Companies in the sector that are waiting for IDEF'23 are very hopeful about the effectiveness of the exhibition. In line with their expectations, Menatek, one of the exhibitors of the exhibition and one of the most important companies in the defence industry, is expecting visitors in an area twice as large this year compared to IDEF'21. We met with Naz Ünal, Business Development and Strategy Director at Menatek, to discuss the dynamics of the sector and the IDEF'23 exhibition.

Can you give us an overview of 2023 from Menatek's perspective?

Companies in the sector that are waiting for IDEF'23 are very hopeful about the effectiveness of the exhibition. In line with their expectations, Menatek, one of the exhibitors of the exhibition and one of the most important companies in the defence industry, is expecting visitors in an area twice as large this year compared to IDEF'21. We met with Naz Ünal, Business Development and Strategy Director at Menatek, to discuss the dynamics of the sector and the IDEF'23 exhibition.

Can you give us an overview of 2023 from Menatek's perspective?

We started the year with a good performance in terms of orders. Of course, it is not possible for companies to be sustainable without investing and improving themselves. For this reason, we also carried out activities outside of the works we received. We focused on new markets, conducted R&D studies in different fields and carried out studies related to our systematic and scaled growth in our internal structuring. We work with consultants; we have started to work with more experienced teams at the nerve ends of the company as an organization. Our goal is to become institutionalized. We aim for healthier management. We export to over 35 countries. A significant portion of our revenue comes from the work we do for the US Department of Defense. Here, too, there has been a Russian influence in Turkey-US relations. For this reason, as Menatek, we are trying to diversify our markets and services in order to reduce the risk.

Can you tell us about your work with the US Department of Defense and other NATO countries?

As Menatek, we are working on system-scale projects for the USA. The needs of the army may vary according to the agenda. We also take part in tenders for the needs we can meet. Globally, we make larger assemblies of more value-added parts of a tracked vehicle, such as the Running Gear (Walking Gear), which is a complete assembly. In 2017, we established an R&D department and with the work we have done in this department, we have also moved to the design level. We started to sell systems that we designed and proposed ourselves, in addition to production services for customer requests. Thus, 2022-2023 was a year in which our own designs were at the forefront.

In the analyses made about the US market, it is stated that the aviation sector has been affected. Despite this, Canik is breaking records in the US market. Is there a downside from your point of view?

Canik is a company that we are proud of, as is every Turkish citizen who knows the brand. Canik sells mainly to the commercial side in the US market and is a very popular brand. We are also in very different areas in terms of product portfolio. Therefore, it is not correct to compare. It would be wrong to say that there is an embargo on our side as well. The procedures have only increased compared to the old period. The works we used to do more easily now take longer time. I don't know if this situation will turn into an embargo in the future. This is completely related to Türkiye's foreign policy. US-Türkiye relations will also affect us.

After the elections in Türkiye, Haluk Görgün became the President of Defense Industry. How will this change affect the sector?
 
First of all, I would like to wish Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün all the best and success for this important role. I believe that he will make very useful contributions to the sector. Aselsan is a valuable state-owned company that has very valuable engineers and has stopped imports by producing truly significant technologies. With a mentality from that culture at the helm of the institution, it will make a positive contribution to the defense industry. It will have important reflections on the sector. Since our new Chairman is a member of the sector, I believe that he will have a better understanding of the private sector as well as the foundation companies. I believe that efforts will be made to develop both domestic production and domestic technology.

IDEF 23 exhibition is going to be held, could you tell us about the importance of the exhibition from your point of view?

IDEF is one of the most important exhibitions for us. It is an expo we are hosting. We are a company that is mostly active abroad. IDEF is also important for us in this respect. This year we changed our area in the expo. We moved to an area 2 times bigger. We diversified our product in terms of sector under the Naz Bearings brand. As Menatek, we will make new announcements at the expo. Until today, we have always exhibited the components in the expos, but in this one, you will see a fully assembled running gear. We see a lot of demand from abroad, but we want to create awareness in our country that this product can be used not only in military vehicles, but also in tracked work machines with engineering studies.

How is the interest in exhibitions abroad?

We participate in many exhibitions abroad and receive great interest. Last year, we made a change and participated in the Pakistan exhibition. Pakistan is a brother to Türkiye and has a similar market. We already have trade with Pakistan, but we want to increase our business volume.

You have done important work with the ROQU Mobility brand in the field of electric scooters, when will you start mass production?

We have completed the preparations for mass production in the field of scooters and have already placed orders for the first batch. We will make our first productions at our current address, and we are planning to invest in a new factory in 2024. We are targeting a monthly production capacity of 10 thousand units. You will see our products as of the 2nd half of the year. Our aim here is to be a manufacturer and work with sharing scooter operators. We are currently in talks with them, and we will soon start demo processes with our potential customers. We are constantly following the needs of the market. In March 2025, our scooters for personal use will be on the market.