We asked Güngör Akkurt, Sales Manager of Sylvania Turkey, about the Turkish lighting market, new trends, 2020 evaluation and more.
- Hello, Mr. Güngör, thank you for your time. Can we recognize you?
- Hello, thank you. I was born in Trabzon in 1970 and have been in the sector since 1993. Until 2017, I also served as Istanbul Regional Manager in another global player of our sector. Since August 2017, I have been working as Sales Manager in Sylvania Turkey.
- Can you tell us about the lighting market, new trends and the Sylvania brand's approach to new trends?
Of course, the lighting market has changed greatly with the introduction of LED technology to the market. This change, which is very positive and efficient for the consumer, unfortunately did not happen much for the companies. With the advent of this technology, the number of so-called under-stairs manufacturers in the market has increased considerably. However, since the global players of our sector do not want to compromise on quality, turnover has changed. In line with these developments, the Turkish market has started to become a biological LED dump, and this time they have moved to enter the lighting market of large companies in different commodities. This is actually an indication of how important and labeled our market is, we can be proud of it as a lightingist. However, just as we receive an important service from its master, lighting should also be taken from its well-established manufacturers. The most important reason for this is that the investment made by established manufacturers on their products is completely user-oriented, so it is among the most reliable options not only in terms of light comfort but also in terms of safety. Don't worry, at Sylvania we will continue to deal only with the lighting that we are masters of. Our work, our power, is light.
- As someone who is directly in the lighting market, how do you interpret 2020?
2020 has been very static for the lighting market, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of finance has risen and interest rates have increased. Lighting, which is the most sensitive item in our sector, is slightly more affected than other commodities.
So how did 2020 affect Sylvania, and in what ways did it change?
We have all had the challenges of 2020, this year has also been a great opportunity to improve ourselves and see our shortcomings. We will say hello to 2021 with strength. We, as a company, are not going to make any changes, let me explain this on this occasion. It's still what it was when it was founded 120 years ago, and it's going to continue to be that way. This company, which has a history of 120 years, will continue under the name Sylvania with its first day's effort, excitement and passion. Sylvania is not only a light bulb manufacturer, but a manufacturer of general lighting. Like I said before, don't worry, we're just going to make lighting. Our job is light.
All the museums of Madame Tussauds in the world are illuminated by Sylvania.
- Is there a support package that our government has applied to the lighting market, or do you expect it to be?
Our government does not have a support package specific to our sector, but we have a request from our state; We understand the reason for the extra taxes on LED bulbs and fixtures during the year, it is to protect the domestic manufacturer. We also support this decision of our government. However, there are some cases where we have learned that there are some carelessness in imports related to the products to which these taxes are subjected, which leads to unfair competition. I invite our state to help protect the rights of all our veterans who do their job properly and have no difference between the product they declare and the product they bring.
Finally, what should we expect from Sylvania in 2021?
I think in 2021 we will see a much more effective Sylvania in the market. Since the opening of our Turkey company, our company, which has come up with more market placement and domestic production, will start to focus more on the end user as of this year. However, I predict that promotional and campaign activities will increase considerably. In fact, there will be a campaign that we will start in the first days of January. In fact, campaigning at such a difficult time is not an action that every company would dare take. In order to state that we are on the side of the market as a company, we will continue to bring everything to all our business stakeholders despite everything! Electricians from all walks of life will be able to participate in our campaign.
