Inoksan; outstanding in quality, competitive in price

Operating for 39 years in the industrial kitchen sector, Inoksan, which one of the well-known companies of the sector, continues to be a solution partner of professionals with its products up to 4 thousand varieties.

We spoke with Esra Batkın, General Manager of İnoksan, about their year-end targets which were indexed to increase the trend of the company in Europe with export activities and their growth strategies.

Can you briefly tell us about the fields of activity, product range and production capacity of Inoksan?

Inoksan has entered the commercial kitchen industry in 1980 and it provides services with turn-key projects in the fields of kitchen, laundry, cold rooms and open buffets. Having regional directorates in 6 major provinces, approximately 50 authorized dealers and sales points Inoksan provides numerous alternatives to its customers with almost 4.000 different types of kitchen equipment by manufacturing and importing all products and accessories needed in venues where there are food & beverage areas such as hotels, bars, cafes, restaurants, touristic facilities and fast food

points. Adopting the motto of manufacturing the best quality and durable equipment in the industry, Inoksan manufactures all of its products with CNC-controlled machinery by combining AISI304 grade stainless steel and the highest quality of components. Inoksan imports quality raw materials and other materials required for high quality production and also offers the products of the most famous world brands in their turn-key projects. Inoksan manufactures thousands of different industrial kitchen equipment and devices needed in a professional kitchen for preparation of food, cooking, service and dishwashing.

What is the export rate and the export target of the company for the end of 2019? What are your target markets abroad? We have exported approximately 40% of our annual production in 2018. Our goal for 2019 is to increase this ratio to 50%. We are rather strong in Asia Pacific and CIS countries. Our most important goal in 2019 is utilizing wholesale opportunities in Europe. We had serious initiatives in this respect as of the beginning of 2018 and we started to get results as of the first quarter of 2019. We

Esra Batkın, General Manager

will gain acceleration in this channel around midyear 2019. In addition, the markets in US, China and Africa are of primary importance for us. We have an existing organization in the US and it is growing stronger. We expect our sales in Chinese market to increase in midyear 2019 as a result of our certificate investments in the market. We have begun to have big projects if Africa. Although it is a difficult market in terms of operations, it has a huge potential.

Can you tell us about the contract projects you have recently realized in detail? Are there new projects on your agenda?

We have completed major turn-key hotel projects in Bahrain, Greece, Kenya, Maldives and Georgia in 2018. We also have big and consecutive projects especially in Africa for 2019. We are now in the process of signing the related contracts one-by-one. We believe that we will have bigger contract projects in 2019 in comparison with previous year.

Which fairs your attend abroad? We attend almost all international exhibitions in our industry. USA, UAE, China, Singapore, Italy, Russia, Romania, Portugal, Qatar etc.

What would you like to say about the development, trends and future of the industrial kitchen sector in the international arena? There are a lot of players in the industry and the competition in advanced markets is now beyond the price. It is based on the level of technological development. In particular, energy efficient and source-saving products are in demand. For this reason, our R&D department follows technological innovations closely and we put our heart and soul in innovations which would enable us to compete with our rivals and also make an impact. R&D is very important for us and it has a share of 2% in our annual budget. We are the first company that produced the combi steamer in Turkey. With our Inosmart brand ovens, we analyze the needs of the industry in the best way and strengthen our R&D activities by paying attention to them. Our BYF600 dishwashing machines with a capacity of washing 6.000 dishes per hour attracts great interest from the professionals in the industry.

Finally, how would you appraise the year? 2018 was quite successful and busy. All sales units within our company have surpassed their targets and closed the year extremely successfully. We hope this dynamism will continue at the same level in 2019. Eating and drinking habits change every passing day and we develop ourselves to be able to compete with Europe. The best cuisines in Europe today are French, Italian and Turkish cuisines. We reflect our skills in the kitchen on our business and offer technological solutions to kitchen professional all around the world.

Perfect matching of design and function

Venticello bathroom collection of Villeroy&Boch presents the perfect match of design and function. Bearing signature of German designer Oliver Schweizer the collection reflects the latest trends of the bathroom design. Representing innovative and smart living space Vencitello has bathroom furniture with various size and color alternatives. Furniture in a glossy and matt tone with white, gray and black as well as a color scale covering different shades of wood, it can be combined with chrome, copper, white, gray and blue handles. Venticello draws attention with its large storage areas as well as its aesthetic design, too. To compose a comfortable and restful living space, lighting can be used in the mirror and bathroom furniture. Thin-edged sinks increase the elegance of the bathrooms by soothing. Having DirectFlush technology 3 3 different toilet bowl provides fast, easy and hygienic cleaning with its rimless inner tank.

Traditional motifs meet modern styles in Turkish bath and sauna designs

‘Hygge’ breeze from Nordic countries is introducing a way of thinking which we can embrace to make ourselves happy by creating warm and intimate environments in cold winter days. Baths welcoming us at the end of a hectic work day where we can rest and purify our soul have, over the time, started to serve also as modern SPAs. Turkish baths on the other hand which have had a significant place in our culture since ancient times are now becoming part of our houses. Eda Tahmaz, founder of EDDA Architecture, who adopts a natural and flowing design approach in the housing projects she realises, draws attention to an increasing trend observed in the last years, indicating that Turkish bath and sauna designs that we are used to seeing in hotels can now also be seen in housing projects. In Turkish baths and saunas which we use for purification and relaxation purposes in our culture, traditional motifs meet modern patterns forming a unique style. Emphasising the rise in use of wood colours and textures in these spaces of which simplicity is a predominant feature, Tahmaz explains her suggestions for natural materials that can be used, the latest technological developments and the points which should be paid attention to by homeowners.

Eda Tahmaz

Having designed Turkish baths and saunas with different concepts in Tuzla Villas which received many awards in international platforms, Founder of EDDA Architecture, interior architect Eda Tahmaz reviews the colour, material and accessory trends of the year and talks about the particularities that homeowners should pay attention in Turkish bath and sauna designs.

2019 is bringing about simplicity, fine details and natural textures in Turkish bath and sauna designs. The harmony between the forms, volumes and materials help create a simple and beautiful appearance together with fine metal pieces and elegant marble details. The popular trend is wood colours and textures whilst white-wood transitions will be highly preferred. Indicating that copper red and pink tones and earth colour tones are on the rise, Tahmaz goes on to say that a mystic and comfortable environment can be created also with the contribution of lighting, by obtaining different textures and patterns using natural marble in tones of grey, beige and blue in turn. Dore golden tones and black and white metals are also some of the novelties that we will be seeing this year. Materials to be used in sauna designs should be selected from among products which are heat and water - resistant, impact-resistant and compliant with hygiene conditions. Suggesting that materials such as Finnish pine wood and American cedar wood would

give good results in ceiling and wall coverings, Tahmaz is of the opinion that whilst materials made of African abachi and ayous wood can be used for floor coverings and sitting groups, it is nearly impossible to use anything but natural marble textures for Turkish bath designs. The local style introduced to Turkish baths and saunas by traditional motifs which, when combined with modern design and fine details, can create elegant and beautiful textures, can be further supported with decorative elements. Accessories such as wooden sauna ladles, copper or wooden sauna buckets, wooden sauna pillows, sauna vents, candleholders for saunas, sauna clock if needed, sauna stone, and thermometer and hygrometer are some of the materials to choose from. Explaining that in today’s world, Turkish baths and saunas are heated, ventilated and illuminated with automation systems used in heating, ventilation and lighting systems, and have become much more practical and easy to use, Tahmaz further pointed

out that as a result of technological developments, more pleasant and functional designs are realized with the production of materials which are heat and water-resistant in hot and humid spaces and easy-to-clean. Tahmaz believes that Turkish baths and saunas have a unique status, which feature is hidden in countless details inside these venues and therefore each detail should be planned meticulously and designs should be created with innovative and different styles but yet also reflecting the traditional Turkish bath culture; Tahmaz then goes on to summarise their approach at EDDA Architecture: “In our Turkish bath and sauna designs we make by also taking into consideration the requests of the users, we prefer materials that are heat and water-resistant, impact-resistant and compliant to conditions of hygiene. We strive to establish an aesthetic and holistic connection between the old and the new by using traditional motifs together with fine and elegant details and accessories. In our Turkish bath and sauna designs, we consider every detail, from waterproofing of the venue to heating of the marbles, the selection of marbles and tiles to be used, the ceiling production and the lighting to be used, and we combine functionality with aesthetics, breathing life into traditional values."