The Turkish technology giant managed to maintain its leadership in the Ukrainian market in 2011

Our first interview of 2012 was with Vyacheslav Dinkov, CEO of Dalgakiran Kompresor, one of the world’s largest technology companies.

Fatih SHAKHIN: Mr. Vyacheslav, please tell us briefly about Dalgakiran.

Vyacheslav Dinkov: Dalgakiran was established in 1965 by Mr. Omer Dalgakiran. Starting in the 90s, Dalgakiran began to develop and grow, and today it is one of the largest compressor manufacturers in the area between Italy and China. We export our equipment to more than 80 countries.

FS: What is the Ukrainian office of the firm, how many years have you been on the Ukrainian market?

VD: Dalgakiran was founded in Ukraine in 2005. Before that, we worked in Ukraine through dealers. In addition to the Kyiv office, we have representative offices in Dnipropetrovs’k, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Odesa, and Khmelnytskyi. In total, we have about 65 employees. We work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Another feature of our company is that all our employees are Ukrainians. Thus, we contribute to the employment of the population of Ukraine, thus helping it.

FS: Viacheslav, what else does the company produce alongside compressors?

VD: Compressors are our core business. We also deal with dehumidifiers, coolers, fans, generators, pumps and other spare parts, as well as service.

FS: What was 2011 like for you? How would you summarize it?

VD: 2011 was a year when the effects of the global economic crisis were still being felt. Although the country registered 5% growth, purchasing power has not yet reached the desired level. In 2009, we experienced a dramatic drop to 15.6%. As for us, we still managed to increase our sales in spite of everything. This year, we did not lose the top spot in sales of compressors and dryers, as we did in the past three years. As for generators, only two global leaders – CAT and FG Wilson – beat us.

FS: How did Dalgakiran manage to become so successful in the Ukrainian market? What, in your opinion, is the secret of such success?

VD: Our success in the Ukrainian market is due to the technological superiority of our products. I can say that Dalgakiran is a world leader in terms of price-quality ratio. And believe me, I am not exaggerating. In Ukraine, in addition to Dalgakiran, we also offer compressors, generators, and other spare parts from other countries – Germany, Italy, and even the United States. It is enough to compare these products to see the difference. Dalgakiran devotes a lot of time to the development of AR-GE technologies. In addition, Adnan Dalgakiran, the Chairman of the Board, is the only member of the TU “BI.TAK” chairman’s committee who is not a scientist. Of course, another important factor is that we know the Ukrainian market and its requirements well. The advantages over our competitors, which makes us an order of magnitude above them, are that we are fully responsible for our products, and we provide instant, highly qualified service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

FS: What are your expectations and goals for 2012?

VD: We, as Dalgakiran Ukraine, did not fire any employees even during the crisis in 2009. This year we plan to hire new employees. We will add several new products to our assortment. We expect an increase in demand for our products in the market for compressors, dehumidifiers, generators and other items. In early summer, we expect a revival in connection with the 2012 European Football Championship, and in October, such activity will be caused by the parliamentary elections, which will lead to an increase in the state budget and, accordingly, increase sales. However, the country’s obligations to pay for natural gas, as well as the repayment of the IMF debt, significantly increase the risks. There is always a possibility of devaluation, which makes planning difficult. I think that in general 2012 will be a difficult year.

FS: Mr. Vyacheslav, you speak Turkish like a Turk, it’s amazing! Can I know the secret of it? Do you know any other languages?

VD: I studied at Marmara University, Faculty of Engineering. At the beginning of my career, I held a managerial position at Evyap for 3 years, and for the last 7 years I have been the CEO of Dalgakiran in Ukraine. If you count, I have spent the last 15 years with Turks. I have an aptitude for foreign languages, along with Russian and Turkish, I also know German, Ukrainian and Bulgarian.

FS: Viacheslav, thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us. I wish Dalgakiran to continue to increase its success in the Ukrainian market.

VD: Fatih, and thank you for this interesting conversation.