Energy efficiency and high energy saving lighting equipment, which are on the agenda of the world, affect the dynamics of the lighting sector in Turkey. In this context, it is predicted that 75% of the lighting products in the Turkish market in 2020 will consist of LED and energy-saving bulbs. Thanks to government support that opens up a large area to the LED market with outdoor application projects and incentives, the LED market in Turkey is expected to grow by 25.5 percent in five years.
- First of all, can you give information about your exhibition work?
IstanbulLight International Lighting & Electrical Materials Fair and Congress, which will be held on 21-24 September 2017, will bring together all actors of the lighting industry in cooperation with the Lighting Equipment Manufacturers Association and the Turkish National Committee of Lighting at the Istanbul Exhibition Center. We are reshaping IstanbulLight this year. We make many changes and innovations by listening to the expectations of participants and visitors and the sector. Starting with our "Life is LIGHT" motto, we continue our work in line with IstanbulLight's strategy of bringing the lighting industry together in a single roof gold and transforming Turkey into a center in eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States regions.
In this context, we have added Lighting Design, Electrical Materials, Decorative Lighting and Building Automation Systems to our exhibition profile this year. We continue our efforts to welcome municipal and road buyers, distributors, dealers, architects, construction, project and contracting company officials, electricity and project company officials, electricity distribution company officials and buyers from domestic and abroad. In addition, we cooperate and communicate with media and associations in Turkey and in russia, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Georgia Jordan, Iran, and Qatar.
- What happened in the process leading up to the fair merger, why did such a need arise?
It was the expectation of the whole sector that it became a fair that united the lighting sector under one roof and embraced the whole sector. So we realized this expectation. We have taken the first step towards this, but we still have a long way to go in line with the IstanbulLight vision. IstanbulLight will hold the decision every two years in April, while by 2017 we will bring the whole sector together every year in September. The sector expects IstanbulLight after this merger. To achieve this, as the IstanbulLight team, we establish relationships with the associations representing the sector, non-governmental organizations and the media.
- What kind of gains have they made to our sector and our country's economy with this union?
We know that the need of our participating companies is to meet with the right buyer and create new collaborations.Turkey offers serious potential in lighting and electrical materials, both in infrastructure projects and investments in construction. In addition to the 3rd Istanbul Airport and 4.5 billion TL Istanbul Financial Center projects, which cost 10.3 billion euros under construction, there are also projects that are in the tender process.The Canal Istanbul, Haydarpasa Station Restoration project, 3-Storey Bosphorus Crossing Tunnel, Ataköy Marina and Haliç Port projects, which are planned to be completed in the next few years, create a large business volume for the lighting sector. In addition, 425,000 new residences by 2023, on an area of 150,000 square meters
Investments such as giant city hospitals, international congress centers in 3 major cities, Sinop and Akkuyu nuclear power plants are among the important projects that will support the growth of the lighting sector. We think these projects will stimulate internal and external trade in both industrial lighting and electrical materials. With the merger, all lighting and electrical materials companies; Electricity project and engineering company buyers, architects, electricians, wholesalers, distributors, roadways and municipal authorities will bring together the trade for both the domestic market and the foreign market.
- How will this event differ from previous years? What's your expectation?
This year at the 10th fair of IstanbulLight; we have also added decorative lighting, building automation systems and electrical materials and equipment by updating the participant profile. Our goal is to make it work. to make Istanbullight the international meeting point of the lighting industry in Eastern Europe, North Africa, Middle East region by bringing together all the elements related to lighting on a platform. IstanbulLight; In the next few years, it will be a more comprehensive platform that opens the way for the sector in domestic and foreign markets and creates business connections with new markets. Accordingly, we met with our participants and learned about the visitors they were waiting for. According to these results, we have created a visitor profile. We do visitor studies for target segments and regions. As a result, we aim to welcome real buyers to the fair this year.
In addition, the 11th edition of the Istanbullight fair was held by the ATMK. The National Lighting Congress will be held. Congress coverage is being reshaped this year in line with the needs and expectations of the sector. The topics on the agenda will be discussed by foreign and Turkish speakers who are experts in the field. The importance of lighting design in lighting is increasing day by day. When we look at the world lighting fairs, it is seen that a conference/summit is organized that brings lighting designs together with manufacturers. We will hold a one-day IstanbulLight Lighting Design Summit for the first time this year to bring together investor companies in Turkey and around the world with lighting designers and to raise the importance of lighting design.
- Do you think the lighting industry is where it should be? What can be done about it?
As turkey has a very serious potential for the development and growth of the lighting sector, I think that this potential will have an impact on the sector to take the sector to the next level by increasing the R&D efforts of lighting companies and increasing their investments in LED technologies.
- There is a large amount of imported product inflows into our country. The domestic manufacturer is experiencing serious difficulties. What do you think should be done about imports…
Currently, there is a production of fixtures in Turkey and the installation of led chips by importing them from outside. In order to reduce the demand for imported products, efforts should be made to increase the number of quality products in the market by increasing production investments and to change consumer awareness in parallel. With the development of lighting awareness by bringing quality and long-lasting products to the forefront, it will be inevitable that the demand for cheap imported products will decrease.
- LED is one of the most talked about topics in the lighting industry. How do you rate the improvements in LED?
Now there is increasing interest in energy efficiency and energy-efficient products. In the 2020s, 75% of the products are projected to consist of LED and Energy Efficient bulbs. These dizzying developments in the LED market inevitably increase the interest in the lighting industry and the number of led and LED device manufacturers in this context.
We think it accelerates the transformation to LED infrastructure thanks to government support for both domestic and foreign markets. Led product revenues in 2016 were $19 million, compared to $102 million in 2022. This also demonstrates turkey's potential in the LED market. Street lighting has 15 million street lamps converted to LEDs. This saves 80 percent on energy consumption at the country level. We know that more projects are waiting for us to increase the demand for LEDs for our country in the future.
- Turkey is one of the countries that feels the energy needs the most. Istanbul Light fair is very important in this sense. What kind of work do you plan to do at the fair?
Energy needs and energy consumption are the subject not only of Turkey but of the whole world. In order to reduce the energy consumption in lighting, maximizing the use of natural light and making artificial light with the right light angle and quality products are important points within the scope of energy consumption and sustainability.It is an important issue to consider a project as a whole during the planning phase and to build it.In order to establish and develop this awareness, we will organize a panel within the scope of the Lighting Design Summit. In this panel, all stakeholders of a project (architect, investor, electrical project manager, lighting designer) will come together and discuss the processes of the project in order to ensure accurate and efficient lighting.
- What would you like to say about the future of the lighting industry?
Energy efficiency and high energy saving lighting equipment, which are on the agenda of the world, affect the dynamics of the lighting sector in Turkey. In this context, the lighting industry is in the process of rapid transformation towards LED. In 2020, it is predicted that 75% of the lighting products in the Turkish market will consist of LED and energy-efficient bulbs. The LED market in Turkey is expected to grow by 25.5 percent in five years thanks to government support that has opened up a large area to the LED market with outdoor application projects and incentives.
What innovations and technologies will visitors to the fair have the opportunity to see?
Our participating companies will have the opportunity to see R&D studies, the latest approaches and trends in armature design, outdoor and indoor lighting products, fixtures, electrical materials used in con conceived with lighting. At the ATMK National Lighting Congress and IstanbulLight Lighting Design Summit, there will be sessions where they can find new approaches to human-oriented lighting, fixture design, and the most up-to-date information about lighting design indoors and outdoors.
