by Cem Öztürk
Hello dear ELEVATOR WORLD readers.
From now on, we will welcome you occasionally in our “Respect for Masters” Column. Why the name “Respect for Masters?”
Respect for Masters is a documentary project that has been carried out by All Elevator Industrialists and Businessmen Association (TASİAD), and the production of which was undertaken by Ajanslift. The interviews we conducted with the doyens who left their mark on the Turkish lift industry have already started to be published on social media channels. We will address the interviews in this column and communicate the life story of our doyens through our pages.
In the Respect for Craftsmen project, we share with you the success and life stories of craftsmen who have worked hard for the Turkish lift industry and contributed to the development of the industry with their work. We welcome those who have written the history of the Turkish lift industry briefly in this documentary project that we carry out to understand the doyens in our industry, look up to them and transfer their experiences to the next generations.
The Turkish lift industry, which started to write its own history in the early 1950s, has witnessed the birth of its own doyens. It has come a long way in all that time, and now, it operates globally, can export products and services. Our first guest was Ali Aktaş, who witnessed the development of the Turkish lift industry, contributed to it during the period and whose name is mentioned with respect and longing. He was introduced to the lift industry at a young age. Working in the industry for more than 60 years, Aktaş achieved many successes and trained several masters during that time. I met him almost 15 years ago and was amazed by his industrialist personality. With his love for his job and his country, work discipline and fatherly nature, he had a personality that everyone from 7 to 70 would admire. The success story of Aktaş, whom I had the chance to hand the microphone to again after many years, begins many years ago:
Ali Aktaş was born in 1940 as one of eight children of a farmer family. Aktaş, who studied at Mithatpaşa Art Institute, continued his education during the day while working at various jobs at night to earn his own pocket money. In 1960, Aktaş was directed to a lift company by his teachers and became acquainted with the lift industry by working in welding and lathe works. Then, he became a lift worker by combining his knowledge of mechanics and electricity for lifts while working during the day and attending electricity training in 1961. Aktaş, who explained that there was no manufacturing in the lift field in Türkiye when he first entered the industry, established his own company in 1967 and started manufacturing in the industry. Aktaş, who stated that his first workplace had a modest area of 25 m2, proudly explained that he manufactured his first lift car here in 1967 despite all the difficulties, and he still feels the same excitement today.
Stating that all of the lift components made in Türkiye in those days were created by foreign brands, Aktaş says that he first started to work by getting to know these products, developed himself especially in control panels and then started to manufacture his own control panel. It was of course through hell and high water. Sharing that they were waiting for materials for a long time and that they could only complete the products with minor requests from big companies, Aktaş draws attention to the impossibilities experienced in the lift industry in the 1960s.
In 1972, he received a loan worth TRY350,000 in order to meet the necessary conditions to manufacture and import lift components, and he started to manufacture in a 500-m2 area and to become industrialized by purchasing machines. Aktaş stated, “I have always said that you have to scrape in manufacturing if you are doing business. If you don’t manufacture, you don’t have a chance to become successful either.” Aktaş, who started to manufacture lift parts such as consoles, doors and cars over time with this understanding, became the first Turkish company to participate in the lift expo held in Augsburg, Germany, in 1995. He went into partnerships with European-centered companies through the connections he made there until 2000, and when he was not given an escalator job in a project, he got angry and decided to start manufacturing escalators. After introducing the Löher brand escalator, which continued until 2003, for the first time at the German lift expo, Aktaş is rightfully proud of his success while explaining the surprise felt by foreign companies there. He stated that his company then sent products to several points in Türkiye and around the world, and he also underpinned it they achieved this position through overcoming various challenges.
Stating that he also shared all of his knowledge about production and technologies in door and panel manufacturing with colleagues, Aktaş states that, the more information is shared, the more it increases, and the industry can reach a higher quality point on this occasion. He says that he has well-trained his employees just as he did his colleagues and proudly states that all of his staff were very successful, especially in the field of panels, and that, today, there are more than 10 panel manufacturers he trained throughout Türkiye.
Our interview continues with pleasure. It is, of course, hard to tell the whole success story of 60 years. We have tried to summarize it in the best way possible. If you want to watch the interview, please find the link below. I would also like to share exclusive advice we remember from Uncle Ali with his own words. Take care…
Aktaş said:
“First of all, when they manufacture, they should do their best and they should believe in it. And they should get ready to launch what they manufacture into the global market. Or else, things will get more difficult in an increasingly competitive environment. You can never own a business which you do not manufacture.”
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