Opening Balkan markets for İzmir’s furniture makers
The International Konyalılar Confederation is adding a new initiative to its work helping producers and tradespeople in Türkiye gain a stronger foothold in international markets.
As part of this, President Mehmet Aydoğan and a Confederation delegation visited Zafer Koç, President of the İzmir Chamber of Furniture Makers and Carpenters.
The meeting reviewed plans for the İzmir furniture sector, which aims to open up to new markets, above all in the Balkan countries.
New Trade Bridges Will Be Built in the Balkans
A key item on the agenda was bringing İzmir’s furniture manufacturers into direct contact with the business world in the Balkan countries.
International Konyalılar Confederation Vice President Mustafa Ulu gave a detailed presentation on planned trade fairs in the Balkan countries, business-to-business (B2B) meetings and the “Cooperation and Joint Strength” project.
The project aims to bring small, medium and large furniture manufacturers operating in İzmir together with business people and potential buyers in the Balkan countries, Kosovo in particular.
Mehmet Aydoğan: “We Will Put Our Ten Years of Balkan Groundwork at the Service of İzmir’s Tradespeople”
International Konyalılar Confederation President Mehmet Aydoğan said the Confederation’s long-standing relationships and strong network in the Balkans would be put at the service of İzmir’s producers.
Aydoğan stressed that the cooperation with the İzmir Chamber of Furniture Makers and Carpenters would not end with a single visit or meeting, and that they were aiming for long-term work that produces concrete commercial results.
“As a Confederation, we want to strengthen our bridges of the heart even further with economic and commercial cooperation. Together with Mr Zafer Koç, President of the İzmir Chamber of Furniture Makers and Carpenters, we have taken the first steps of an important initiative that will carry İzmir’s furniture sector to the Balkans.”
Noting that the Confederation has considerable experience in the Balkans, Aydoğan said a strong foundation was already in place thanks to the work Vice President Mustafa Ulu has carried out in the region for around ten years.
Aydoğan continued:
“Our goal is to connect the small, medium and large furniture makers of Karabağlar with new markets in the Balkan countries, centred on Kosovo. At a time when markets are getting tougher and competition is growing, we have to stand by our producers and tradespeople. We will put the Balkan network we have built over the years at the service of İzmir’s tradespeople.”
A New Export Target for İzmir Furniture
Zafer Koç, President of the İzmir Chamber of Furniture Makers and Carpenters, said the meeting was of great importance for the sector.
Pointing out that opening up to new markets is no longer a choice but a necessity for the furniture sector, Koç said that partnerships with the Balkan countries, B2B meetings and international trade fairs would create new opportunities for İzmir’s manufacturers.
Stressing that the İzmir furniture sector must become more visible internationally in the face of a shrinking domestic market and growing competition in export markets, Koç said he believed the connections to be built, under Mehmet Aydoğan’s leadership, with representatives and the business world in the Balkan countries would make an important contribution to the sector.
Support for Two Important Projects in Karabağlar
The meeting addressed not only exports and international trade but also the structural problems of Karabağlar, the production centre of İzmir’s furniture sector.
President Mehmet Aydoğan announced that the Confederation would support two important initiatives raised by the İzmir Chamber of Furniture Makers and Carpenters.
The first is an effort to set up a specialist Furniture Makers’ Committee within the Karabağlar Municipal Council, where the sector’s problems and proposed solutions can be dealt with directly.
The other is to bring furniture production waste back into the economy. The aim is to build the infrastructure for a recycling investment that would turn furniture waste from an environmental problem into raw material.
International Outreach in a Spirit of “Cooperation and Joint Strength”
The International Konyalılar Confederation aims to turn the institutional relationships it has built in the Balkan countries over the years into projects that make it easier for producers, industrialists and tradespeople in Türkiye to reach international markets.
As part of the work launched with the İzmir Chamber of Furniture Makers and Carpenters, trade fairs, trade delegations, B2B meetings and reciprocal sector visits are planned in the Balkan countries in the coming period.
President Mehmet Aydoğan summed up the Confederation’s approach in these words:
“Our approach is cooperation and joint strength. We will bring our international relationships to bear on the ground to open the way for our tradespeople who produce, create jobs and add value to the economy in Türkiye. We will now strengthen the bridges of the heart we have built in the Balkans even further with bridges of trade, production and exports.”