The Arabian Ranches ... a major project for Kale.
Kale unveils major expansion plans
01 March 2004
Kale Eksport, the foreign trade arm of the Kale Group, has unveiled major plans expansion for 2004.
The company will open five new showrooms – Dubai, Kazakhistan, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Cyprus – all designed in compliance with Kale’s corporate identity.
“Due to our intensive efforts in the region, we have bagged two major tenders in Dubai – the Arabian Ranches and the Dubai Marina – and this has motivated us and our distributors to strengthen our presence in this very important market,” says general manager Bahadir Kayan.
“During 2003, Kale Eksport made major strides in both local and export markets especially with products from group companies Kalebodur and Canakkale Seramik. With the local market bouncing back after the severe economic crisis of 2001 and export markets continuing to grow, Kale looks forward to 2004 with optimism.
Kale Eksport reported a 15 per cent growth in turnover and 6.4 per cent growth in terms of volume during 2003.
Much of the emphasis has been on gaining productivity and applying well-thought marketing throughout 2003, he says.
Kayan adds: “The Kale Stone series, which was a result of our focus on product innovation during 2003, has met excellent response at all the trade shows that Kale has participated in. We are very proud to be one of the first manufacturers worldwide to offer this highly sophisticated product.”
“Another achievement during the past year was the launch of the Oracle-based ERP system, which was redesigned to meet Kale’s needs. The software is available to all ceramics producers from the group’s IT company Kaledata. From May this year, all customers will be able to log into the system to order, monitor and report on their transactions. We are delighted to offer our customers a state-of-the-art IT platform that makes it as user-friendly as possible. The complete chain of supply-management, production planning, logistics and sales was integrated by the software during 2003.
This year will be very challenging due to the prevailing currency rate situation, he says.
“For us, it will be a year to concentrate on our key markets and improving logistics and marketing. Besides Turkeybuild 2004 Istanbul, we will be exhibiting at Ideo Bain Paris, Coverings Orlando, MosBuild Moscow, Cersaie Bologna, Batimat St. Petersburg, Big5 Dubai and UniCera Istanbul throughout 2004,” Kayan says.
