Established by the union of some workers, Isbir company has been serving in the foam and bed industries for 45 years. Arzu Copur, marketing manager, introduced the company, products and activities:
On the history of the company
Isbir yatak is a company of Isbir Holding who has shares in Isbir Sunger Company as well. History of the company goes back to 1997. As its name suggests, it is a business of workers’ union, having numbers of partners. Isbir Yyatak is the youngest company in the holding. Our company produces healthy, technologic and quality products related with sleep and bed comfort. In our “sleep centers” that are spread out in the country, we sell beds, medical support pillows, home appliances, home textiles, baby products, bedheads, etc. that reflects recent development in sleep industry.
On services and latest models of beds in product portfolio
It is nice that our sector is called as “bed industry”, because we have been trying to establish this term in the market.We are happy that bed is mentioned a separate industry in furniture business. Earlier, beds are given as a bonus to the buyers of furniture items. We worked hard to redefine our sector that sells sleep specific products now. Following our five years of efforts, we first produced visco elastic smart bed, the Viscostar that is made of viscoelastic materials developed originally by NASA. We played an important role in the development of new models aiming to reduce pressure on the body and to balance heat and temperature in sleep. Our mission was to adapt the latest technologies into our bedding business. We were pioneers in the development of nano, polymer spring, anti-stress, hygienic, quallofil allerban filling types of mattresses. In our product portfolio are other beds that apply massage, A, C and E vitamin, lavender, horsehair, coconut fiber, anti-moisturizing, air-conditioned types. Recently we signed an agreement with one of the largest spring producers in the world. The spring system provides better comfort for couples with different body characteristics laying behavior on the same bed.Couples can find the most suitable comfort for themselves. Air ventilation and removing heat and moisture have all been improved by this system. It is a special product of new generation. They are sold in our sleep centers in Turkey.
On the characteristics of a quality bed
Though it seems a simple product made of certain materials, today mattresses are not so simple in an age of high technology and development. Almost every technology can be adapted to the materials used in the industry. Quality of springs, fabrics, and other treatments determines the quality of end product, the bed. Producers have to certify the quality standards of the materials and systems they use in their manufacturing process. Customers are seeking these proofs most of the time. In line with the proliferation of products an the market, it is becoming more and more difficult to find and decide on the best product for individual customers.We advice them to act reasonably and to search all the alternative offerings and inspect the product characteristic keenly.
On research and development activities
Bed industry in Turkey has many players and is highly dynamic and very competitive. We are one of the companies who spent more in R&D activities. The culture comes from Isbir foam company. We de – veloped innovative products thanks to our efforts in this field. We know that our products are mostly preferred by conscious customers who are knowledgeable in the mattress making processes and in the materials used in the manufac – turing. It also motives us to seek more alternative products. We listen both our customers and the developments in the world of mattresses. We participate as many fairs as it possible and get our lessons from these visits.
On exports
Sleep technology produced by Isbir in cooperation with Turkish engineers and workers are far more developed than European compa – nies. We have a one third price ad – vantage over Europeans when price and performance taken into account.It was the main cause of our success in the European markets. Our qualified product portfolio is the main factor of our success in EU countries. During the recession in Europe, we changed our focus on the Middle Eastern countries during 2012-2013 terms. We increased our share in the markets such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, Sudan and Yemen. We opened a new sleep center in Riyadh. Supported by brand promotion incentives, our efforts in export markets will be empowered in 2014.
On the industry in general, on problems and their solutions
Customers in the bed industry in Turkey are becoming more interested and knowledgeable so competition is heating up among companies who produce quality products. It becomes more difficult to compete alone in domestic market. So, it is a must to focus on export markets. Competition in international markets is highly costly. Those companies active in abroad and who wants to build a brand have to spend large amount of funds to be successful.In this regard, incentives provided by governmental bodies are so important. In order to get bigger shares from international markets, Turkish com – panies have to be supported by more incentives.
On additional comments
Customer satisfaction is an import – ant subject in our company as well. Transparency, reachability and thrust are the pillars of our ap – proach to customer satisfaction. During the recent years, we ob – served that customer trends are changing in line with their level of consciousness. Today, customers do not only seek certain brands but seek the best product that is most suitable to their personal needs. Customers are becoming more aware of the balances among price, quality, health and comfort. They are also need complementary products to increase the satisfac – tion they get.They began to think that compa – nies are not selling only items for sleep, but they sell complete sys – tems for better and healthier sleep. All technologies, materials and processes used in our company have all been tested and certified by independent international authorities. We emphasize on feedbacks from our customers. They are valuable inputs for our efforts to develop new and better products and sys – tems. We have a call center active 7/24 to respond. Feedbacks are de – livered to all units including sales, marketing, and manufacturing. In the future, we plan to develop loyalty programs to bolster our ties with our customers and buyers.
