Kütahya Porselen

mainly in porcelain, the site offers more than 5.000
different items including glass, steel, electric kitchen
appliances, kitchen textiles, table accessories and
gift items.
Continuing production in its four porcelain
factories in Kütahya, Kütahya Porselen also
manufactures for several world-famous porcelain
brands and exports its products all over the world.
With its corporate structure and young, dynamic
and well-trained staff, it continues investing in all
areas, especially human resources.
With its important position in Turkey and the
world, the company shares this success on the
Istanbul Stock Exchange with 25% public offerings.
Product
Market
Porcelain, the healthiest and most hygienic of
ceramic tableware, is a translucent, glass-like, nonporous non-absorbent hard material. It is white but
may be artificially colored. Porcelain products fall
into three main groups according to compounds
used in the raw material, firing temperature, glaze
and other variables: hard porcelain, soft porcelain
and bone china.
From a technical point of view, the first
product definable as porcelain in Europe was
produced in 1709 by Johann Friederich Böttger
in Meissen, Germany. The first large private
commercial porcelain factory was founded in
Hohenberg, Bavaria in 1814 by Carolus Magnus
Hutschenreuther. In 1857, Hutschenreuther’s son
Lorenz founded a new porcelain factory in Selb
and started today’s quality porcelain industry.
The Ottoman Empire’s first serious efforts in
this area were by a factory established in 1845
by Ahmet Fethi Paşa, which produced porcelain
with the “Eser-i Istanbul” stamp. In addition to this
factory, which was able to compete with foreign
imports for only twenty to thirty years, was the
Yıldız Tile and Porcelainn Operation established in
1892 in the gardens of the Yıldız Palace. Later, the
Istanbul Porcelain and Yarımca Porcelain factories
began production.
Kütahya Porselen, established in 1974, is the
best established facility continuing to work in this
sector. Europe’s most important porcelain brand in
terms of its capacity and product quality, Kütahya
Porselen produces healthy, environmentally
friendly products. There are two main players in
Turkey’s porcelain market today; local producers
and importers. Local producers, forced to
compete with low-quality Chinese products which
create price pressure, produces 68.000 tons while
importers import 55 tons per year. In such a
challenging market, Kütahya Porselen stands out
with its experience and brand power. Ahead of
its competitors thanks to its dynamic structure,
openness to change and improvement, and
innovative skills, Kütahya Porselen remains a leader
with 45% of Turkey’s porcelain manufacturing and
40% of its exports.
Achievements
As Turkey’s largest producer of porcelain
tableware with a respectable position in the
world market, Kütahya Porselen has made many
groundbreaking achievements, and has received
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many awards for its product quality, collections,
events and sponsorships. Some of Kütahya
Porselen’s successes and awards include:
TSE-EN ISO9001 Quality Management System
Award for Successful Applications; 2004 and
2007-Turkish Ministry of Industry and Commerce,
“Company Adopting Customer Satisfaction as a
Principle Award; 2005-Superbrands Turkey’s Super
Brands; 2007-EFQM National Quality Awards,
“Quality Success Award”; 2014-Red Dot Design
Award, “Plano Collection”; 2014-IDEA Design
Award “Plano Collection”; 2014-IKEA Democratic
Design Awards.
History
The foundations of Kütahya Porselen were laid
in 1970, in the town of Kütahya. First established
as a multi-partner public company, Kütahya
Porselen began investing in porcelain in 1974 and
in February 1977, its 10.000 m2 factory began
experimental production. When the capital began
to grow in 1984, Nafi Güral and his family paid the
necessarily guarantorship fee and bought 75% of
the company.
As the financing-investing deficits were quickly
filled, they established the R&D unit and began
investments to increase capacity. In the initial
stages, Kütahya Porcelaın increased its capacity
from 3.200 tons to 7.500 tons. Continuing its
investments and modernization efforts, the
company began producing floor and wall ceramics
in 1989.
In the 1990’s, colored porcelain (Naturaceram)
products began taking an important place in the
world market. In 1995, Kütahya Porselen invested
in this area, and in 1996, began Naturaceram
production. That same year, the company
entered the packaging sector in order to meet
the packaging needs of the porcelain and ceramic
factory, and since 1996 the group not only meets
the company’s packaging needs, but serves outside
companies as well.
In 2002, Kütahya Porselen increased its capacity
to 10.000 tons. In 2005, it bought the German
porcelain brand Mitterteich which, despite its 120
year history, had been forced to close its doors.
Reviving the company, it achieved an important
success story.
Gaining expertise in the manufacture of
porcelain machines and talented in creating
and providing knowhow for turnkey factories,
Kütahya Porselen keeps track of technological
advances and adapts with the times. Because of
the importance of e-commerce, the launching of
www.porselensepeti.com (porcelainbasket) was
another step in this direction. Beginning internet
sales in March 2012, www.porselensepeti.com is
Turkey’s largest virtual porcelain store. Dealing
Notable as a brand that “creates fashion
in porcelain” with its customer-oriented
manufacturing and sales philosophy, Kütahya
Porcelaın stands out among its competitors for the
rich form and decorative value of its wide product
line. Kütahya Porcelaın produces two main product
series: The Home Series and the hotel series
Ho-Re-Ca. Classified technically, there are four
product lines: Hard porcelain, soft porcelain, bone
china and earthenware (Naturaceram).
Producing dining sets in classical style as well
as well alternative forms and designs, Kütahya
Porselen also combines traditional handicrafts with
exclusive products.
With its ability to produce quality products
at home and abroad, develop products quickly
and flexible production, Kütahya Porselen stands
out for its ability to produce a desired product
extremely quickly. It also plays a leading role as the
first company to introduce trend-setting designs
and innovative products to the market.
With its 38-member team, including 16 in
industrial design including the research in its R&D
and technopark sections, and 22 in artistic design,
Kütahya Porselen creates its new collections based
on form and decorative value. Created with more
than 100 models and around different designs
every years, the collections are sent to consumers
around the world.
Recent Developments
Employing 2.000 people at its factories that use
the latest technology to turn out 100 million
pieces annually, Kütahya Porselen’s gross earnings
in 2014 were 90 million USD. Investments planned
for 2015 will go toward improving technology in
its existing production lines.
Exporting to more than 50 countries in Europe
as well as Africa, South America, North America
and Asia, Kütahya Porselen supplies not only its
own sales points but also manufactures for many
other global brands including IKEA, Carrefour,
Metro, Auchan and Walmart, reaching consumers
around the world.
Concentrating its retail services in recent years,
Kütahya Porselen has 34 stores and 442 Corner
outlets in Turkey, as well as sales points abroad.
Constantly striving to gain better recognition,
serve a wider consumer group, and continually
improve its performance and profitability, the
company plans to complete its technological
investments and unite its successful inroads in
convenient products with intense promotional
efforts. Following a strategy of supporting its
produce quality, logistics and customer services,
the company keeps its level of quality on par with
that of the EU and the US.
Promotion
Since it founding day, Kütahya Porselen has
continually undertaken projects to support the
development of the porcelain sector, to fulfill
its social responsibility obligations, and carry out
communications work.
As it works to spur development in the sector,
Kütahya Porselen undertakes a missiom of bringing
innovation and new approaches in this area, as
well as providing opportunities for young people.
In addition to internships in its factories, it holds
design competitions in universities in particular,
contribution to the sector as well as young
people’s futures. The “Flowers Blooming in the
Fire” Porcelain and Ceramics Design Competition,
the 3rd International Tile Syposium and the
Kütahya Porselen 40th Anniversary Ceramics
Competition held as part of the 1st Eurasian
Ceramic Congress, are just a few of Kütahya
Poselen’s outstanding projects.
Wishing to conduct its social responsibility
projects in the area of education and social
development professionally, Kütahya Porselen,
through the efforts of its founder Nafi Güral,
founded the Nafi Güral Education Foundation
in 2010. Having built the Ali Güral College, the
Nafi Güral College of Science, the Hediye Güral
Preschool and the Hacı Hediye Güral Mosque,
the Foundation conducts many different projects
including counseling, internships, grants, support for
the Victory Development Agency and EU Projects,
promotion and field trip events, and supplying the
needs of schools.
Kütahya Porselen places great importance
on its social responsibility projects. Foremost
among these projects are sponsorship and longterm support projects in support of health and
environmental consciousness. Other examples
are its “Healthy Turkey Project”, which made
important contributions toward safe porcelain
manufacture, the Green Turkey Project” which
saw the planting of one million saplings, the
“Clean Sea Project” which led in the collection
of approximately 40-45 tons of garbage from
the Bosphorus in one month, and the “Clean
Bosphorus Project,” which successfully cleaned the
Bosphorus for three years.
Also sensitive to the need for a healthy society,
Kütahya Porselen has given many conferences
throughout the years about the harm done by
cigarettes and protecting children through its
“Cigarette-Free Turkey” project. As the principle
support of the Fighters Against Cigarettes
Association, Kütahya has carried out important
projects in the fight against smoking for many
years.
In its communications and promotions, Kütahya
Porselen has promoted its brand in major fairs at
home and throughout the world with the goal of
promoting Turkey and its values. It has also made
itself visible as the main sponsor of many highly
successful television programs and series.
Brand Values
Approaching its communications efforts as a
general marketing strategy, the company works
in the long term rather than with a strategy that
changes by the day.
As a young, creative and modern company
open to innovation, that has adopted a customer
satisfaction oriented sales policy, Kütahya Porselen
draws upon technology with the mission of
keeping Turkish forms and designs alive.
Kütahya Porselen works in four different areas
in order to increase its brand value in the public
mind: Brand name awareness, brand associations,
perceived brand quality and brand loyalty. Believing
that these four elements, which create the brand
value perceived by consumers, bring value to
both the customers and the company, Kütahya
Porselen uses his value to create more sources for
its marketing activities. In this way, it invests even
further in the brand value perceived by consumers.
Following correspondence analyses of surveys
done by an independent institution, Kütahya
Porselen emerged in consumer perceptions as
a high quality company that produced hygienic,
aesthetically pleasing products. It is seen as a
dependable, well-established, a leader in the
sector, popular, much publicized and caring about
customer satisfaction; a company whose products
people were proud to use, and whose products
gave good value for the money.
www.kutahyaporselen.com.tr
THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT
Kütahya Porselen
›Kütahya Porselen is Turkeys oldest
established living porcelain brand.
›It is largest porcelain brand in the world,
using the latest technology.
›It manufactures for several world-renowned
porcelain brands and exports to over
50 countries.
›It stands out as a brand whose wealth of
designs and forms are imitated in Turkey.
›It produces nearly 100 million pieces per year.
›Its gross earnings in 2014 were 90 million
USD.
›It opened Turkey’s first porcelain museum.
›www.porselensepeti.com, which it created
in 2011, is now Turkey’s largest virtual
porcelain store.
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