Yatas keeps going on to offer its beds to its prospects developed by research activities.
One of the brands remembered in the mattress industry, Yatas produces beds most suited to the profile of Turkish people. For more sleep comfort, the company started to utilize wallaby and titanium alloy hourglass spring systems that are able to adopt the body forms. Ergo coil and verticoil edge type of mattress were also of Yatas. Emphasizing on the importance of research and development process in his company, Metin Ozbek, R&D and production manager, said that his team is composed of people working as engineers, academicians, and in hospitals and international test centers.
First, we may want to know about you?
I have been in Yatas group for six years, and acting as production manager for four years. A graduate of electric-electronic engineering and I have a master degree in industrial engineering field. Married with one child.
What did Yatas to be one of the first name in its field? What is the secret of this?
From its foundation Yatas has had a wider vision as an indispensable part of its corporate culture. It is our principle to produce and offer to our buyers the most innovative products at higher quality norms, at suitable prices by combining science, engineering, design and comfort.
Technology has impacted on the quality of beds. How is the R&D policy of your company?
R&D is one of the most important and critical functions in our company. It requires us to develop products that fully meet the expectations of buyers. For us it is Metin Ozbek, R&D and Production Manager 73waste of energy to try to produce useless and unwanted products. We listen to our customers by engaging periodic surveys and focus group interviews. These are the main inputs for our design process. Then we engage in robust design principles and consider about the production and life cycle of prospective product. Engineers, scientists, physicians, hospitals, industrial designers, masters and test centers play their roles accordingly. We keep watching developments in the world in order to maintain our leading position, through literature searches, benchmarking, trade fair visits, reading of print and online publications done by our R&D team.
What are special in your latest sleep products? How was the recent response of your customers to these products?
Seven new models were added to our product portfolio in 2014. Developed in line with our design policy, all of our products are developed by taking account certain principles of functionality, dependability, high quality, high visibility, up-to-date technology, comfort, pressure distribution and spinal support. Last year we engaged in cooperation with Leggett &Platt, a renowned spring producer, on wallby and hourglass type of springs. Wallby contains spring in spring and hourglass made of titanium alloys having three characteristics of spring in one coil. Ergo coil system is the most developed system having 21 % more springs than common springs. It keeps 28 cooler than foam type of beds thanks to its special lining and provides more space for sleeping on. Our Wetgel and Ultrawaist products are also attracted great appreciation of our buyers.
What do you want to say on mattress production in Turkey? How it should be made and under what conditions? What is the position of Turkey in this field?
Data that we have by now shows that 10 million beds are produced in Turkey annually. In line with this, there are suppliers of inputs, materials, machine and technology. The quality of mattress produced in Turkey has surpassed their European rivals’ products. So as to that, many of high-end brands in the world outsource their collection preparation works to Turkish brands. Despite even rising costs of labor, Turkey has become a preferred source for sleep products. The success of Turkish manufacturers depends on their efforts to produce wide range of products, and their efforts to produce innovative, value-added, best hand crafted products. During our benchmark studies we have learned that bed producers in some countries started to imitate or inspired by the works of Turkish designers. For further development and to be more successful, the industry has to keep its pace of development and investing for quality of labor in order to increase automation in the production.
What are the similarities and differences in terms of sleep products and mattresses in Turkey and in the world?
We saw geographical and radical cultural differences on sleeping habits in the world. Spring type of beds are more preferred than foam types in Turkey. Share of foam beds is almost zero in certain regions of Europe. Even hardness and comfort levels change from one continent to others, form one country to others. In some countries, boxsprings are indispensable while in other countries simple types are sold more. As Yatas, we try to developed for the needs of 60 different countries in the world. At our Kayseri factory we produce 243 different mattresses at various sizes. We have talks to prospective buyers in 6 countries in central Asia, the Gulf and the Balkans to open new stores there.
Anything you want to add?
Bed and furniture industries are among the few industries having foreign trade balance. This is also important for our company. We are aware of our responsibility as one of the leader in this sector. We believe that in 2015 we will grow by investing more in our business.
