Following its significant contribution to addressing the aftermath of the major earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş in February 2023, Karmod, a company renowned for dispatching thousands of prefabricated steel independent structures to the region, is now aiming to increase its market share through international endeavors.
Karmod Chairman of the Board, Mehmet Çankaya stated that due to the earthquakes last year, their focus shifted towards meeting the needs of the region. This year, they plan to accelerate their efforts in international projects.
Emphasizing their commitment to increasing their share in the European market, Çankaya stated, “Our construction standards are in line with the demands of Europe and the USA. However, the main challenge lies in having a deep understanding of the building regulations of these countries. We have strengthened our technical office and foreign trade team in this regard. We have formed a team that analyzes prominent details such as building structure and insulation in different countries in Europe to better understand incoming requests.”
Çankaya mentioned that they have direct sales offices in Germany, France, and the UK, and operate through a dealership system in the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Spain. In the USA, they have a sales office, and in Africa, they have expanded their dealership network in countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and Djibouti.
Highlighting the importance of the European market in their international goals, Çankaya expressed, “The three-month ban on international sales due to the earthquake affected the pace of our export growth in 2023. The European market constitutes 35% of our international sales. Our goal is to increase this figure to 60% over a five-year period.”
Çankaya revealed that Karmod is pursuing various projects to achieve its international growth goals, particularly focusing on increasing sales of high-quality villa steel houses to European countries and the USA. He explained that their sales offices in Europe play a significant role in this increase, as they conduct in-depth research into the building regulations of European countries, allowing for easier sales when technical details are understood.
He also mentioned a rising demand for social housing projects in their African ventures, and their significant role in projects related to oil, natural gas, and gold mine construction sites in the region.
Addressing the changing trends in construction demands in Turkey over the past year, Çankaya noted an increased interest in Karmod’s lightweight steel prefab houses nationwide, attributing it to people’s search for safer housing options following the earthquakes.
Çankaya concluded by mentioning ongoing projects in the earthquake-stricken region, including the construction of steel village houses. He highlighted the positive steps taken by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change in promoting the use of lightweight steel structures in village houses, indicating future plans to respond to the increasing demand for mass housing projects planned and tendered by the government in the region.
source: aa.com.tr / prepared by Melisa Beğiç