Gulf Construction Online - Mertoğlu keen to spread cheer in region

Manufacturers & Procurement

Mertoğlu street furniture ... popular.

Mertoğlu keen to spread cheer in region

01 July 2021

Mertoğlu, a leading brand in urban furniture and playground equipment in Turkey, continues to innovate and offer versatile products that meet the needs of the market, while ensuring their suitability and durability in the applications they are destined for.

The company operates from a 10,000-sq-m production facility in Ankara which employs 150 experienced personnel. Since its establishment in 1993, Mertoğlu has seen considerable growth and now ranks among the known and sought-after names in its field of operations. Its products have been used in diverse applications by various clients including commercial and shopping centres, international hotel chains, construction companies, hospitals, military and public institutions, municipalities and landscape companies.

This has enabled the company to increase its competitive strength in the international arena with its exports going to key destinations including all the GCC states (Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and UAE), as well as Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Romania, Turkmenistan, Algeria, Turkic Republics and Balkan countries.

Mertoğlu playground equipment ... designed to cope with the region’s environment.

“About 65 per cent of our exports are destined for the GCC, with the UAE being our leading export destination in the region,” Hande Mertoğlu, Export Manager, tells Gulf Construction.

Mertoğlu has maintained a presence in the Gulf region through regular visits to customers and by attending relevant fairs to increase awareness of its products.

Follow-up for projects is coordinated by its Turkey-based export department, Mertoğlu says.

She points out that the current global coronavirus pandemic has impacted its business with projects having been suspended and the slowdown of many works that were in the approval process. The company has also been unable to participate in international exhibitions and conduct as many overseas visits as well, which has resulted in a decrease in exports compared to the previous years, she adds.

The Turkish company, staffed by professional teams, currently offers more than 2,000 options of models from its range of urban furniture and playground equipment.

So what are Mertoğlu’s most popular products in the GCC region?

Among its street furniture products, she says Mertoğlu’s cast aluminium benches with hard wood is popular due to their durability against the climate conditions of the region. Also in demand are its metal-polyethylene playground equipment which can withstand the harsh conditions.

Mertoğlu has supplied street furniture for one of the biggest hospital projects recently completed in Al Ain, in the UAE. “Al Ain Hospital has enhanced its aesthetic appeal with Mertoğlu’s latest design benches and bins,” she remarks.

The company also produced the playground and the outdoor fitness equipment installed at the prestigious Al Manah Garden in Oman as well as at The Village project in Bahrain.

Mertoğlu points out that the company ensures that it manufactures products that meet the requirements of the projects they are designed for, well aware of the impact they have in creating a relationship between people and the space in which they are installed.

In its pursuit of excellence, it has established a design centre to create innovative products as well as upgrade existing ones to meet the latest requirements in its field.

“Among such products, Mertoğlu has introduced benches as well as gazebos and playgrounds that generate renewable energy with solar panels,” she points out.

Also, with the increasing awareness worldwide about the need to recycle, Mertoğlu has developed a self-decomposer recycling bin that utilises the latest technology to separate items that can be recycled, she adds.

Mertoğlu received recognition as a “design centre” by the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology in 2018. It was also awarded the “Conceptual Design Award for Public Spaces” by the Design Turkey Committee for a project it conducted with METU in 2019.

Mertoglu will always be in pursuit of development and innovation in order to take the brand one step further, she concludes.