Ulpatek Filter General Manager Ganim Dokuyucu, starting his evaluations by reminding that they have left behind their 40th year in the HVAC sector, emphasized the continued growth of the air filter sector in Turkey with the investments made in 2017. He continued, “With the investments, there has been a significant increase in competition in the sector. This competition naturally puts pressure on especially newly established companies. These companies develop strategies based on low prices to establish themselves in the sector. This situation inevitably leads to a decrease in the quality of raw materials and labor used in the products, resulting in poor quality in the final product. However, Ulpatek continues to maintain its reliable company image in the sector without getting involved in this vicious cycle, without compromising product quality, and by preserving the trustworthy company image with its R&D studies and engineering infrastructure-requiring products and solutions. In our domestic and international sales teams, we offer project-specific, accurate filter and filtration solutions. With this approach, we continue the line and teachings of our company’s founding partner, the late Prof. Dr. F. Taner Özkaynak.”

Ganim Dokuyucu: “The importance of indoor air quality is increasing.”

Ganim Dokuyucu continued his explanations as follows: “One of the fundamental problems that has arisen with the development of industry worldwide and in our country is undoubtedly air pollution. Breathing higher quality air indoors and outdoors, consuming products produced in hygienic environments, receiving treatment under systems that reduce infection risks in hospitals, and living in systems that protect the environment are the most natural rights of people. Moreover, while a person consumes an average of 1 kg of food and 2 kg of liquid per day, they breathe 24 kg of air in return. Living in an unpolluted nature is not only the right of humans but also the right of all living beings. To ensure and sustain these vital environments, it is necessary to know what pollutants are in the atmosphere, establish and operate filtering systems accordingly. I believe that those involved in this business should be professionals who are aware of the importance of this issue and act responsibly.”

“Quality is more important than quantity”

Ganim Dokuyucu, emphasizing that Ulpatek never compromises on the raw materials and materials it uses, stated the following: “In general, a HEPA filter consists of 5 basic materials: filter paper, hot melt, polyurethane, frame, and gasket. Optionally, a faceguard can be added to these. You need to choose these materials very carefully. As in many sectors, there is a highly competitive market in the air filter sector. The sales pressure created by this competition and the concern of making a profit with low prices unfortunately lead companies that want to be in the air filter sector recently to compromise on the quality materials that should be used. In vital air filters, poor results arise from the selection of low-quality materials and poor workmanship. As a result, leaks can occur in the filters. This lack of quality ultimately has a negative impact on customer and, ultimately, human health. Both domestically and especially internationally, it creates an image that will damage the reliability of our country. The perception of Turkish products changes. Everyone has important responsibilities here. As Ulpatek, we try to represent our sector in the national and international markets in the best possible way with our engineering staff, testing systems, infrastructure, services provided after sales, and the raw materials we choose. We continue our stance in the sector with the principle of selling quality products rather than selling a lot of products.” Providing information about their product groups, Ganim Dokuyucu continued his words as follows: “We have a wide range of products from cassette filters to HEPA filters. We produce all our filters in accordance with EN 779 and EN 1822 standards. The EN 779 standard will be completely abolished as of June, and it will be replaced by the ISO 16890 standard. The fundamental change in the standard allows filter users to make much more precise filter preferences according to their needs. We have informed the sector about this. Our informational efforts will continue at the SODEX fair to be held in February 2018.”

“2017 met our expectations”

Ganim Dokuyucu, who also evaluated the year 2017, said, “In mid-January 2017, we moved to our new factory with 12,650 m2 of closed area. We covered the financial burden of this move with our own equity. During the move, we made new investments in our production line. While integrating into our new factory in the first half of 2017, we reflected the advantages provided by our new factory to our sales in the second half. With our manufacturing infrastructure suitable for product groups, our process speeds increased. We had the opportunity to produce in faster and better production conditions. Thus, our chance of providing faster service to our customers increased. We had the opportunity to show our products to our visitors from both domestic and international markets in a large showroom area. Using these infrastructure advantages, we continued our growth trajectory in 2017 as well. By the end of 2017, our company had become a firm exporting to 60 countries. We had events to improve our commercial relationships with the countries we exported to this year. We anticipate that the positive momentum we achieved in exports will continue in the coming years. As Ulpatek, we define our goals not only based on sales figures but also on providing products and services that add value to our industry and our country. Our company, which has been offering products that shape the industry for years, will continue this mission more strongly in 2018 at its new address.”