‘‘In 2023, We will Represent Domestic Products More Abroad’’

Hüseyin Birben, Beneks General Manager 

In 1988, the company stepped into the sector and specialized in finishing and fabric preparation machines used in fabric dyeing houses. In 1998, the company included the Fabric Dyeing Machine group in its product range and serves in line with the principle of ‘Competition is Quality, not Price’. Beneks exports 60% of its production to more than twenty countries worldwide.

We conducted an interview with Beneks General Manager Hüseyin Birben for the January special file of our Tekstil Teknoloji magazine. Hüseyin Birben said that they closed the year with many investments and breakthroughs and made the following evaluations for 2022; ‘‘2022 was a year of investments and breakthroughs for Beneks in many aspects.  Our export figures constitute 60% of our production volume.  In today’s conditions, we aim to increase the ratio of exports in production volume in order to represent Turkish origin products abroad and increase foreign currency inflow to our country.’’

‘‘Our production volume increased by 10% compared to the previous year’’

Birben said that they maintained their continuity in the foreign and domestic markets despite a global crisis experienced worldwide, and stated that they introduced the Beneks brand in new markets in 2022 and that they expect to receive positive results in 2023. Birben continued his words as follows; ‘‘With a 10% increase in our production volume compared to the previous year, it is among the missions of Beneks Makine to bring especially quality and innovative products to the customer.’’

With 34 years of experience in the sector, Beneks exports to more than twenty countries and continues to promote its domestic products in the markets to which it exports and in the new markets it enters. Hüseyin Birben expressed the following on the subject; ‘‘One of our most important goals is to proudly fly the Turkish flag in the countries we are in and in our new markets. There is a very serious global crisis in the world and in general, countries do not prefer foreign currency to go abroad. New investments or expansions planned to be made can be kept on hold by the customer. In this context, many of our agreed orders are waiting to be finalized due to problems in opening letters of credit. As Beneks, we have determined the markets we will focus on by making good feasibility for 2022. We have made great strides especially in South America, Russia, Uzbekistan and India markets.’’

‘‘We will continue to work on environmentally friendly products in 2023’’

Birben noted that as Beneks Makine, they focused on the innovation process of green respect and nature-friendly products in 2022; ‘‘Our efforts to provide more capacity with less water and chemical consumption in our HT EcoCompact paint machine are progressing rapidly. With our Baraban pre-drying machines, we bring products that increase stenter and drying performances to the forefront with minimum electricity and steam consumption. In 2023, we will carry out environmentally friendly product studies.’’

Stating that they made their biggest investment for 2022 for their R&D department, Hüseyin Birben said that they are taking rapid steps towards becoming an R&D center. Birben stated that they carry out joint projects for innovation studies of new technologies and products with experienced universities and educators and added the following: ‘‘Beneks Makine has decided to carry out activities that will improve this cooperation and carry it to advanced levels within the scope of university-industry cooperation. Today’s conditions necessitate potential industry-university collaborations. Acting with the awareness of this; we organized a workshop to be attended by academics and students of Textile and Mechanical Engineering departments in Izmir on 08 December 2022 by Dokuz Eylül University Textile Engineering department academicians. During the visit, an informative presentation was made to the students and educators of the Textile and Mechanical Engineering Department and an exchange of ideas about cooperation was ensured.’’

‘‘We focus on product production that follows technology’’

‘‘We focus on the production of products that follow the technology,’’ said Birben and added: ‘‘Our priority, as it has been for 34 years, is to maintain the Beneks quality line that is focused on customer needs and respectful to nature. We focus on the production of products that will provide added value to the customer and make a difference compared to competing products, but most importantly, we focus on the production of products that follow the technology.  In 2022, we adapted the Industry 4.0 system to our products with high-performance use. In particular, we prioritize the development of products that respect nature with less water and chemical consumption in HT EcoCompact dyeing machines.’’

Hüseyin Birben shared Beneks Makine’s 2023 sales and export targets with us; ‘‘Exporting is important for Beneks as it is for other companies in terms of providing foreign currency inflow to our country and brand continuity.  Our 2022 export share includes 60% of our total turnover. For 2023, we aim to increase this share to 70% with the same rate of turnover increase. With our 34 years of experience; we want to have the Beneks brand in the countries where textile is present, to participate in the necessary fair organizations for this, to make customer visits and most importantly, to reach the end user by actively using social media.’’

Birben said, ‘‘Beneks Makine has been doing what it knows best for more than 34 years and will continue to do so.   By analyzing the requirements of the age well, it will make a difference by investing in the development of products that provide added value to our country and the world, and most of all by investing in people.’’

 

Interview: Özge Çağıl Sütcü