SleepTech Magazine Mattress, Accessories, Machinery, Raw Materials
In the spring file that we prepared specially for the January-February issue of our magazine; we have discussed the production of springs, production processes, raw material problems, labor force and export potential for the mattress sector for you.
In this file, we are here with the exclusive interviews we made with Luda Springs, ZebSprings, Karas Yay, Ay Yay, Metal Matris and Nano Yay, which are the leading companies in the spring sector, and visuals about the sector.
In this file news, where we discuss innovation, R&D, raw materials, labor force, export and production technology with companies; we see that companies set up R&D centers to produce innovative products and produce their own raw materials in order to find solutions to the raw material problem in the market.
The companies stating that Turkey is also an exporter country in the spring sector said that the production capacity and export rates will increase both on the basis of companies in the sector and in terms of our country, and the production economy will revive even more.
Ay Yay Board Member Kürşat KATIRCIGİL, stating that they aim to announce Turkish quality to the world by working with an export focus, said, in his interview; “I hope it will be a year where we will produce and win together. We aim to pay our debt to these lands by doing our best under the conditions of our country.”
Kar-as Board Member Önder ASLAN and Nano Yay CEO Serkan KIR expressed their opinions on R&D studies and innovative product ranges. Kar-as Board Member ASLAN, said, in his interview; “We have provided the era standard to our customers with our current products, but we can foresee the increase in product diversity and features with the developing technology and we develop our products to be manufactured with our R&D studies in this direction.” KIR, CEO of Nano Yay; said “The spring sector is always a sector with innovation potential. R&D investments should be given importance to improve innovation processes. As a company, we have plans to become an R&D center in the next days, and our studies and investments on innovative products continue.”
Touching on raw material and supply-demand issues, Metal Matris Foreign Trade Officer Eray ERCİYAS said “Turkey plays an important role in spring production worldwide. While increasing competition contributes to the country’s exports, we increase our market share. When we follow the sector fairs, Turkey is an important country with many new players.”
Mentioning Turkey’s export capacity and its role in the global market, ZebSprings Sales and Marketing Manager Mahmut ÖZTÜRK said; “Turkey is in the position of an exporting country in the spring product group with its production capacity more than its domestic consumption, as it is in many furniture and mattress component materials. With this structure, the spring sector can both meet the needs of the local mattress sector and export its products to many global markets.”
Ay Yay; “Our goal is to carry Turkish quality to the world countries.”
Businessman Kürşat KATIRCIGİL answered the questions of our magazine about Ay Yay, the spring company of which he is the board member.
How did you get into the spring market? What are the factors that lead you to enter this market?
Before I begin my speech, thanks for your kind interview offer very much. First of all, I would like to start by introducing our company and myself. I am Kürşat KATIRCIGİL. I was born in 1990. I am basically an agricultural engineer. However, since we are a family company, I preferred to be an industrialist instead of doing my job. I have been in active trade since 2012. As the representative of a young generation, I have an innovative and modern management approach. As for our company, KUTEKSGİPE Company, founded in 1992 by my father Zekeriya KATIRCIGİL in the Kayseri Organized Industrial Zone, has become a brand with more than 30 years of experience in the textile industry. We are a company that has adopted the principle of providing quality service to our customers in our 20000 square meter-open and 11000 square meter-closed production facility. We have entered the spring market with the fully automatic machine park investment we made in the last quarter of 2020. Our goal is to become a fast, high quality and proper supplier in the national and international market.
Can you mention targets of your company in 2022?
I hope it will be a year in which we will produce and win together. We aim to honor our debt to these lands by doing our best under the
conditions of our country. By showing an export-oriented work and adding new products to our product group, we sincerely want to convey Turkish quality to the world countries and we are working non-stop in this direction. We are aiming to bring fast, high quality and suitable products to our customers by expanding our domestic and international customer portfolio. We aim to expand our machinery park with the latest technologies by continuing our investments and to expand our target markets by increasing our product range in 2022.
Can you mention the investments and projects you plan to make on the mattress spring in the long term?
In the next years, we will be a company with a high reputation in the international market by producing many different product groups within our own plant. For this purpose, many new machine park investments are planned in the next years. Our investments in the mattress and spring sector will continue in the next years.
Boyçelik; While companies in the world shrank during the pandemic period, companies in Turkey continued to grow
Boyçelik Marketing Chief Serhat DURU, in the interview he gave to our magazine; evaluated the main problems, innovation processes and export potential in the spring sector.
What is the biggest problem of the spring sector? What causes to it?
There are a few main problems in the spring business but the most importand and most effective of them is that customer’s habits of Purchasing in accordance with pricing. In the spring business, the primal raw material is Steel and Steel prices are not stable which leads unstability on spring prices. However, unfortunately furniture and Bedding producers are not able to reflect these price changes to final consumer. This effects furniture and Bedding producers make choices for procurement based on pricing instead of quality and service. And this causes serious problems for vendors which care for quality and service more.
How advanced are the innovation and R&D processes in spring? Can these processes be further developed?
Innovation and R&D studies on the spring business is increasing in latest years however not on the required levels yet. The main reason of this is the products that are being produces on spring business are not suitable for inovation when compared with other raw materials that are used in furniture and Bedding industries. At the same time, Boycelik is conducting important inovative studies especially on pocket spring units and currently proceeding marketing activities on these products.
What kind of potential does Turkey have in spring exports? Can this potential be fully used?
Companies which are in business at Turkey have an important place in the World in accordance with spring production capacity and capability. This of course provides an advantage on export aswell. Boycelik is currently exporting more than 70 countries around the World. Especially with the global pandemic crisis, despite many companies except Turkey decreased their capacities, companies in Turkey including Boycelik, increased capacity with new investments. This, promise hope for Turkey on export potential.
Kar-as; “We are producing springs suitable for the age of technology”
Kar-as Board Member Önder Aslan stated the diversity in the spring industry and the effects of developing technology on the spring industry for our magazine.
Can you mention the types of bed springs and their features?
I do for sure. Mattress springs are basically divided into two as bonnell and package springs. Package springs can be divided into four as double, zoned, framed and non-zone.Fotolar 2 
1- Bonnell Mattress Springs
Bonnell carcass springs used in mattress production are produced in the range of 100 mm – 180 mm and are produced with high carbon quality wires. Bonnell springs are divided into 3 groups among themselves as product wire diameter, spring series, arrays and normal mattress springs, hercules mattress springs, mesh mattress springs, these products can be produced with or without a frame. The shipment of Bonnell carcass springs is made in open shipment, flat-pack press packaging and roll-wrapped pallets and without pallets. Bonnell mattress springs can be prepared in special and standard production according to the desired mattress dimensions.
2- Bag Springs & Package Springs
Package springs & bag springs, which have become the important material of the mattress industry, are produced in the range of 60 mm – 200 mm in height and are produced with high carbon wires. Package springs are divided into 5 groups as zoned package spring, non-zone package spring, and framed package spring, double package spring and micro package spring. They can be produced with WDP, LDP, NESTED sequences. Package springs are shipped as open shipment, with roll-wrapped pallets and without pallets. Package mattress springs can be prepared in special and standard production according to the desired mattress dimensions.
- Double Package Springs: It can receive support from 4000 different cells, and thanks to its high spring, it provides a double feeling of comfort.
- Zoned Package Springs:It provides easy adaptation to bodily differences with its area density zone feature. Huge comfort is felt in the mattresses, where spine-friendly springs are integrated with the visco smart system.
- Framed Package Springs:Springs produced with a flat wire frame are long-lasting and durable. Mattresses produced with framed package springs offer flexible comfort during sleep.
- Un-zoned Package Springs: It provides comfort by maximizing the feeling of comfort.
Do you think that these varieties and features may increase with the developing technology?
We have provided the age standard to our customers with our current products, however, we can foresee the increase in product diversity and features with the developing technology, and we develop our products to be produced with our R&D studies in this direction.
Luda Yay; “Our main goal is to be successful in this field by providing a continuous and accurate service.”
Luda Yay Co-Founder Hazal GENÇTÜRK has commented on the R&D and innovation developments in the spring sector as well as the company’s goals and expectations for our magazine.
How far do you think R&D and innovation have progressed in the spring sector? When you make a comparison with 10 years ago, how do you think the process progresses?
With the advancement of technology, R&D studies and therefore machinery investments gained momentum. Thanks to the machines that are constantly changing, renewing and increasing the production capacity, it has become possible to produce springs in different technical specs. This makes a significant contribution to the industry in terms of reducing its carbon footprint, supplying raw materials, maintaining product standards and quality. R&D studies should continue without slowing down in order to raise these standards.
What distinguishes Luda Yay from other companies?
In fact, I think that our ability to communicate accurately and quickly, both within ourselves and with our customers, is our most prominent and positive feature.
And also;
To work solution-oriented and to find solutions to all problems quickly and to ensure the continuity of all processes without blocking the process,
To personally follow every process including production, shipment, delivery and after-sales,
To solve possible or existing problems without delay,
To be accessible at any time by providing fast and accurate information flow via telephone and e-mail
What is the vision of the future that Luda Yay has put forward now?
Our most basic goal is to be successful in this field by providing an accurate service with continuity.
At the end of the day, we want to see that the output is worth the effort and reflect this to our customers as a better product and service.
Can you mention your company’s expectations and goals for the new year?
Our first goal in 2022 was to establish our company in the USA. Now that process has been completed, we started a new year very quickly by establishing our company.
Apart from this, as a newly established company, our aim is to increase our awareness by participating in the most important fairs of the sector and expanding our trade volume, with our past experiences and experienced team even if we are new. And finally, I can say it is to increase our product range by rapidly increasing our production capacity.
Metal Matris; “The most important point in spring production is wire quality”
Metal Matris Foreign Trade Manager Eray ERCİYAS mentioned the problems in the spring industry and the operation of the industry in Turkey to Sleep Tech magazine.
To you, is there a raw material problem in the spring market?
Significant increases in raw material prices and the decrease in demand resulted in excess supply and made raw material supply easily accessible. However, although the normalization steps during the pandemic period were tried to be implemented from time to time, that they could not be fully implemented caused the real needs to not be reflected in the demand. Fluctuations in production resources in China affected the pricing of raw material producers in Turkey. We can say that the market, where there is no supply problem for the current period, is in the process of getting used to high prices.
To you, can the current spring production in Turkey meet the needs of the mattress sector?
As Metal Matris, we saw that capacity increase was a necessity for us in the projection we drew before the pandemic. In order to meet the excess demand and reach new customers, we invested to increase the capacity during the pandemic period. In spring production, Turkey plays an important role worldwide. While increasing competition contributes to the country’s exports, we are increasing our market share. When we follow the sector fairs, Turkey is an important country with many new players.
What is the most handicapped part in broadcast production processes?
The most important point in the production of mattress springs is the quality of the wire. The characteristics of the raw material used determine the whole story of the publication after it is produced. Because the mattress spring has many different features in itself, the right raw material should be used for the right product. The correct preparation of the product recipe is the most important point.
Nano Yay is preparing to establish R&D center
Nano Yay CEO Serkan KIR mentioned the main problems and innovation processes of the spring sector in Turkey for our magazine.
Mr. Serkan, what do you think is the biggest problem of the spring sector? Why is it caused?
The biggest problem in our industry recently is competition and variable raw material and logistics costs. In the last year, we have experienced an extraordinary increase in demand due to the pandemic. Accordingly, a lot of investment was made in the production of mattress and furniture springs, resulting in a significant increase in supply this year. With the decrease in demand in response to the growing supply, the competition has reached very serious levels.
Since we could not fully reflect the price increases in all raw materials and logistics costs we used during the year to our sales prices, we had to reduce our profit margin. Of course, this process complicates our work for now.
How advanced are the innovation and R&D processes in spring? Can these processes be further developed?
The spring sector is always a sector with innovation potential. R&D investments should be given importance to improve innovation processes. As a company, we have plans to become an R&D center in the coming days, and we continue to work and invest in innovative products. We will continue to be the solution partner of our customers with our new products in the near future, as in the past.
What kind of potential does Turkey have in spring exports? Can this potential be fully used?
Turkey has a very good position in the world markets for spring exports. We continue to increase our market share day by day. However, as Turkish manufacturers, we can make better use of the potential in world markets by investing more in technology and R&D products, becoming companies with high brand value that lead and follow the sector.
ZebSprings; “We have the power to produce spring raw material in our own firm.”
ZebSprings Sales and Marketing Manager Mahmut ÖZTÜRK, in his statement to our magazine, cited the effects of the pandemic on the spring sector, the raw material shortage in the market and Turkey’s general production capacity.
Do you think there is a shortage of raw materials in the spring industry?
The breaking of in industrial supply chains started in 2020 with the effect of the pandemic, also negatively influenced the spring sector. Especially in the second half of 2020, with the effect of the sharp increase in global demand, supply problems were experienced in wire and nonwoven fabric items, which are the two main raw materials of the spring sector. With the first quarter of 2021, the supply-demand balance started to form, and a gradual normalization was observed in the flow of basic raw materials. As we enter the year 2022, price and supply volatility in industrial commodities generally is continuing. The effect of this situation can also be felt indirectly for the raw materials of spring sector periodically. ZebSprings and its group firms have the ability to produce wire and nonwoven fabric raw materials within its own structure thanks to its vertically integrated structure. With this structure, ZebSprings can plan its production activities in a way that will be least affected by supply chain shocks.
To you, has the spring industry enough skilled labor force?
Our rate of raising a qualified workforce for industrial activities in our country lags behind our industrial growth rates. This situation causes a technical labor shortage in the spring sector, as in many industrial sectors. Firms concentrate on in-house training activities and try to raise a qualified workforce within their own structure.
Do you think that the spring production in Turkey meets the needs of the mattress industry?
Turkey is in the position of an exporting country in the spring product group, as in many furniture and mattress component materials, with its production capacity more than its domestic consumption. With this structure, the spring sector can both meet the needs of the local mattress sector and export its products to many global markets.
