Chairman Aydin Okay of Association of Label Industrialists of Turkey is elected to the Board of FINAT

Aydin Okay

Chairman Aydin Okay of Association of Label Industrialists of Turkey is elected to the Board of FINAT
The annual congress of Federation of Label Producers of the World (FINAT) that meets in a different country each time was in Berlin this year. The General Assembly elected Chairman of Association of Label Industrialists of Turkey (ESD), Aydin Okay from Canpas A.S., as a member of the Board of Directors of FINAT. Thus, the 49 year old organisation is having a Turkish member on its Board for the first time.
Zafer Akbas of who is in the Marketing Committee of FINAT and Bora Inan in Technical Committee, both from Doga Etiket, are continuing in their posts.
Aydin Okay answered Matbaa Haber’s questions on his election and on FINAT, in general.
We congratulate you on your election and wish you a successful term. Could you tell us about the organisation of the label producers both in the world and also in Turkey?
The label producers in many of the countries have composed their associations. While in most of them only the label producers are members to these associations, in some that take FINAT as a model like us, the membership is open to the label producers, machine and component producers, sellers, representatives and suppliers.
In the world there are various institutes as the sizable Australian one on cardboard labels and the several label and cardboard ones in the USA. And of course there is FINAT that covers the whole five continents.
How does FINAT operate?
FINAT is established in Paris 49 years ago. Today it has more than 4 thousand members from 56 countries. Annual FINAT congresses are organised in different cities of various countries. At such for a, the future and problems of label are taken up. Proposals are advanced in connection to the social issues. This year’s agenda included global warming. A speaker addressed to the issue each day during the two-day duration of the congress. The basic issue, on the other hand was creativity in the label sector.
In accordance with the structure of FINAT, the General Assembly is held on first session of the meetings of the first day. During that session the proposed candidates of the administration are introduced and then the election is made. If there is an objection about anyone, he/she is not proposed. There was none about me and furthermore my election was unanimous, which isn’t too common. This is an indicator of the fact that one will be expected to assume important responsibilities during the involved term.
How will your election to the Board of FINAT benefit the label sector?
Board of Directors occupies a very important place within the structure of FINAT. However, there are two very important organs of the Federation: The Technical Committee and the Marketing Committee. There is a Turkish colleague in each of these committees; Bora Inan in the Technical Committee and Zafer Akbas in the Marketing Committee. It is a great advantage for Turkey for to have Turks working in the committees and administration of an important organisation as FINAT. We hope to continue with and improve on this advantage. Additionally, thanks to the support we get from ESD, the number of members in FINAT has doubled from 12 to 24 in short period of 5 months. We are trying to increase this number even more by 2009.
The improvement of our relations with FINAT doesn’t only mean the following of developments in the label world; we are also composing Turkey’s lobby. We get a chance to describe the realities of Turkey during the 3 day duration of the congress. The fez Roberto Carlos wore in connection to his transfer shows that he doesn’t know Turkey. By inviting the foreigners frequently and/or by visiting them at their places we are able to describe the real face of Turkey to our foreigner colleagues.
There is the general problem with language. Do you also feel this problem?
The new generation can speak more than one language. I learned English after I was 50 in order to be able to address the FINAT General Assembly. We succeeded in the War for Dardanelles and the War of Independence; learning a language should be no problem. We told FINAT that we wanted Turkish pages in their website. If you surf their pages, you’ll find some Turkish translations. Initially, they were getting these translated in Holland. Those people, not having the necessary jargon were making some technical errors in their texts. We solved this problem by procuring the assistance of the Director of ESD who knows English and is acquainted with the sector to edit the translations FINAT sends us; so they use these corrected texts in their pages. Furthermore, the announcements of Berlin Conference of FINAT were made in Turkish also.
What do you have in your agenda henceforth?
The annual FINAT congresses are organised in a different country in cooperation with the association of the involved country.
FINAT organised one of these congresses in Istanbul, 9 years ago. I was there as a participant. As we didn’t have an association yet FINAT had organised the congress alone. This had affected me very much. Later, when my relations with FINAT had developed and I was offered a seat in the Board, I told them, “Please be advised that this will create certain expectations…”
I gave the priority to ESD being played up. I brought the invitation to the Board of ESD and asked for support. They unanimously supported me. This was a first in FINAT history. FINAT realised that when proposing something to a Turkish member, it would be better to guaranty the support of the association in order to encompass Turkey.
Upon the realisation of the Board membership, what I requested first was to hold the 2009 Congress in Turkey on the tenth anniversary of the establishment of ESD. First, they reacted by saying that they have 56 countries and holding it so frequently in Turkey might not be proper. Then they agreed to Istanbul but we added that we would like it to be in Antalya.
There is classical implementation at the FINAT meetings. They organise a golf tournament on the first day. We proposed to organise a soccer game between FINAT and ESD. We suggested a star can be invited from each country. This looked attractive to them. If we can manage, this will be realised in 2009. ESD will enlist players who have played in the national team while FINAT will have soccer players that achieved international acclaim. It is easier to hold such an event in Antalya.
Another first also happened in FINAT. Turkish is added to the four main official languages. For the first time in this congress English, French, Italian, German and Turkish will be official languages.
How would you compare the state of FINAT members and the label industry of Turkey?
I remember the day and excitement we had when for the first time Irfan Etiket became the first in a FINAT competition about ten years ago. Nowadays, more Turkish label producers enter the competitions organised by FINAT and they can win top awards. This year Detsan and Doga Etiket won mentions in their respective categories. In FINAT practice, mention means the closest award to the first prize. Canpas, my firm, had also won first prize in its category. We had first prizes last year too. This will continue in the future years. These awards show the quality of our label prints.
How does Turkey compare with the rest of the world when we compare the machine parks and manner of works?
In terms of the machine parks, I don’t think that there is much difference.
The real difference is in the design. When the causes of Germany’s very successful export activity is analysed the main factor was determined to be the original designs.
The second important element is the trained personnel. You can find the sources of finance for machine investments either through leasing agreements and/or partners, but it is difficult to find the skilled personnel that were educated in its respective branch who can use the said machines.
I had seen a label factory in France; there were co-workers from both sexes. All of them were graduates of colleges of printing profession and all could speak two languages.
The third important aspect is marketing. The understanding that says, “I can market anything, marketing is natural for me…” is not valid for label. Label needs specialisation, affection, patience and continuity. The marketing people need to know the spirit, design aspect and manufacturing part of the label industry. He/she needs to continuously improve.
Our weakest point is the lack of trained personnel in each of these three areas. Our dialogs with printing vocational high schools and Department of Printing in Marmara University are continuing. Certainly, the presence of FINAT, the interest of ESD and the forming of a federation by the 8 associations of the packaging sector are moving us in a correct direction. However, the results cannot be reaped overnight. Greater efforts need to be made. What we expect from the sector is that they support us by sharing the effort we exhibit, and the will and excitement we have. At any rate, we are thankful to them because they do just this.
What can be done for exports?
There is the LabelExpo fair ahead. We are trying to achieve some firsts in here too. ESD will have a stand in an international fair for the first time. We will host our sector’s representatives there. We will carry on with our lobbying efforts there for Turkey.
Most important of all is that you do whatever you are doing by loving it, by living it.
I have a vehicle that has a very powerful engine but I cannot go up to 100 kph before a whole minute. Then, it doesn’t have any value at all. I f I am a good race pilot, and the engine is powerful, it has a value. It is very important to make the right investments and to depend on the right product in order to be successful in exports and in the domestic market. If you are producing your label correctly and enjoy what you are doing, no one can stop you from exporting. The hardware you have is satisfactory.
Our people are hard-working people. There are firms that are very successful in exports in the label sector. The reason is that they do their work right and care for it and furthermore attain a fruitful –sort of European-- dialog with their customers. The most important aspect of this is to deliver what is promised in the quality, quantity and time you promise, and the firms that are successful in exporting at the moment are those that manage this. I am of the opinion that the label producers will be even more successful in the future.
What can you say about label design in Turkey?
We, the label producers, are assigning great importance to design, lately. What sells a product on the shelf is its label. A buyer decides what to buy in front of the respective shelf in at most 10 seconds. What makes him decide in 10 seconds is the label the product bears.
The label is the product’s identity. A bottle of wine is sold for € 1500. Remove its label and see if anybody pays € 1500 for it. You cannot convey that that wine is Pétrus without its label.
Another feature of the label is to achieve the socio-economic legal link between the producer and the consumer. When one goes to a market and buys a product, he/she assumes that all the information contained on the label is correct and are guaranteed by the producer. So, when you buy it, you have actually contracted an agreement. It is a socio-economic and binding agreement. Can you think of a more democratic application? The producer supplies the necessary information through the label and you pay the money to acquire that good. If the label deceived you, then the legal aspects enter into the picture.
ESD is expert witness in the courts
I have to point out as an accomplishment of our association that the courts have started to accept and treat ESD as an expert witness in cases involving the label producers and their customers. In order to have healthy relations in such places, we have composed a “format” of what needs to be done. I would like to take up this issue as a separate topic with Matbaa Haber and treat it in detail.
As the Chairman of the Board, I participate to as many meeting as I can on behalf of the Board in order to lecture on how the relations between the label producer and its customer have to be carried out and what criteria need to be observed in this regard. Many associations lecture during such conferences to describe their organisations and general structures. I don’t spend time on these matters at all. Instead, I talk about what we expect of them and how the relations are carried out. I have a half-hour presentation in the cosmetics fair of TUYAP in Istanbul. I prepared a presentation about what needs to be done in order to carry out a healthy relation between the label producer and its customer. There will be at least a half-hour discussion period following the presentation.
The figures for the label industry in Turkey are not available in clear manner; do you have any projects on this?
Whatever you have to call it, in Turkey there is a certain lack of trust or introversion that hinders the firms to supply information on their operations. I asked for a single figure that shows the annual production from an international establishment that sells in Turkey and they refused. We have such a problem. Our relations with FINAT show that this problem will be overcome in time. It would not be proper to state that so much square metres of paper are used, so much is imported and so much is exported in Turkey; this is a fact.
Paper usage in Turkey is on the rise. We have idle capacity in terms of machinery. The reason is that while label producers entered into the printing and packaging sectors, printing sector too went into the label production. Instead of differentiation on the professional sectors, the whole of packaging became global. Accordingly, the quality of the production and export data of the Turkish firms about paper is improving daily. I can state that the European and USA competitors are following this with a certain jealousy.
Can you give some information on ESD awards?
When we were elected to the ESD management, we assigned great importance to two things. One was vocational training and the other was the social relations. I and the administration of ESD targeted the workers and foremen for vocational training. We started a magazine for this. I believe that it was very successful. We tried to follow the Skylife magazine of THY as our model. Besides the subjects of the sector, health, sports, trips and various other topics were also included.
When we first organised the competition we were very sceptical. You are trying to have the rivals in the sector to compete in a common ground. It is quiet different from FINAT’s competitions; there the prize winner returns to his/her country the following day. Here, you have to get the people who know each other to compete for a prize. It is difficult. We tried to explain the importance of the event by talking to the firm authorities. Eventually, the winning of FINAT awards by the large enterprises with proven printing quality that export to the rest of the world following their winning in our competitions have created examples to the rest of the sector.
The chairman of our jury is also the Chairman of FINAT. We organise very ambitious competitions. A mention winner in our competition went on to be top winner in FINAT. Our criteria are very high. You measure today’s levels when you start something. When you apply to become a 100 metres sprinter in the USA, they make you run the distance and if your period is above 11 seconds, they don’t deal with you but if you run in 10.5 seconds, the federation of athletics intervene and start to train you. Then you have chance to catch 9.7 seconds. A colleague starting today takes our levels as his/her example and invests into machinery accordingly.
Three years ago, although only the Secretary General of FINAT attended to awards ceremony, there were three members of the Board last year who attended. We look forward to the FINAT Chairman, Secretary General, four or five members of the Board and their spouses being present in this year’s affair. Such things haven’t happened within FINAT so far. FINAT’s Chairman has never went and talked to the special meeting of an association before.
Anything else you would like to add…
I am thankful to the sector. When we assumed our posts we promised the members of the sector that our sincere hope was to help the label sector of the country. When we started, there were 43 members and now, this number is 123. The capacity in Turkey is about 150 members. There are entries to and exits from the sector. The figures may fluctuate but the number of our members is continuously increasing. The new regulations concerning the associations that enable the membership of establishments along with the individuals have facilitated our task. As an example, I visited 4 label producing firms in one day. I talked to the administrators. We were hoping to win them as members of our association. Colleagues in the sector support us full-heartedly and contribute a lot to our work. I would really like to emphasize this last fact and thank them and invite those who have not done so far to apply for membership.
We are open to all kinds of criticisms, both for and against, as long as they are constructive and conveyed in an acceptable manner. We especially expect the criticisers to come up with alternative solutions. As it is a right to criticise, it is a duty to propose alternative solutions. And procuring this is our prime responsibility.