Interview with Temel Şefkatli, General Manager of METTLER TOLEDO Türkiye

In our enjoyable interview with Temel Şefkatli, General Manager of METTLER TOLEDO Turkey, we touched on many topics ranging from the company's rich product variety to the exclusive services it provides to its customers.

Could you briefly tell us about yourself and your professional background?

I have been serving as General Manager of METTLER TOLEDO's Turkey operations since 2012, when the company began direct service in Turkey. Before that, I worked for various international companies, generally in sectors dealing with fast-moving consumer products. Mars Food and Braun are two examples of these companies.

What would you like to say about METTLER TOLEDO's company vision and mission?

METTLER TOLEDO's company vision consists of three core concepts. These are: One Team, Global Reach, and Impactful Solutions. One Team means working together as one team to ensure our company's continued success and to reach our growth objectives. Global Reach means effectively using our global knowledge and communication network to maintain our presence in different regions, countries and markets around the world, and to deliver our solutions in a timely and effective manner. Impactful Solutions means bringing our solutions and products to market that will make our customers' production and measurement processes more efficient, provide cost and time savings, and ensure they work in compliance with standards and regulations.

What are your product varieties? What factors do you consider when determining your product range?

From raw material procurement to the packaging of the final product, from its exit from the production site, to its loading onto trucks for transportation and even its sale in retail chains, we have precision weighing and measurement equipment throughout all these processes. This is the most important feature that sets us apart in the market. And our field of expertise is very broad. From pipettes used in laboratories, to precision balances, pH meters, thermal analysis instruments, measurement probes that perform online measurement on production lines, to in-line product control systems that detect foreign matter in packaged products, we cover the Turkey market with many different products and also service. METTLER TOLEDO is not merely an equipment supplier. As a company, our aim is to add value to the processes of all the companies we work with and to provide solutions.

Could you tell us about the services you provide to your customers?

We can categorize the solutions we provide to our customers into three categories. These are: our products, post-sales technical service, and knowledge. With our precision weighing and measurement equipment—each an advanced-technology product and a leader in its field—we add value to our customers' processes. Post-Sales Technical Service; with our technical team, each member of which is a technical expert and trained at our headquarters, we provide service to every corner of Turkey. Our goal with our Technical Service is to extend the functional life of the equipment our customers use. Knowledge; with concepts that set direction in sectors, international and national regulations and quality standards, guides on correct measurement and weighing, free information and application seminars and online web seminars, our goal is to share valuable information that will facilitate work in the sectors where we provide solutions. METTLER TOLEDO is one of the richest companies in its field in terms of knowledge accumulation and technical application database.

You provide world-class service access with local field support. Could you inform us about this?

METTLER TOLEDO reaches end users directly through its own organization in 41 countries worldwide and through distributors in other countries. Of the total workforce of 13,500 employees, more than 5,000 are field sales and service teams. Being in the field, being immediately informed of market developments, and being close to the customer are among our most important values. In accordance with this value; with two offices in Istanbul and field sales and service teams in Izmir, Ankara, Izmit, and Bursa, we reach every part of Turkey.

Could you tell us about your technical service?

The most important goal of METTLER TOLEDO Service is to extend the functional life of the equipment in our customers' device portfolio. The real objective is not to repair but to ensure that equipment operates at maximum performance for a long time through preventive maintenance agreements and service contracts. If we list the titles that make up the mission of METTLER TOLEDO Service; to always provide fast and timely service. Through preventive maintenance and monitoring, to ensure equipment operates at maximum performance throughout its functional life. To guarantee that our solutions allow our customers to work in compliance with international and national standards, and to always support our customers with technical documentation, information and technical resources. The priority value of our technical service team is to be a "Reliable Advisor" when serving our customers.

Quickly solving problems and providing correct guidance during maintenance and calibration are areas on which our team focuses meticulously. What investments have you made in R&D in recent years? What investments are you planning to make in the coming years?

METTLER TOLEDO globally, with over 1,000 R&D employees, always aims to reach the market with the latest technology product solutions. Every year we differentiate ourselves in our field with our most advanced technology products. With our wide variety of products, we are far ahead of and lead many of our competitors, and the reason for this is that we are a "brand that determines technology and trends."

In a business, the role of sustainability is quite important for "Long-Term Growth". Could you share your thoughts on this matter with our readers?

Our most important work to ensure long-term growth and achieve sustainable success is to be close to our customers. Being active in the field, being aware of changes and dynamics in the market, developing ourselves as a team, and keeping our knowledge current are the activities we undertake with the goal of sustainability. Every year we certainly send our sales and service teams to training abroad to increase and update their knowledge and equipment. In this way, we keep our own knowledge base current, and we are able to follow technological developments. The most important work that companies like ours do is to improve the quality of the manufacturer's product by applying correct weighing and measurement methods. As quality products are produced, exports will increase in our country, and as exports increase, all manufacturers will work to produce products at a certain quality standard.

Finally, what would you like to say about the sector?

Our expectation from the sector is that our manufacturers carry out production in accordance with national and international quality standards and regulations. Only in this way can we achieve progress and development as a country.