Hakan Maraş, General Manager of OKT Trailer, 'Innovation and Development Will Continue in our Company'

“WE ARE TRYING TO LEAD THE TRAILER INDUSTRY AND CREATE A VISION”

OKT Trailer Sales and Marketing Manager Murat Bakırcı,

“WE TAKE ACTIONS FASTER THAN EUROPEAN MANUFACTURERS IN RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT”

OKT Trailer Sales and Marketing Manager Murat Bakırcı: “We Won the 2023 Innovation Award”

OKT Trailer Sales and Marketing Manager Murat Bakırcı begins his speech by stating that, as OKT Trailer, they are enjoying showing Turkey, its products and the development of Turkey's on-board equipment and trailer industry sector in the global market at the Hannover IAA Transportation Fair for the eighth time. OKT Trailer Sales and Marketing Manager Murat Bakırcı emphasized that this year is more meaningful for them and said that; “We won the 2023 Innovation award in the concept vehicle category of the fair. OKT Trailer adds more to its successes each time and shows that it has taken part in this race with its perspective on sustainability and that it has come to very good places and will come. This is a pride for us.”

Hakan Maraş, General Manager of OKT Trailer: “We will attach importance to the integration of the next version with electrical systems and synchronization with the tractor”

Hakan Maraş, General Manager of OKT Trailer, emphasized that they have been working with engineers in terms of qualified workforce together with the R&D centers in the past period, and in this sense, OKT has set a role model for the sector. Hakan Maraş, General Manager of OKT Trailer, draws attention to the fact that with the engineers they trained in the engineering formation courses, their work in the R&D unit is rewarded for their products. Drawing attention to the importance of receiving the concept award at the fair and especially of OKT being the first brand in Turkey in this sense, Maraş said that; “We see innovation as looking from a little bit outside the frame. There are certain standards and an accepted external industrial design, especially in food tankers or trailer products. We look at it from a different perspective, because in the future, the products we call liquid food will continue to be transported and food transportation will not end. At this point, we wanted to present a different perspective. We set out from here and internalized this issue. At the point where the trailer industry has come, the issue of integration of systems with electric vehicles comes into play. Many regeneration-related applications in electric vehicles are starting to be seen at fairs. We will also attach importance to the integration of the next version of this vehicle with electrical systems and synchronization with the tractor in front.”

Mentioning that they will have some studies with industry 4.0 applications in accordance with the developing technology, Maraş states that they are making preliminary preparations for integrating smart trailer applications, components, which can be mounted on the vehicle, onto systems, especially with applications or manual uses. Maraş said that; “There are designs we have made regarding this and products we have released at many points. Innovation stands out for us at this point. Developments in innovation will differ at OKT, especially in the upcoming period, we have a goal in terms of integrating the application of industrial designs to electric vehicles into the system. In fact, we are working in this direction and we get the reward at such fairs.”

Murat Bakırcı: “We Provide Customer-Focused Service”

“We Are Going Out of Europe's Conventional Patterns”

Stating that they are actively serving 78 countries at the moment, Murat Bakırcı states that the market that OKT Trailer focuses on is the center of Europe. Emphasizing that there are active OKT products in many countries from England to Germany, from France to Scandinavian countries, Bakırcı said that; “Here, it is not a single product or a single model, but a customer-oriented structure that can differentiate needs and expectations on the same model. We serve with We are doing very successful works with the feedback we receive from our customers. There are very different expectations and wishes for products for Europe, especially in terms of cooperating with European manufacturers or developing projects. With a sustainable perspective, we attach importance to these collaborations and we will accomplish great things together in the coming periods. We are currently taking the same steps as in Europe and even faster than European manufacturers in terms of responsiveness or product development. Because, compared to the stereotyped perspectives in Europe, we correctly answer the expectations of the end users in terms of both engineering and applications. We manufacture and ship the product, and after seeing the trial successes, we move on to the fleet deliveries. In fact, we are able to present these innovations by going a little beyond the usual patterns of Europe at the point of product development.”

Hakan Maraş: “We Respond to Both Country Legislation and Customer Standards in the Markets We Are In”

“Industrial Design Is Among Our Focus Points”

Indicating that it is important for OKT to have a qualified performance in the market, Maraş states that it is much more important to sell a trailer at a unit cost per kilogram and they are trying to find a place in the market at this point. Indicating that there are opportunities that can be derived from the low number of special projects or customer orders in the past, especially due to increased costs, the bottleneck in raw materials or labor in Europe, Maraş said that; “A manufacturer cannot come to a point where it can respond to this all at once; because this is a way and for this, corporate memory and experience are necessary. Our motto is to offer the same level of quality with Europe at more measurable and reasonable prices. At this point, we especially try to evaluate the open doors we have caught. It is very critical for us to be able to continue quality work in sustainable markets. We try to respond in accordance with both country regulations and customer standards in the markets we are in. For example, there are markets such as the Scandinavian market or the Dutch market within Europe where different regulations apply. In these markets, we ensure that projects continue with sustainable feedback rather than just a vehicle sale. Reflections of innovation and development will continue in the upcoming period. Industrial design is among the points we focus on right now and it stands out in these vehicles.”

Hakan Maraş: “We Are Trying To Pioneer The Trailer Industry In Turkey And To Set A Vision”

Underlining that the implementation of new technologies and offering new solution points are progressing in parallel with Europe, Maraş states that their applicability is seen in manufacturers in Turkey. Mentioning the importance of being sustainable, Maraş finally said that; “We are attending this fair for the eighth time, but the important thing is not to participate, but to be sustainable at every step. Every time we attended the fair, for example, we increased the number of vehicles or increased our brand value. In this sense, we are trying to lead the trailer industry in Turkey and to put forward a vision. Trailer manufacturers in our association also support in this sense and there is a serious participation of manufacturers from Turkey in the fair. In this sense, I hope the participation will continue to increase in the coming years.”