We came together with Burak Akıskali, Board Member of Nesto Machine, which makes significant contributions to the Turkish woodworking machinery industry by exporting the machines they produce in their 4,500 square meter factory in Bursa-İnegöl to more than 40 countries, to talk about the goals of their company, the work they will carry out throughout 2024, the fairs they will attend, and their evaluations regarding the growth of the sector. Burak Akıskali pointed out that the perception of Turkish woodworking machinery manufacturers has gained an increasingly important place in international markets every year: “We believe that in the upcoming days, companies that increase brand awareness, raise the perception of ‘Made in Türkiye’ and make investments in this regard in the international market will shine even brighter. As Nesto Machine, we are working towards this goal with all of our strength.”

Turkish woodworking machinery industrialists, who have further strengthened their place in the global arena with their production success in the last 20 years, continue to undertake many important projects in 2024. Nesto Nesto Machine, which has created a significant brand value for itself among domestic companies, continues its work in line with its goals. Nesto Machine Board Member Burak Akıskali, with whom we discussed both his evaluations of the sector and the goals of his companies, said: “I can say that we, as a company, have come a long way in a short time. The reason for this is that we are focused on our goals. Our goal and our biggest source of motivation is to be among the top five companies in the world that produce machinery for the woodworking industry. We believe that this is possible with a committed team and the right investments.”

  • First of all, how was the year 2023 for the woodworking machinery industry in general? What are your predictions for 2024?

First of all, I wish success to TWM Magazine, which started its publication life with the support of our association AIMSAD. As a company within the sector, I would like to state that our association and our publications reflect our vision, and a new chapter has been added to this vision with TWM Magazine. I thank you on behalf of myself and my company. I believe that 2023 will be a productive year for the woodworking machinery industry. Especially with the Ligna Fair, it was a year where Turkish manufacturer companies both exhibited their products and increased the perception of “Turkish woodworking machinery manufacturers” in international markets. We have left 2023 behind as a year in which domestic customers were also very willing to invest. The number of domestic manufacturers participating in international fairs starting in 2023 and previous years is increasing every year. There will be more products labeled “Made in Türkiye” at the IWF Fair, which will be held in the USA in 2024, compared to previous periods. As Nesto Machine, we have already taken our place in the 2024 IWF and we are making our preparations. In addition, we aim to increase our share in the foreign market by exhibiting our products in a total of four international fairs in Russia, Italy and Brazil in 2024, in order to further increase our export rates, together with the USA-IWF Fair.

“We work with a team of 55 people in our 4,500 square meter facilities”
Can you give information about your company’s production capacity and facilities?

As Nesto Machine, we work with a team of 55 people in total in our 4,500 square meter facilities located in İnegöl-Bursa. Our welding, machining, painting, assembly and automation departments ensure that our production processes are more measurable and under control, allowing us to serve our customers on time and in the fastest way.

  • In which geographies do you have dealers?

We currently export to more than 40 countries. We currently have dealerships in Russia, Poland, Serbia and Brazil. In order to expand our dealership network in the USA and Europe, we participated in the Xylexpo Fair held in Milan in May 2024. We will also exhibit our machines at the IWF Fair in August. On this occasion, we invite all interested parties to examine our products at our fairs.

  • What is the fundamental vision of your company Nesto Machine?

Our vision is to continuously produce and work towards becoming an international leading and respected brand that brings a new perspective to the woodworking machinery sector with our knowledge, skill and experience, produces efficiently and with advanced technology, and has worldwide recognition and continuity.

“Our goal and biggest source of motivation is to be among the top five in the industry”
  • What are your company’s future goals? Can you share your short, medium and long term goals?

I can say that we, as a company, have come a long way in a short time. The reason for this is that we are focused on our goals. Our goal and our biggest source of motivation is to be among the top five companies in the world that produce machinery for the woodworking industry. We believe that this is possible with a committed team and the right investments. For this reason, we make serious investments in both our team, our production facilities and fairs. In the short term, as I mentioned before, we will be participating in fairs in many different geographies in 2024 in order to increase our brand awareness. We have already started preparations for the Ligna Fair to be held in Germany in 2025.

“We transferred all our processes to a platform where we can follow them digitally”
  • What technological developments have you invested in in recent years as a company? What difference did these investments make in the industry?

As a company, we took action in the operational management of our company under “digital transformation” in 2024 and we have transferred all our processes such as service, production, planning, assembly, sales, etc. to a platform where we can follow them digitally. Thus, we made both our production efficiency and process tracking measurable and improvable. In order to increase our production efficiency, we made investments in high-tech machinery and equipment, as well as our “digital transformation” movement. We have made investments to provide all the services we previously received from outside, and thus became a fully integrated facility.

“Our real work starts after we deliver our machines”
  • Can you give information about your after-sales services? In this sense, what kind of investments and work do you do?

We believe that the after-sales services unit is one of the most important departments of a machinery company. As Nesto Machine, we act with the awareness that our real work with customers begins after we deliver our machines. Because our customers are satisfied with the problem-free service provided by our machines and they share the word about their satisfaction to those around them. This ensures that our existing customers are satisfied and provides a reference to those they know who are considering purchasing a machine. Recently, we have implemented different practices within the scope of our digital transformation movement in order to provide our customers with a better after-sales experience. We increased our investments in order to finalize service request processes as quickly and clearly as possible. In the second half of 2024, both our customers and our after-sales services team will begin to reap the fruits of these investments.

“The steps taken by AIMSAD to promote the woodworking machinery manufacturers of our country are the driving force for us”
  • What developments await us in the Turkish woodworking machinery industry in the future?

The Turkish woodworking machinery sector is an important sector that contributes positively to current account deficit targets such as increasing exports and reducing imports. We produce value-added products, and by preventing the import of these value-added products from abroad, we differentiate ourselves positively in terms of current account balance. For this reason, we try to act with awareness of the duties and responsibilities we assume as stakeholders of this sector. The steps taken by AIMSAD to promote the woodworking machinery manufacturers of our country are the driving force for us. We have an association that takes its place in all known and potential fairs abroad with the aim of promoting “Turkish woodworking machinery manufacturers” and supports us in this regard. We believe that in the upcoming days, companies that increase brand awareness, raise the perception of “Made in Türkiye” and make investments in this regard in the international market will shine even brighter. As Nesto Machine, we are working towards this goal with all of our strength.

“New products will be presented to customers at WoodTech Fair”
  • What are your company’s outstanding products and services? Do you have any new products that you have introduced or plan to launch in 2024?

The MAESTRO 5 Axis CNC Machining Center, which we launched in 2022, and our “BRAVO – 4 Axis Multiple Wood Lathe Machine”, which we launched at the WoodTech Fair held in Istanbul in 2023, are very popular. In addition, our 5 Axis Ultra CNC Wood Lathe Machine and CNC Mortising Machine are among our highly popular and in-demand products. In addition, these products are in serious demand due to their advantage in the price-performance equation compared to their counterparts of different origins. We are moving forward by making improvements on our existing products in 2024. Of course, we have new products we are working on in 2024; However, we aim to present these products to our customers at the WoodTech Fair, which will be held in Tüyap on 12-14 October 2024.

“We don’t just focus on an existing product; we focus on how we can make that product more efficient for our customers”
  • Can you give detailed information about your R&D activities? What are the strategies you follow to develop innovative products and processes?

The R&D unit has been one of the most important units for our company since the first day we were established. We currently have an R&D team of six people. Our main goal as a company is to provide our customers with the opportunity to avoid costs related to labor, in a period when labor costs are rising so much. In addition, our machines provide benefits for our customers to increase their productivity by ensuring that their production processes are measurable. As Nesto Machine, we are a company that is constantly in communication with customers in the field. We try to identify with our customers all the processes in which they experience difficulties and problems, and we conduct research and develop our products to come to their aid. In other words, in addition to focusing on an existing product, we focus on how we can make that product more useful and efficient for our customers. Thus, we both develop new products and improve our existing products.