign customers get opinions from us. Questions such as: “Where should we buy a machine?”, “Which one has good service?”, “Which one has good spare parts?”, “Which one do you work with?”, “Which one will our teams provide higher performance in?” are asked during our information exchange with the customers.
