Interview with Selim Yağcı, Foam Production Group Manager at Yataş

We had an enjoyable conversation with Selim Yağcı, Foam Production Group Manager at Yataş, about the company's development process and the products they have offered to the industry.

Could you briefly tell our readers about yourself and your educational background?

I was born in Kayseri in 1985. I graduated from the Chemical Engineering Department at Gazi University and entered the industry in 2010 as a Foam Production Engineer at Yataş.

Could you tell us about Yataş's success story from its foundation to the present day?

The foundations of Yataş, which is one of the leading brands in the industry today, were laid with the establishment of Süntaş A.Ş., Anatolia's first foam factory, founded in 1976. Our company expanded its facility investments in 1980 and began producing foam-based mattresses in addition to foam. We added spring mattresses to our product range in 1984, home textile products in 1987, and sofabeds and sofa sets in 1993. In 1996, we made history in the furniture industry by becoming the first company to go public. As Yataş Group, today we bring consumers together with our Yataş Bedding and Enza Home brands through a wide range of products from furniture to carpets, lighting to home textiles. "In 2019, with Yataş Bedding, Enza Home and our new brand Divanev, we will continue to be present in millions of homes." In the first quarter of 2017, we acquired the Divan Home and Divan Yatak brands to further strengthen and increase our market share. In 2019, we will continue to be present in millions of homes with Yataş Bedding, Enza Home and our new brand Divanev.

Could you provide information about Yataş's products, brands and services?

At Yataş Bedding, mattresses, bases, headboards, pillows, quilts, colorful home textiles and bedroom decoration accessories are sold together. With its product variety and pricing strategy, Yataş Group's "Sleep Health" and "Bedroom Decoration World" point of sale makes it one of Turkey's brands with the widest target audience and broadest price range. As a pioneer of industry firsts in Turkey, the generic brand Yataş continues to be the first brand that comes to mind for consumers regarding mattresses and related products, regardless of what research is conducted. Based on collaborations with the world's largest technology manufacturers, Yataş, which has won numerous awards with its innovative product portfolio, is Turkey's brand with the most variety. Divided into white and colored home textiles, Yataş's textile group comprises white home textiles including pillows, quilts and pillow-mattress protectors, and colored home textiles including bed linen sets, bedspreads and decorative cushions. Enza Home, our furniture brand, has bedroom sets, sofa sets, seating groups, corner sets, dining rooms—in short, all furniture needed for a home. Our new brands Divanev and Divanuykusu, which reflect Yataş Group's experience in furniture, sleep and decoration products, will bring a fresh perspective to the industry both in design and quality as well as product variety. In the Divanev collection, unlike Enza Home, we will feature youth room and baby room products for the first time.

Could you tell us about your foam product groups and the sectors you serve?

In addition to flexible polyether foam production used in the mattress and furniture industries, we use molded foam and a spray system for one of Yataş's special mattresses. To categorize, we can list standard foam, high resilience (HR) foam, visco foam, flame-retardant (FR) foam, optical and anthracite foams for automotive and textile sectors, and molded orthopedic visco foams. With our rich variety of cutting systems in addition to production equipment, we provide foam cutting services ready for use to all sectors. The main sectors we serve are armchair and sofa manufacturing, mattress and textile production, and lamination foams for automotive and shoe manufacturing.

What new technologies do you use in production?

First, I should mention that we are a company that places great importance on technology and innovation. Recently, we have entered a renewal process at our factory regarding our foam production, storage, transport and cutting technologies. In this regard, we have worked with leading companies in Turkey and the world, increasing our quality and efficiency levels and achieving capacity increases.