SleepTech Magazine Mattress, Accessories, Machinery, Raw Materials
Atlas Matress Company Owner Alican Karaca made statements on many topics from production to export, from commercial vision to marketing tactics.
Karaca, speaking to Furkan Akar, the editor of Sleeptech magazine, stated that the main purpose of them as the firm is to gather all the textile products needed by the mattress manufacturers and to provide the products requested according to their needs in the most right way. Mr. Alican, stating that they use social networks well by following the latest developments in terms of marketing tactics, is in favor of keeping a traditional attitude in the sales process. Mr. Alican said the following while talking about the policy they follow on customer satisfaction; Atlas Tekstil does not consider its customers as numerical data. This is a rule bored through me at Boyteks. The customer is always right. Our priority is for customers to get the right product at the right price. As a working principle, we prefer losing money to losing customer satisfaction. We prefer to act as a partner of the companies we work with instead of being a supplier.
As a young and dynamic firm, can you mention your founding story, your vision for the future and the mission you have undertaken?
As you mentioned, Atlas Tekstil is a very new firm but it was an idea that I had planned for many years. In 2018, I decided to leave Boyteks, where I worked for many years. Then I worked as a partner in a different firm for 1.5 years. But, as I could not fully carry out my own ideas and commercial principles, I decided to leave this firm and establish Atlas Tekstil firm. The aim of Atlas Tekstil is to ensure a mattress manufacturer to be able to reach all kinds of textile products under one roof. Our aim is to provide the products requested by the manufacturers in the most right way. I think this diversity makes us different from many well-established and powerful firms. When you pay attention to our firm logo, we try to reflect this diversity with a colorful firm image.
The future we have planned for our firm is actually a bit difficult and extraordinary. However, when we consider the conditions of the developing and changing world day by day, I believe that this transformation is inevitable. The plan of Atlas textile firm for the next years is to be a 100% e-commerce site. We are currently trying to lay the foundations for this process. Slowly but surely, we plan to transform the face of our firm into a completely digital one.
You manufacture many products related to the mattress sector. Can you mention your product range and production capacity?
It is necessary to correct a mistake here. We are a textile firm. At the points outside of our fabric production (other accessories and components), we only carry out a commercial activity. The reason that our customers prefer us at this point is our capacity to consolidate and offer many different products for themselves with minimum order quantities. We have the opportunity to deliver dozens of different products to our customers under a single sale.
Can you mention the countries your firm exports to and the policies you follow in search of new markets?
Atlas Tekstil is a firm currently providing services to nearby markets. I have tried to show the regions we serve in order of density below.
European Region
North Africa
Middle East
East Africa
Turkey
Our plan in the next years is to try to serve regions with remote market status as well. But at this point, I’m a bit of a fan of the old-fashioned way of working. Before entering a market, I prefer to have knowledge and experience about that market. For that reason, our work is progressing a little slowly. Our goal in the next years is to continue our sales activities, especially in the America continent. In this process, our idea and plan to move the headquarters of our firm is in question.
Can you mention the policies (advertising and customer relations) you follow for the sale of your products?
Atlas Tekstil does not see its customers as numerical data. This is a rule bored through me at Boyteks. The customer is always right. Our priority is for customers to get the right product at the right price. As a working principle, we prefer losing money to losing customer satisfaction. We prefer to act as a partner of the companies we work with instead of being a supplier.
Atlas Tekstil uses social media arguments a lot. We make tiny distinctions about this topic. In the next period, we want to support our social media arguments with Google ads. However, my culture is still a bit old. I certainly don’t find it logical to trade without meeting with a customer face to face. The most important sales strategy for us is the customer visit.
How do you evaluate the current situation of Turkey in the mattress components industry?
Actually, our country is very successful both in the production of mattresses as a finished product and in its components. It is very successful both in terms of production technique and capacity. But, there are very few firms having brand value in the mattress sector in our country. In our country, both raw materials and finished products are being offered for sale without a brand value in this sector. Except for some major firms, the manufacturers do not focus on this issue or do not make moves to differentiate themselves.
In the current situation I guess is that the continuation of export sales, which will become more difficult in the future, is to differentiate and become a brand in my opinion. Unfortunately, our country is a country where energy is very expensive. Machineries and production technologies are developing day by day. Cheap labor costs are losing their importance day by day. This is not just for the mattress industry; it is the same for every industry.
