“We will Take Our Place in the Market in 2024 with Stronger Products Than Before”
Interview: Özge Çağıl Sütcü
YGN Mekatronik Manager Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yusuf Azrail Uskaner: “In 2023, we spent the year 2023 evaluating the stagnation in the textile production sector and focusing on self-development. In particular, we enriched our product range and automation infrastructure. In short, when the market revives, we will take our place with stronger products than before.”
Uslan R&D, an engineering, consultancy, production, import, export and trade company, operates in Gaziantep University, Teknopark. The company, which set out to become the production center of synthetic textile machinery in Turkey and the Middle East with the production of machinery in accordance with technological developments, already has expertise in synthetic yarn machinery and technologies. YGN Mekatronik, which was founded within Uslan Ar-Ge in 2014, continues its manufacturing and R&D activities in the same field.
We interviewed YGN Mekatronik Manager Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yusuf Azrail Uskaner for the January special issue of Tekstil Teknoloji magazine. Uskaner talked about the state of the textile industry, 2024 predictions and R&D studies. The highlights of the interview are as follows:
Domestic Production in Spinning Machinery and Technologies is Very Restricted
The textile machinery market, like textile products, is a very wide and diverse market. Domestic production in this market is quite restricted and the machinery market is in time of trouble. The deficit given by the ‘844400 HS code’ in foreign trade is the most deficit sign of this. Our primary goal for the time being is to bring domestic products to the forefront in the domestic market. Of course, we also endeavor to take advantage of export opportunities that come to the fore from time to time. First of all, we trust our products and technical infrastructure. We believe in the saying: “you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar”. In this regard, we draw a parallel path with the policies of our country. So much so that we shape our R&D studies with the projects of the TUBITAK Technology and Innovation Support Programs Presidency (TEYDEB), keeping our hand strong against the market in the relevant fields. We do not compromise on our quality and technology. The situation did not escape the attention of Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, President of TUBITAK, and he honored us with his visits during his visit to Gaziantep. In particular, in order to heal the wounds of the painful earthquake experience in our geography, our state supported the region and our deeply wounded industry with the “TEKNO ÇABA” project call. Following this support, Dr. Alp Eren Yurtseven came to visit our company in order to examine in depth the needs and wishes briefly mentioned during Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal’s visit. Yurtseven examined with interest the contribution of TEYDEB projects, their commercialization and the new projects they have led to.
As YGN Mekatronik, despite larger facilities and large capacities in the current market, we produce single or small-scale, modular, flexible production capability and fast production changeable machines, in short, “changing and changeable according to the market”. In fact, the needs of our business partners, the commercial opportunities we see and their existing capabilities guide our R&D activities. With the contributions of TUBITAK TEYDEB, we are expanding our machine inventory day by day.
“15 units of our Uslan Spinlab Model have been sold by the end of 2023”
Developed in 2019 especially for sample production needs, the Uslan Spinlab model sold 15 units by the end of 2023. Thus, the project exceeded the planned commercial target. We researched different polymers and different yarns that can be produced from these polymers on this machine. Starting in late 2021, we learned in depth about polyester yarn requirements and production requirements with the project of the PET MY24 model. In 2022, we explored processes to improve this product and add performance to the yarns to be produced using polyester raw materials. This mostly experimental process allowed us to understand the concept and requirement of POY/FDY, the most important and basic product. On February 6, 2023, when TUBITAK TEYDEB called for a project titled ‘TEKNO EFFORT’ to support the region after the earthquake disaster, we had the opportunity to evaluate the stagnation of the existing textile sector and textile machinery sector to develop our own structure. In this context, we had the opportunity to commercialize our project by supporting the same concept with different models before we even completed the project of our POY/FDY yarn production machine that we applied for. We continue to continue our products and services to develop our “Domestic and National” industry.
“We Prioritize Self-Dyed Yarn Production”
The issue we focus on the most is the pollution caused by dyeing processes in textile products. For this reason, we try to emphasize the production of self-dyed yarns. On the other hand, we closely follow the developments in recycling and biodegradable polymers and implement the necessary moves according to our R&D processes.
Digitalization and R&D projects have become a necessity for the future of a sustainable industry. Stability and measured values are very critical in the machines in our industry. In this regard, we strengthen our machines with Industry 4.0 applications and finely tuned control algorithms in our machines that we automate ourselves.
“We predict that there will be an increase in textile production towards the middle of 2024”
We see ourselves as business partners, not as machine manufacturers. Therefore, the value and gain of our business partners is also a value and gain for us. On the other hand, we say; ” A tree is known by its fruit, a man by his deeds “. We see the most accurate tool to express ourselves as the products we develop. Because of this approach, we establish long-lasting collaborations and commercial friendships. In 2023, we spent the year 2023 evaluating the stagnation in the textile production sector and focusing on self-development. In particular, we enriched our product range and automation infrastructure. In short, when the market revives, we will take our place with stronger products than before.
There are general ups and downs in every sector. 2023 was a very stable and calm year. We anticipate that this stagnation will decrease or relatively increase in textile production towards the middle of 2024. However, the textile machinery sector will revive a few months before or a few months after, which is directly linked to the textile production sector, again depending on the textile production sector. New products will come every day. The limit of our technology is not even our imagination anymore.
As you know, ITM 2024 will be held in 2024. ITM 2022 was a good breakthrough, especially after the pandemic, with an intense participation. It is too early to reveal our plans for the exhibition, but we will show some good things. Our customers or potential customers who followed us with interest in 2022 will follow us with surprise and admiration this time.
