We Aim to Increase Our Export Revenues by at Least 30% in 2025
Interview: Tuğba Karademir
Konduran A.Ş. Co-Founder Oktay Kabaktaş; “We have based our export targets for 2025 on growth by expanding into new regions as well as increasing our current market share. As Konduran A.Ş., we aim to increase our export revenues by at least 30% in 2025 with our understanding of innovation and quality-based production.”
Konduran A.Ş., which produces image processing and artificial intelligence-based industrial solutions and quality control systems for the textile industry, continues to make a difference in the sector with its own brand Viquins Mega and Vega quality control systems developed for the knitting-weaving and nonwoven sectors. We interviewed with Konduran A.Ş. Co-Founder Oktay Kabaktaş for Tekstil Teknoloji magazine. We talked to Kabaktaş about the differences that Konduran’s technological innovations have made in the sector.
When developing your products, how did you solve the biggest quality control problems faced by customers? Can you share what customer feedback Viquins and other systems have been shaped on?
The textile industry is one of the most competitive and ruthless sectors. In this industry, small mistakes can have huge costs. It is very important to avoid these mistakes that are very difficult to compensate, to stand out in the sector and to bring the businesses established with a thousand and one efforts to a sustainable structure. In this regard, which is very open to human errors and affects the fate of businesses, Viquins supports its partners to establish a safe future by eliminating the human element and providing both labor savings and qualified product continuity.
Viquins Mega and Vega systems offer significant advantages in quality control processes. How do these systems differ from other products in the industry?
Mega and Vega have unique details in their fields, in addition to all standard errors in quality processes, many features have not been successfully presented before, such as density differences and pattern problems. Our domestic software, which we produce entirely with our resources, is another advantage. The software allows us to adapt to any condition and situation. In addition, it provides the opportunity to integrate 100% into the systems of companies that produce their quality control systems in the sector. From this point of view, it is difficult to say that there is a competitor in the sector with similar capabilities and multi-axis capabilities that can be compared to Viquins. However, to compare, it is possible to say that it stands out in investment costs, operating costs, labor costs and error-catching performance.
Can you explain the artificial intelligence-based learning processes of Viquins products in more detail? How do these systems improve themselves and become more efficient?
Viquins systems come with a pre-loaded data set that gets stronger as they work. Therefore, as the system continues to work, its performance and quality increase. We can compare this to the increase in the quality and value of a person’s work as he increases his experience in the field he is working in.
“Viquins Systems Can Control Up to 100 Meters Per Minute”
How is the ability of Mega and Vega to integrate into high-speed systems ensured? What is the accuracy rate of the systems in such rapid production processes?
Viquins systems can control up to 100 meters per minute with their existing equipment. This value is many times higher than existing traditional structures, but Viquins systems are designed to exceed this speed if needed. Thanks to both the technical infrastructure of the software and its flexible hardware architecture, it stands out as a system suitable for integration into all systems that need quality control. Since the error detection capacity and performance of the system are independent of speed, the accuracy rates do not change within the given range. In summary, in the fastest control process, as in the slowest, all errors in the tolerances determined with high capacity can be detected and reported.
You mentioned that Viquins not only provides quality control but also helps prevent manufacturing errors. How do these early detection systems work, and what types of errors do they aim to prevent?
Yes. The systems we place on the knitting systems during production are also effectively designed to stop production or generate alarms if necessary in case of errors that are not within the tolerances determined at the time of production. This structure is suitable for reacting to needle fractures, holes, tears, herpes and all errors to be determined by the manufacturer by the demands of the manufacturer. This allows the production, which is likely to go to waste due to an unnoticed error, to stop at the time of the error and return to production with the least damage.
“We Adapt Our Products and Services to Regional Needs”
You have observed the increase in demand in the Asian and Middle Eastern markets. How do you adapt your products according to the needs of the industry in these regions?
Asian and Middle Eastern markets, with their dynamic and rapidly developing structures, offer significant opportunities, especially in the textile sector. Customers in these regions demand faster and more flexible procurement solutions and rising quality standards. By closely analyzing this demand, we adapt our products and services to regional needs. The ties we have established with local business partners not only speed up the product delivery process, but also enable us to create customer solutions that are suitable for cultural differences. These markets are not only a sales target for us, but also a strategic investment area where we support the common growth potential. We will continue to provide solutions that can meet local needs and support the workforce and innovation in these regions.
We know that Konduran A.Ş.’s R&D activities are very important. What kind of innovation process is carried out in your offices in Çanakkale Technopark? How are the results of the studies carried out in this center reflected in your products?
We see innovation as the pillar of our company. Our R&D center is one of the most important locations where this vision is embodied. Here, we carry out studies to be the pioneer of sectoral innovations. Thanks to the creative ecosystem provided by the technopark environment, we benefit from academic collaborations and develop innovative projects with a multidisciplinary approach. Our innovation process starts with understanding the unique needs of our customers and partners. We aim to provide tailor-made solutions to the specific challenges faced by each of our partners. In this direction, we adopt a problem-oriented research approach and design products that both provide cost advantages and increase efficiency. The results of the work we carry out in this center are directly reflected in our products. Thanks to this innovation-based approach, we continue to strengthen our leading position in the industry by offering solutions that quickly adapt to the changing needs of our customers.
What can you say about new product projects based on artificial intelligence and visual analysis in 2024? Are there any new technologies or areas you are considering investing in?
In an area that is detail-oriented and requires fast reactions, such as the textile industry, we aim to make the best use of technology to increase the efficiency of manual processes. The systems we have developed are designed to perfect visual inspections at every stage of the production line. Using visual analysis technologies integrated with sensors and cameras, these solutions can detect even the smallest errors in the production process. Thus, we both maintain high-quality standards and reduce labor costs by reducing dependence on manpower.
Sectoral demands are the most important factor that determines our innovation route. The biggest expectations of our customers in the textile industry include low cost, error-free product delivery and continuous production. We develop solutions for these needs. We offer a quality control mechanism that reduces the risk of defective products coming to market to zero. At the same time, our systems save time and resources on the production line while improving operational efficiency.
In 2025, we plan to increase our investments in areas such as the internet of things (IoT) and data analytics, as well as artificial intelligence technologies. These technologies will enable us to add more value to all stakeholders in the supply chain by making production processes more integrated and intelligent. Our goal is to redefine every stage of quality control in the textile industry and to perfect these processes thanks to artificial intelligence. We aim to make Viquins systems a quality control standard on both the buyer and seller side in the textile industry.
“We Will Continue to Invest in Both Innovation and Human Resources”
As Konduran A.Ş., what are your export targets in 2025? Which markets do you plan to focus on in this process?
We have established our export targets for 2025 on growth by expanding into new regions as well as increasing our current market share. As Konduran A.Ş., we aim to increase our export revenues by at least 30% in 2025 with our understanding of innovation and quality-based production. In line with this, we are strengthening our position in markets such as Asia and the Middle East, while also focusing on strong markets such as Europe and North America.
One of the biggest challenges we face in international markets is the regulatory requirements in different geographies and the complexity of logistics processes. However, to overcome these challenges, we aim to establish stronger and stronger ties by establishing local business partnerships and optimizing our operational processes with digitalization investments. We will continue to invest in both innovation and human resources to achieve our 2025 targets.