Delivering green logistics Ekol

DELIVERING GREEN LOGISTICS

Turkey-based European logistics partner Ekol is proudly delivering its ‘green logistics’ solutions to new customers. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to its CEO Tayfun Oktem to find out more.

Established in Istanbul in 1990 and now with 37 worldwide premises, Turkeybased logistics partner Ekol is able to serve the whole of Europe with its ‘green logistics’ solutions. With its promise of ‘logistics for a better world’, Ekol certainly aims high.

CEO Tayfun Oktem personally represents this aim too, with his enthusiasm for the company and its capabilities. He told Industry Europe, “We like to think of ourselves as an ever-expanding, internationally focused Istanbul-based logistics company. But we do much more than logistics – we can offer customers whatever support they need in order for them to focus on what they are best at!” Time for total service

This total service solution is integral to Ekol’s plans for continued success. Already well known for its international transport and logistics services, Ekol’s long-term target of being a pioneering brand is evident in its keenness to keep adding to its offer. Mr Oktem continued,

Tayfun Oktem, CEO

“From the very first day that Ekol was in business in 1990 we have been looking to move forward, to progress and to go beyond the competition. We believe that success takes hard work and that our hard work is evident in our growing business. We started off with providing shipment organisation in international transport and now we have achieved an integrated structure with full-third party logistics services throughout our customers’ entire supply chain. And we’re still looking forward! We are always adding to our portfolio of services.”

The Ekol portfolio of services is both broad and targeted broad in that it can offer customers whatever they require, such as warehouse management, picking and packing, foreign trade support and supply chain management; and targeted in that customers can simply use whatever element they need. Mr Oktem explained that, increasingly, customers are turning to Ekol to manage their entire supply chain. He said, “We are happy for customers to use us for all or part of their supply chain management needs. They can use Ekol just for logistics or for everything outside their own core business. We are very approachable and very flexible.”

With more than 4000 Turkish and 1200 European employees, Ekol’s approachable and flexible approach is evident throughout the whole organisation. The company is clear that the knowledge and experience of its workforce is a major element of its strong reputation and market-leading position, with all employees carefully recruited and trained to ensure that they offer the best service possible. Keeping it green

Sitting alongside Ekol’s talented and committed workforce is the company’s passion for ‘green logistics’. Ekol appreciates that logistics services can vary greatly, so it is continuouslly focused on making sure its offer is as ecologically sound as possible. Mr Oktem said, “We take pride in every aspect of our business, especially our green approach. Our business model is not just about being a green inter-modal system, it’s about having a good environmental touch in everything we do, from minimising carbon dioxide emissions in our international transportation to saving paper in our head office. We are always looking at ways to make savings – big and small – both for ourselves and for our customers. We know that this is important for our multinational customers too, as we can solve

their logistics issues while minimising harm to the environment.” Ekol’s ‘green logistics’ approach is clearly working; the company was recently awarded a European environmental performance award to mark its achievements on a day-to-day level.

As Ekol looks to its future, the company intends to stay one step ahead of the competition by continuing to build on the success of the past 23 years. It expects to expand its international warehousing capabilities to maintain its market-leading position both in Turkey and across Europe, particularly in Germany where its performance has been strong since 1996. Mr Oktem concluded, “We’re growing east and west. Our portfolio of services is growing. Our capabilities are growing. Ekol is in a really good place and we expect to enjoy a very positive future. We don’t just look one way – we look at everything with an open mind. It is already the case that Ekol’s reputation for efficient, effective logistics services is wellestablished, but my hope for the future is that you will be able to ask any European business person who the top three logistics providers are and they will say that Ekol is one. It is certainly possible and we are heading in the right direction. We have always been a fresh-thinking, ambitious, customer-focused company and we always will be!” n