Wednesday, July 20, 2016
For so long a beacon of stability between Europe and the Middle East, Turkey has entered a period of high tension, fighting Kurdish militants in its restive east and struggling to prevent Islamist militant violence spreading from across its border with Syria.
Turkey is a booming market for woodworking and associated industry and more importantly, a major portion for leading carpet manufacturers come from Turkey only. Naturally this unrest is a serious thought to our industry as well.
The recently concluded Domotex Gaziantep (May 23-26) has recorded a great footfall and success as well. Even Domotex Hannover registers a huge number of carpet manufacturers from Turkey. We asked Deutsche Messe if this political unrest is a matter for concern. “Well, it’s too early to say anything right now about the Turkish participation in the coming Domotex. We need to wait for a couple of months to see if it affects the Hannover edition,” says Katharina Siebert, Spokesperson for Domotex Hannover.
Benefit from the upsurge in the Middle East construction and furniture market has open gates for new avenues for European companies. SCM group, the Italian company designing and producing the widest range of woodworking and advanced materials technologies have opened a new subsidiary in Dubai last November.
Turkish manufacturers are also aiming for worldwide presence. At IWF 2016, Turkish panel manufacturer Kastamonu will show raw and melamine faced particleboard, MDF, laminate flooring, high gloss panel, door skins, solid surfaces, and other value added products for the furniture, decoration, and the construction industry. It plans $700 million in investment and six new factories.
Another leading manufacturer of impregnated papers, finish foils, PVC, LignaDecor is also participating in IWF this year. However, the Turkish unrest is not a matter of great concern as of now for the industry. Gulben Sevim, the Marketing Manager, LignaDecor concludes, “At the moment, we need to wait. Our government is taking protective measures and we hope everything will fall into places the coming week. This week is important but I do not see anything to be scared of right now.”
Special thanks to BBC.com, Deutsche Messe, Lignadecor and Kastamonu for sharing their views. Image courtesy: CNN
Tags: deutsche messe, Domotex Hannover, Gulben Sevim, Katharina Siebert, Kostamonu, LignaDecor, Middle East, militant, Turkey
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