A gate to close-by markets
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hurriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 27, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Ontex International, the Belgium-based hygiene products giant, plans to expand to North Africa and Eastern Europe through its operation in Turkey, the firm’s Chief Executive Officer, Michael Teacher said earlier in the week in Istanbul.
The firm’s Turkish operation was previously known as Astel Kağıtçılık, which Ontex International acquired in 2000. In Turkey the firm manufactures baby diapers, sanitary pads and adult diapers under the Canbebe, Canlady and Canped brands.
"Turkey is a gateway for us, an important focal point, from where we can expand to new markets in North Africa and Eastern Europe. Our 10-million-euro investment in the new factory in Algeria, which we opened earlier this year, is managed by our unit in Turkey. It is a good example of how we used Turkey as a base for further expansion," Teacher said.
Potential in North Africa
At present, Ontex Turkey exports to some 25 countries in the region near Turkey. The most important export destinations are Azerbaijan, Georgia, Algeria and Macedonia, but Ontex also plays an important role in the Greek and Iranian markets, Özgür Akyıldız, the firm’s general manager in Istanbul said. "We have been actively exporting the Canbebe, Canlady and Canped brands for some seven years now and reached an export business volume of 50 million euros."
Ontex International currently has 12 manufacturing units. Ontex has a market share of nearly 20 percent in the Turkish baby diapers market, which is estimated to go through 2.3 billion diapers a year. The firm’s total turnover in Turkey stood at 126 million euros in 2008, whilst the total group turnover was 1.2 billion euros. "We have so far invested some $100 million in Turkey, and expanded our production from ten machines to 18. We will continue investing in Turkey," Teacher said.
"Turkey is a gateway for us, an important focal point, from where we can expand to new markets in North Africa and Eastern Europe. Our 10-million-euro investment in the new factory in Algeria, which we opened earlier this year, is managed by our unit in Turkey. It is a good example of how we used Turkey as a base for further expansion," Teacher said.
Potential in North Africa
At present, Ontex Turkey exports to some 25 countries in the region near Turkey. The most important export destinations are Azerbaijan, Georgia, Algeria and Macedonia, but Ontex also plays an important role in the Greek and Iranian markets, Özgür Akyıldız, the firm’s general manager in Istanbul said. "We have been actively exporting the Canbebe, Canlady and Canped brands for some seven years now and reached an export business volume of 50 million euros."
Ontex International currently has 12 manufacturing units. Ontex has a market share of nearly 20 percent in the Turkish baby diapers market, which is estimated to go through 2.3 billion diapers a year. The firm’s total turnover in Turkey stood at 126 million euros in 2008, whilst the total group turnover was 1.2 billion euros. "We have so far invested some $100 million in Turkey, and expanded our production from ten machines to 18. We will continue investing in Turkey," Teacher said.