Kitchen culture is adapting rapidly to the changes in lifestyle

In recent times, radical changes in people?s lifestyle and tastes due to urbanization, industrialization, increases in income and consumer choices have oriented people to use more functional, attractive and useful houseware appliances. While working with simpler kitchen tools in the past , today people prefer more serviceable, colourful, design-based products.

The Turkish kitchenware sector has flourished by recognizing the changes brought by the new-era consumer trends, by keeping pace with global innovations and by closely monitoring the dynamics of domestic and foreign demands. Turkish producers and exporters closely corcerns the domestic and global trends and have utilized them to improve and diversify the production capabilities. In the last five years, they have achieved notable success in world markets through a range of materials: glass, porcelain, ceramic, metal and plastic. It is proved by the sector having more than bled the value of its exports from $ 501 million in 2000, to $ 1.600 billion at the end of 2007.

Why Turkish Kitchenware?

Turkish Kitchenware products are preferred by sector?s leading countries as Germany, USA, UK and France. These markets value the reliability of Turkish companies, the dependability of their just-in-time deliveries, the high quality of their products certificated to international standards, the efficiency they inform their overseas customers about market changes and product innovations, and the ease of travelling and doing business within Turkey.

Turkish products have become a world-wide kitchenware trade mark, recognized by specialist retailers and the world?s biggest chain stores for their aesthetic, functional and original design, highly competitive prices, on time delivery.

Also, the leading Turkish companies have an effective after-sale services network both in Turkey and in the countries they export as they are aware of the importance of after-sale services.

In addition, Turkish companies are developing their administrative and production structures and are getting certificates of international standards such as the ISO 9000 series and CE marking and certificates of country-based standards such as TUV Germany), NFS and UL (USA), GOST (Russian), STANCOCERT (Ukraine), ISCIR (Romania), CO (Bulgaria).

Turkish kitchenware with highly modernized production techniques

Although the kitchenware product range is very wide, Turkish industry produces most of these products intensively using modern processes and techniques. Turkish manufacturers and entrepreneurs are investing at an increasing rate to meet the demand for plastic, steel, copper and aluminiumkitchenware, along with glassware, ceramics, porcelain, and cutlery. This has also been accompanied by investments in modern technology and marketing techniques to gain a greater share of target markets.

Turkish kitchenware brand in leading kitchenware markets

The vision of Turkish Kitchenware sector is to become one of the leading global kitchenware suppliers in the world through concentrating its entire energy, sources, knowledge and experience purely on the sector in view of its own developments, developments within its customers, markets and its competition.

In accordance with this vision, Turkish Kitchenware companies focuses on creating differentiation in product design and branding, usage of advanced technology, of high quality manufacturing and accordingly creating a good image for Turkish products in international markets in addition to their highly competitive prices.

With this perspective, Turkish Kitchenware export potential is increasing rapidly and today our products are sold in more than 150 countries. Developed markets like UK, Germany, France, USA and our regional partners as Russian Federation, Israel, Ukraine, Iraq, Romania and Bulgaria are the main consumers of Turkish kitchenware.

Development of the Turkish Kitchenware Sector

Turkish kitchenware sector has tremendous potential. Turkish producers meet the bulk of domestic demand and have gone on to develop new markets overseas. A key indicator of their success has been the rising demand for Turkish kitchenware in the international arena where it has more than tripled the value of its exports since 2000 and become a leading exporter of electrical ovens, glassware, steel and plastic kitchenwares. The EU member countries, neighbour countries and the USA are the largest consumers of Turkish kitchenware.

In 2006, the total value of world kitchenware exports was to be $ 56,5 billion. Turkey then enjoyed a 2,3 % share of this business and is well placed to increase this in coming years in line with the strategic trade objectives of the sector. Projected growth of the Turkish economy as a whole will also stimulate further growth in the sector.

The sector has been implementing new market access strategies and customer-focused marketing techniques to expand their Turkish market share. The Turkish Kitchenware Exporters are well represented at the biggest international exhibitions and trade fairs, especially IH&HS (USA), Ambiente (Germany), Hong Kong Houseware Fair (China). These have become regular meeting points for customers of Turkish producers from many different countries.

Besides organizing trade delegation visits to the target markets, organizing buying missions from emerging markets and national participation of Turkish firms to the international fairs, preparing sectoral researches, papers, documents, Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters? Association contribute to the development of the sector by organizing an Industrial Design Competition which encourage functional, creative, and export applicable designs.

Especially since the begining of the 2000?s Turkish kitchen ware producers gives much more importance to high quality, designed products, within this context this prominent event brings together the famous Turkish industrial designers and the producers and competitor designs have been produced continuously by Turkish producers.

Total Kitchenware Export of Turkey (Years 2000 - 2007)

Within the sub-product groups of the kitchenware sector, Electrical Ovens are ranked first with an export value of $429,6 million in 2007, followed by glassware products with $386,2 million, Cooking Appliances/Plate Warmers with $ 196,5 million, Steel Kitchenware with $168,8 million, and Plastic Kitchenware with $162,9 million.

Kitchenware Export of Turkey in 2007 by Sub-Groups (Million USD)

Glassware: Turkey produces brilliant, colourful and resistant crystal and various other types of glassware in many designs. Closely associated with Anatolian history and culture, the sector benefits from the skills and traditions of generations of glassmakers in a society where the widespread use of quality glassware is long established. Today Turkish glassware is exported to every destination around the world and is sold in exclusive stores where quality is paramount.

In the glassware sector, Turkey is the 5th biggest exporter in the world. Turkish Glassware producers have also committed themselves to spending more on research and development to further enhance their competitiveness.

With a total export volume of $386,2 million, glass kitchenware have the second largest share of the Turkish kitchenware export market in 2007. Machine manufactured glasses and kitchen tools are the primary exported products in this group.

Glassware Export of Turkey (Years 2000 - 2007)

Leading export markets for Turkish Glassware are Germany, United Kingdom USA, Iran and Italy.

Steel Kitchenware: This product group comprises stainless steel, resistant and heat conductive steel kitchenware as used in frying pans, saucepans, coffee pots, pressure cookers etc. Turkey has a dominant position in world exports being the 5th largest exporter of these product group.

Turkish Steel Kitchenware export was $168,7 million in 2007. Considering that the world export market is worth almost $5,98 billion, Turkish Steel Kitchenware producers aim to sustain the export performance by an increasing trend in the coming years.

Steel Kitchenware Export of Turkey (Years 2000 - 2007)

Plastic Kitchenware: This group of products includes cups, pans, pots, plates, food containers, trays, kitchen brushes etc.. Exports for this product group increased nearly 380% in value between 2000 - 2007 and are likely to grow in importance as Turkish producers continue to show competitive performance. year on year.

Plastic Kitchenware Export of Turkey (Years 2000 - 2007)

Israel, Romania, Russian Federation are the leading export markets for Turkish plastic kitchenware.

Porcelain/Ceramic Kitchenware gets the long Turkish Kitchen Tradition together with the modern kitchen culture by presenting rich product range. The Turkish Style Iznik Ceramics is worldwide famous.

Sector has grown rapidly and increased its export figures from $16,9 million to $70,2 million equaled to 315% export increase between 2000-2007. Germany, France, Spain and UK are the leading export markets of this group.

Porcelain/Ceramic Kitchenware Export of Turkey (Years 2000 - 2007)

Turkey is the 5th largest exporter of Electrical Ovens in the world in 2006 after China, Germany, Italy and Poland.

Export value of this product group have increased 300% from the year 2000 to 2007. In addition, the leading export markets of Turkey in Electrical Oven are United Kingdom, Germany, and Russia.

Electrical Ovens Export of Turkey (Years 2000 - 2007)

Besides the product groups mentioned above, the whole Turkish kitchenware product groups can be seen on the table below. Turkish export in these product groups has been also increasing by adapting to the global trends and by expanding their export markets.