Erdem ABALIOĞLU, BANAT Foreign Trade Director underlines that the awards their products received are the sign of the importance they give to R&D.
Being one of the leading brands of our country with its past of 66 years Banat’s wide range of products almost appeal to any customer and need. There are products which received design award among them. Growing even bigger with its innovative approach and customer oriented understanding Banat still keeps on attracting attention and therefore we decided make an interview with Banat Foreign Trade Director Erdem ABALIOĞLU in order to gain detailed information about the company.
Could you please tell us Banat briefly?
As Banat, we were founded in 1947 as one of the national brands of our country and for 66 years we have been living the proud of offering you more than 400 products that provide you with health, hygiene and hapiness under 4 categories which are ‘Oral Care’, ‘Personal Care’, ‘Home Care’, and ‘Industrial Products’. However our main source of pride is that we have managed to grow our company even bigger with innovative approaches in half a century. As a Board Member of European Brus¬hware Federation (FEIBP), our company has been ISO 9001 Quality Management System certified since 1998. Having been selected for Turquality brand support program in 2009, in accordance with this mission, our company is contributing to economy by conducting brand introduction abroad. Could you please tell us what contributions did your company make to the sector and Banat brand during these 66 years? Since the day we have been founded, we adopted innovation as principle and developed our technology and the way we do business in accordance with the changing needs of the customers, new trends and dynamics. We have always enriched our product portfolio in accordance with the new needs. When doing this we gave extra importance on the design of our products. As a result of our R&D studies we put signature on the award winning special designed products. For instance, in Design Turkey 2012 we have received “Good Design” award with Pikolo Toothbrush for Kids and Window Wipers, this is a sign that shows how much importance we give to R&D as Banat. With Acrobat Junior tooth brush, the newest member of the Award Winning Acrobat Family, we have received the “Superior Design 2013” award in Red Dot Design Awards’ Bathroom Category. Finally, coming out as one of our fun and innovative ideas our condom brand “Şey”s one of 7 different types, “Maximum Şey” has attracted attention with its unique packaging design and received the “Perfection 2013” award in the “Ambalaj Ay Yıldızları 2013” contest’s “Graphic Design” category. Could you please tell us about the social responsibility projects you organized? We have been continuing our product co-operation with TEGV (Education Volun¬teers Foundation of Turkey) for the last 4 years. By donating a certain amount of every Banat product sold to TEGV, we support them. With Banat products more than 4000 children received education support from TEGV. This pleases us. In order to have the people gain oral care habit, which is not in the expected level even today, we are conducting various studies, with “as the twig is bent, so grows the tree” understanding, dentists, universities, MEB, NGOs and academicians, we are trying to raise awareness.
To give examples from our studies;
With the co-operation of Istanbul University Çapa Faculty of Dentistry, we supported a project which helped 2500 children fight dental caries. We still keep on supporting the academic studies of the same university. We focused on the same goal in the “Fırçalar Çantada Dişler Yolunda – Toothbrushes in Bag Teeth are OK” project as well. Within the concept of this project we reached approximately 15.000 kids.
We sponsored the 34th TRT 23 April Children’s Day last year in Konya and within this context we realized a dental sc¬reening for kids for free under doctor control and gave away tooth brushes. This year during the Şişli – Healthy Days within the concept of 25th Heart Week again we realized a dental sc¬reening for the participants for free under doctor control and gave away tooth brushes.
During the “Çocuk Ülkesi – Child Land” activity organized by TRT, all the kids participating in the activity had oral control with cooperation of Ege University Faculty of Dentistry under doctor supervision and we gave away free toothbrushes. Organized with co-operation of Kocaeli Municipality and children from 41 countries participated in, the “Children Education and Fun Exhibition” was visited by approximately 130.000 visitors in 4 days, and again we gave away free tooth brushes after the education session.
We also gave away tooth brushes and oral and tooth scan were made under the supervision of dentists within the context of “23 April Children Carnival” organized for AÇEV in Swissotel The Bosphorus. Besides, this year we made a co-operation with Turkish Heart Foundation and sponsored the International Türk Kalp Vakfı & Banat Senior Tennis Tournament and showed that we are always on the side of sports and sportmen.
Acrobat Jr. received the Red Dot Award Product Design 2013. What are your next goals?
Our Acrobat series were designed by Kilit Taşı Tasarım led by Kunter Şekercioğlu and received the “GOOD DESIGN 2009” award under “Good Design Award”. This award we received gave us and our country the proud of being “the only award winning Turkish company in the sector.” Such successes give us the motivation to achieve better things.
The importance we give on production, design and innovation guarantees us to gain a new award every year. Lastly, With Acrobat Junior tooth brush, the newest member of the Award Winning Acrobat Family, we have received the “Superior Design 2013” award in Red Dot Design Awards’ Bathroom Category. We believe that this product will help children gain tooth brushing habit at a very early age.