Sonay Ergül
Altınyaldız General Manager
The Covid-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the world, in terms of both health and economy. What are your general views on the effects of the pandemic?
Thanks to the fact that the health system in our country is stronger compared to other countries and the number of beds is higher, we had a significant advantage in early overcoming the heavy effects of the pandemic.
Our country’s experienced doctors and medical staff have been successful at least keeping the pandemic under control. I think there will be no objection that we were economically unprepared. In order not to be affected by the pandemic, we moved our head office to employees’ homes to work from home. We used technology and adapted quickly to work from home. We took all kinds of hygiene measures in our factory. We distributed masks, disinfectants to our staff, and took the necessary measures for social distance in our dining halls. We have decreased the passengers and increased our number of services. In this way, we tried to fulfill the requirements of our contracts signed before the pandemic.
After that, we tried to minimize the risk of outbreak that may occur in crowded services and manufacturing facilities and dining hall by dividing our factory into two day and night shifts. We have been successful in this regard so far. We experienced such a process by living it. We hold continuous trainings and meetings on hygiene and social distance issues in our factory. In the current situation, we remind our workers to follow the rules even more tightly while the measures are loosening in the country. Of course, while all these precautions were taken, we had losses in our production power and efficiency as in all sectors. However, this loss was at the level we anticipated. I think that we should not rush about normalization. I foresee that the general economic effects of the pandemic will be experienced severely in our country and in the world in 2020. Me and my team are trying to keep our company prepared for all kinds of scenarios against the new situation. We will continue to serve our country by producing and exporting.
How have you been affected by this pandemic as a company? Have there been any changes in your goals in terms of turnover, sales, exports etc.?
There has not been any obvious change in our export targets. We continued our exports. Delays in sea and land transportation were added to the delays up to 2-3 weeks in our manufactures. Apart from these situations, we have not seen any impact on our exports so far due to the pandemic. The reason for this may be the intensity of the works we have on the production line. Considering the situation in which the entire construction industry is in regarding the turnover and sales, I can say that as Altınyaldız, we have strengthened our title as the leading company of the sector in the space system design, manufacturing and assembly. In addition to our previous jobs, we signed new contracts during the pandemic. However, I still think that there would have been a 25% increase in turnover and sales if there had not been a pandemic.
We hope that the course of the pandemic will be positively reflected in our turnover and sales in the second quarter. We will see and experience this together.
How will be the new situation in the rest of the year and how will the sector be affected?
For the rest of the year, I expect an undulant graphic together with the economic recovery based on the course of the pandemic. In these difficult times, I think that Altınyaldız will still experience a different process from other companies with its deep-rooted history and robust structure as the first preferred company in space systems. Assuming that the works that are already on hold will come to the agenda over time, I think there will be a revival in our sector for the rest of the year.
What kind of restructuring and a process do you foresee as a company after Covid-19?
After Covid-19, I think those who learn and take lessons from the situation and the companies taking the necessary precautions in our own sector within the country will survive. This process has shown all companies that it is possible to work from home. After the pandemic, the wound healing and recovery process will begin. I think that companies will face an important problem in remote presentation, marketing techniques and communication, especially considering that face-to-face meetings with foreign customers will decrease with the effects of travel restrictions and pandemic.
It will be a process that depends on new technologies, which includes methods of submitting presentations and detailed information to the customers by using technology. Due to the nature of our business, new presentation and marketing techniques will replace the frequent field and customer visits. Companies that are delayed in adapting to the new situation will suffer severely from the process. As Altınyaldız, we have already started our planning and work according to the new situation. Considering that the unemployment and uncertainty which increased after Covid-19 will gradually reduce their impact on our country, we will realize our efforts for a strong country economy based on production.