‘‘We Modernized Our Machines During the Pandemic’’
We talked with Göksun Özensoy, the Marketing Manager of Color Service Company, with whom we interviewed for our Tekstil Teknoloji magazine, about the effects of the pandemic period, the precautions they took, and the shortcomings in the textile industry. He said that they had a crisis in the supply of electronic materials in 2021, so although they had orders waiting to be fulfilled, they had to slow down the production due to the shortage of these materials. Özensoy stated, ‘‘If we had not experienced these problems, we could have produced at least 20% more. We had to shift many of our orders to 2022, that is, to this year. We hope that this problem will be solved in the second half of this year and we can make our deliveries faster.’’
How was 2021 for Color Service company? After the first quarter of 2021, a general increase in orders is observed. Has there been an increase in the order and export figures of Color Service?
2021 was a very bright year for Color Service. We experienced the adverse effects of the Covid outbreak in 2020, but in 2021 we returned to the pre-Covid era in terms of orders and production. As you know, there has been a shift of textiles production from east to west in the world in general. For this reason, an increase in orders was seen in manufacturers in or close to Europe such as Turkey, Portugal, and Italy. This increase was also reflected in the investments of the companies and the products they demanded from us. In fact, since the demand for quality is greater than the increase in manufacturing capacity, huge automation investments have been made.
The only limiting aspect for us in 2021 was the crisis in the supply of electronic materials. The crisis, which affected the world in general, also hit us. Although we have orders waiting to be fulfilled, we had to slow down our production due to these material shortages. If we had not experienced these problems, we could have produced at least 20% more. We had to shift many of our orders to 2022, that is, to this year. We hope that this problem will be solved in the second half of this year and we can make our deliveries faster.
Color Service is the only company that can set up a complete automation system. Can we hear from you about the latest innovations developed by the company in the field of dye house and printing automation?
Although there is not much difference in our product range, we have modernized some of our machines. Especially thanks to this new structure, we plan to shorten the commissioning times. As you know, sending technicians to other countries is problematic due to the pandemic, so we have increased the possibilities of providing remote service. We have developed systems that can be easily commissioned with more modular and plain products. For us, this has actually been an occasion to reduce costs.
The pandemic period has once again proven how important sustainability is. What are the latest innovations that Color Service has developed by considering sustainability, especially chemical, water, energy usage, and environment? Can you please provide information about your action plan regarding sustainability as a company?
In fact, our products do not consume a lot of resources individually anyway. The main point is that they contribute a lot to the environment, as they help businesses to operate more efficiently where they are utilized. The most important help for the environment today is to realize a more efficient production. As the efficiency increases, since the use of resources per unit of production decreases, a more suitable production for the environment is carried out.
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‘‘We are planning to start production in our 4th factory in 2022’’
As Color Service, have you made any new investments during the pandemic period? Can you please tell us about your R&D studies?
We bought our 4th factory building in 2020 and our project work for this building continues. In 2022, if we can solve the problems in the supply of electronics, we can start operations in this building. The manufacturing capacity, which we increased with the 3rd building in 2019, will increase with this additional building. Even now, we manufacture twice as much as our closest competitor. These values are double both in terms of turnover and the number of machines manufactured.
Color Service is essentially an R&D company. The most important thing for us is to be one step ahead of the needs of the industry and to launch ready-made technology in our pocket when the demand arrived from the industry. Therefore, R&D is actually a part of our business for us.
What are your expectations and goals for 2022?
Our expectation for this year is to make more in terms of turnover than 2021. At this point, we rely on 2 things. The first is solving the electronics problem. The second is the food industry. We started working to enter this sector in 2020, but we did not make the progress we desired due to the cancelation of many exhibitions in 2021 due to the pandemic outbreak. I think we will be more active this year.
As for textiles, as I mentioned before, raw material supply and even price increases affect us. For example, the price of aluminum, which we use the most, has increased by 100% in the last year. Since we are an Italian company, the values I provide are in Euros. With this increase, there is a very serious increase in manufacturing costs for us. In this regard, there is an expectation that there will be a decrease in costs in 2022. I think we will only see that in the 2nd half of the year.
‘‘Since Turkey is an important market for us, we attach great importance to the ITM 2022 Exhibition’’
As you know, the ITM 2022 Exhibition will be held in June 2022. Could you please share your thoughts on the contributions of the ITM 2022 exhibition, which will be the first meeting of the sector after a long mandatory break, to the textile sector?
Turkey and its neighboring countries are an important market for us. For this reason, we attach great importance to the ITM 2022 exhibition. On the other hand, Turkey’s position will be even more important due to its proximity to Europe and low labor costs. However, unpredictable fluctuations in the exchange rate scare investors. If the situation deteriorates by June, this exhibition could be very interesting. Otherwise, it is certain that there will be a contraction in visitors and demand. The business that can’t foresee its future will not be willing to invest.
Are there any new products and technologies that you, as Color Service, intend to introduce at ITM 2022?
We are planning to exhibit the new product that we have developed for the dye house and especially the laboratory. I guess that we can experience the demand that we expect.
Interview: Dilek HAYIRLI
