We talked with Dinçmak Production and R&D Manager Umut Dinç, one of the young managers of the Turkish woodworking machinery industry who stands out with his dynamism and leadership vision, about his evaluations of the sector, his own vision, goals and career journey.
Dinçmak Production and R&D Manager Umut Dinç made important evaluations about the sector and also explained his own vision and career journey. Emphasizing the importance of open and effective communication in business processes, Dinç drew particular attention to the subject of networking.
First of all, can we get to know you a little? How many years have you been in professional business life?
First of all, it is very nice that our beloved association AIMSAD includes the young generation in its activities and carries out studies in this context. This is of great importance for the formation of more professional and more motivated generations within our sector in the future.
I would like to thank our association very much on behalf of myself and the entire new generation. I am Umut Dinç, son of Adnan Dinç, one of the Founding Partners of Dinçmak Machinery; I am one of the second generation members of our company. I am 28 years old and I have been in professional business life for about four years. The fact that our company is a family business has had very positive effects on us, and we have had the chance to grow with a structure that allows us to experience the business affairs first-hand. This journey actually started with the small experiences I gained in most of our company’s production processes since I was nine years old. I completed my university education in Warsaw, Poland, graduating from Politechnika Warszawska University, department of electrical and electronics engineering. After completing my university education, I started working professionally in our company. I am currently the production and R&D manager of our company.
“Turkish machines have become an internationally respected structure”
As a young manager, how would you evaluate the current situation of the woodworking machinery industry?
The woodworking machinery sector is one of the important cornerstones of the global capital cycle. For this reason, all global developments, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Palestine war, affect our industry directly or indirectly. When we look at the situation of our industry from the perspective of Turkish machinery, we foresee a positive situation in the medium term. Turkish machinery continues to grow with the momentum it has achieved, especially in the last 10 years. We have reached an advantageous position in the international arena both in terms of R&D and innovation and in terms of price competition. Now, Turkish machines are respected internationally and perceived as quality machines. International promotion processes play a major role in increasing the international awareness of our industry and expanding our market. Many marketing and promotional activities are also carried out under the leadership of AIMSAD.
“Currently, we have been investing mostly in innovation and technology areas.”
What do you do to adapt to new technologies both in company management and production and to make your company stand out with a competitive advantage?
A new era has opened in our working lives, especially during and after the pandemic period. There have been developments that we can describe as very rapid and revolutionary in people’s perspectives on working life, their priorities and the use of technology. Especially with the introduction of remote working into our lives, technological innovations have shifted to this area and started to provide opportunities for people to carry out their transactions more easily. Recently, AI technologies have begun to enter and play an active role in both our social and business lives. Again, ERP systems have become a part of us as smart and self-improving software that includes 360-degrees company management, rather than being a closed-box program that only keeps the company’s accounting or production. We constantly follow these innovations and strive to implement them in our company. We are trying to use the new social media system in all areas of marketing and combine this process with AI innovations. Again, by digitalizing the processes of all our units with smart ERP applications; We increase control, working performance and efficiency. We make investments to create competitive advantages. The areas we have invested the most in recent times are innovation and technology. We try to quickly adapt to innovations and technological developments in the sector and increase our company’s competitive advantage. We reflect our 45 years of experience in the sector to new products, processes and services and make our innovations more valuable. By developing our customer-oriented perspective, we prioritize customer satisfaction and try to offer solutions for customer needs. In this way, we aim to increase customer loyalty and provide a competitive advantage.
Dynamism and innovation
As a young manager, what management strategies do you implement to motivate your team and improve their performance?
As a young manager, the company’s biggest expectation from you is dynamism and innovation. Three main points are important to me here. The first of these is effective communication with my team. In my opinion, open and effective communication is the cornerstone of managing a good team. If a team has difficulty communicating, all other activities are doomed to fail. Therefore, being open to the team, respecting all opinions and empathy are the keys to working together. Secondly, setting a clear goal and pursuing that goal is another key to performance. Setting clear and attainable goals for the team directly increases focus and motivation. Because, if we can focus the team on a single point and encourage 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.
“Vision is an important tool that leads to success in becoming a good leader.”
Is there a leader in your business life that inspires you? What did you learn from that leader?
In fact, there is not one but more than one leader that I take as an example in my business life. I think that every leader we call good has both good and bad aspects. After all, no one is perfect. The important thing for me here is to analyze well. One should be able to approach with a sense of empathy and ask themselves, “In this situation, what would I do?”. More precisely, finding your own leadership qualities and focusing on them. Nowadays, leadership is more suited to people who constantly produce new things or make new inventions. In my opinion, good leadership starts with managing the current situation correctly. Having a vision is very important. I think your vision is an important tool that carries you to success in becoming a good leader. Because most of the time people talk about your vision, not you. In my opinion, the most important characteristics of being a good leader are the courage to take risks, being innovation-oriented, determination, giving importance to teamwork and ensuring open communication. I attach importance to developing these characteristics as much as I can.
“It is necessary to understand the difference between working hours and private life”
How do you maintain the balance between your career and private life in a busy work schedule?
In fact, this is a question I often ask myself. I don’t know how well I can maintain this balance. This should be asked to the people in my life, but I am making a serious effort for this. As can be imagined, self-employed people need to put in more effort than usual. For this reason, it is necessary to manage well the stress and balance situations that come with responsibilities. You need to balance your work and private life by planning and prioritizing, and manage your time more effectively by working in a planned manner. It is necessary to set boundaries and embrace the difference between working hours and private life. During periods of intense workload, it is necessary to have a bit of flexibility and protect your mental and physical health. Achieving work and private life balance may sometimes require support. In these situations, it is very important to get support from your family, colleagues and environment. You should not delay in making time for yourself because the pace of business life never ends. It is very important to take time for yourself, take care of your hobbies or even just rest. This is an absolute must-take approach to ensure constant energy and motivation.
5 goals in 5 years
What are your top 5 goals regarding your business life in the next 5 years?
Of course, I don’t know what will change in the next 5 years, but the goals I have set for myself are as follows;
1) Achieving career advancement
2) Improving my skills
3) Taking steps towards entrepreneurship and innovation
4) Improving my international networking
5) Improving our company’s brand and image
“Networking is an important strategy for the development of your professional career in this age.”
What are your suggestions to young professionals about networking?
Networking is actually a serious topic that needs to be talked about at length because I see it as a very important strategy for the direction and development of your professional career in this age we live in. It is a situation that we, especially young people, must care particular attention to. In this regard, it is necessary to establish a good equation in order for everyone to know themselves first and present themselves as they are. Creating an honest and good image is critical; Also, first impression is very important. Establishing sincere, open and honest communication with people and creating a professional image are very important to increase your credibility in the business world. Using social media effectively has already become a necessity of our age in every sense. It is necessary to use professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn effectively. It is important to keep your profile constantly updated, share your experiences and contribute to industry-related content, and participate in industry events. In my opinion, participating in seminars, conferences, events and professional communities, meeting new people, exchanging information and following the developments in the sector closely is one of the most effective ways for networking. It is also necessary to attach importance to mentoring relationships. Having a mentor who guides you, shares his experiences and supports your career can make great contributions to the development of your professional life. On the other hand, knowing how to listen is one of the most important things. When communicating with people, instead of just talking, it is necessary to focus on the other person, be a good listener and take notes. It is necessary to learn from people’s experiences by focusing on their interests, problems and needs. It is necessary for a person and their relationships to stay updated. We must not forget that networking requires constant effort. Be sure to make time for yourself to strengthen your relationships and establish new connections.
