We have had a conversation with Gani Ship Spares Vice President Gül Sandıkçı, who left her past career among dusty history books and gave her heart to the sea, on a wide range of topics from being the only non-Korean representative of Hyundai to being a woman employee in a male-dominated industry
First of all, can we get to know Gül Sandıkçı a little bit? How did you enter the maritime industry?
I actually studied history in university. Then I got a master’s degree in art history. It was very difficult to find a job at a time when job postings took up only one page because I graduated during the 2001 crisis. I saw a job ad at Oyster Yacht while I was looking through the postings. As I am a great fan of the sea, I was very excited about this job opportunity, which came across by pure chance. We talked, the vacant position was not suitable for me at that moment, but since the conversation went really well, they wanted to bring me into the maritime sector. And they introduced me to Gani. Being in love with the sea, I loved this job and started working, and I have been in the sector for 20 years. I love both machines and the sea. Since I love my job, I don’t feel like I’m working that hard. My job is like a hobby to me. In fact, since there is no concept of overtime work in our profession, it takes up most of our time. As we work with international companies, we cannot have regular working hours. Therefore, it is not a job you can do if you don’t love it. I come from a family of civil servants. I also received pedagogic formation to become a teacher. I have devoted my heart to my current profession without abandoning my educational background, I always approach our employees like a teacher.
I love the sea very much, it has always been at the center of my life, so we named our daughter Elizya, which means mermaid.
In which field does Gani serve the maritime industry?
Gani has been a representative office for Hyundai for about 17-18 years. Hyundai is currently the world’s largest machine manufacturer and we are currently their only non-Korean representative. Our target audience is mainly European shipowners.
How did you get the chance to be the only non-Korean representative?
It was when our General Manager, Ümit Sandıkçı, saw the light in Koreans when they were just starting to open up to a fully European-dominated market and acted quickly. Of course, it is also very relevant to the success of our company. We closed the first sale made outside of Korea. We closed the first sale of HIMSEN, which is Hyundai’s own production as the main machine. We were also the first to sell generators. After these achievements, we currently have about 200 machines in our reference list. Our relations are progressing well. We are providing both Hyundai’s service and complete machinery and spare parts. Korea is an important market for us as newbuilds are usually constructed in the Far East. In addition to Korea, we also work with England, but our main focus is Korea.
You have another company named Elizya, can you tell us about its activities?
Apart from Gani, we also have a company named ELIZYA Maritime and Energy Investments, named after our daughter. That company runs a representative office for Daros (Federal Mogul 2-stroke MAN&WARTSILA machine rings OEM manufacturer), BOSCH Turkey (Bosch fuel equipment as partner), MFT (Marine Fluid Technology-Blending On Board System), GYROMETRIC (Shaft Monitoring & Vibration Measuring) and CHALWYN (Diesel Engine Safety Products) companies.
How does Gani define post sales customer satisfaction?
For us, customer satisfaction means that work on the ship is completed on time, that the shipowner is satisfied and that the material is delivered without any issue. We generally provide ship equipment and spare parts. We are the representatives of companies working with Hyundai Shipyard in Korea. One of the companies we represent is KSB SEIL, we are selling both ODME calibration and VRC system service as well as equipment and spare parts. They make Oil Discharge Monitoring Equipment (ODME) systems, a system that determines the location of the places where discharge can be done. We provide service in Turkey and, if desired, we provide service to approximately five-six African countries, including Togo. In 2017 we purchased KSB in the United Kingdom. We also provide service in Europe via the U.K. We also have a service and engineer in Houston in the United States. We have a really equipped team in Houston. They have both helicopter and offshore certificates. We service offshore facilities. We have served in Trinidad and Tobago, even in Barbados.
On average, how long does your service take?
Our service periods end within a maximum of one day. We get on and off the ship the same day. It takes a maximum of two days if there is a defective tool.
Do you do the assembly yourself or leave it to the shipyard/ship personnel?
There is no such need for spare parts, the ship’s own crew does it. When we sell equipment, we install the machines we provide. We also provide their spare parts.
Can you compare our country with the working discipline in the countries you work with?
The Koreans are really good at teamwork. We Turks, on the other hand, are perfect individually. Believe me, there is no one better than us. We are incredibly practical. For example, we do the work that would take three days in one day without sacrificing quality. However, we are not as good as the Koreans in organizing. They aren’t that good individually, but when they come together, they do a tremendous job.
I used to find Europeans to be very good at business. However, there is now a slowness that I think is mostly due to being overly prosperous. Frankly, they cannot keep up with our speed, and they do not care about catching up.
Ship machinery and spare parts can be stuck at customs from time to time due to the different standards between countries. Do you have any difficulties in the import process?
There can be serious problems with imports. There are not many special standards for spare parts produced, especially for maritime. There are cases where you waste time proving this distinction.
But the primary problem is the discount tax. If your invoice from abroad is discounted, there is an extra three percent tax. Since the systems of companies abroad prepare invoices with discounts, we encounter a tax problem here.
How would you evaluate Turkey’s shipbuilding sub-industry?
I think we, as a country, are on the path to a very good spot. We used to be very dependent on outside, but now there are many companies that produce quality products. Turkey has come a really long way, and I believe it will go even further. We can provide both high quality and inexpensive sub-industry products.
How would you evaluate Turkey’s place in the maritime sector?
Qualified works are carried out in the field of maritime in Turkey. I am proud of the work done. But the industry needs more support. Because, as I said before, we have a character that does the job very quickly and completely, without sacrificing quality. We are extremely practical especially in ship repair works. In newbuilding, Japan and Korea are doing bigger but standard jobs. On the other hand, we do more specific turnkey jobs. Mostly we try new things. Our shipyards are constantly improving themselves.
In the past, when Turkish ships would face problems in the ports. Now we have developed quite a bit in this regard. We no longer hear that ships are arrested in ports or penalized.
One of my dreams is to have special Bogazicimax ships, just like Suezmax and Panamax. It would be better if we produce our own special ships for our coaster fleet.
GMKA, Enerjisa Üretim, Eti Maden, TÜBİTAK MAM and Aspilsan Energy came together for the green hydrogen plant planned to be established in Balıkesir. I hope that such projects will be developed in the maritime sector as well. If the Turkish maritime sector gets the necessary support from the state, he can have a much greater say in the world. If Turkey can develop sustainable maritime policies, it can increase its share in the world maritime trade volume. We have tremendous potential for this. We have the foundation, we have the talent. If the state, private sector and of course universities make a serious, multi-component and sustainable planning, we can achieve this in a short time.
What are you doing about new energy sources?
Hyundai caught up with the green fuel changes. In the near future, we will also submit proposals for hydrogen powered engines. There are also products with alternative fuels that we are currently bidding on.
We also have research on hydrogen fuel as a company. We are preparing to present our projects to the market in the near future.
What social responsibility activities do you undertake?
I have worked with WISTA for quite some time. I spent a lot of effort and realized all my social project support through WISTA.
We gave sailing training to our disabled citizens on tall ships, which are long, large and traditionally equipped sailing ships. It was a very special project for me. WISTA has been providing scholarships especially to female students since its establishment. We provide positive discrimination. WISTA has grown a lot. It was established by 20 people, now we have 200 members. It is very important for the sector’s awareness of women and for the presence of women in the sector. Other NGOs and organizations invite us to their meetings. There are now highly talented women in the industry.
How would you evaluate the place of women professionals in a male-dominated industry?
There is still a worldwide prejudice against women in the industry. To give an example from myself, while chatting with someone from the industry, after a while, I observe a change in attitude. For one thing, they don’t expect you to be active as a woman. They do not expect you to have technical knowledge on the subject and have a grasp of the business, they always look for something missing. I wish something could be done that could radically change this prejudice.
As women, unfortunately, we have to work harder than men and respond to all questions. Because we are immediately labeled as “a woman can only know so much.” For example, in technical conversations, they ask me if I know the simplest thing to ask a spare parts dealer. There are such approaches in the global sense throughout the industry. This has softened a bit over time, but women are still being asked to know and do more. They don’t want anything like that from men. I think all women in the world always have concerns about doing more.
Bu haberin/makalenin tamamı ya da bir kısmı kaynak gösterilmeden yayımlanamaz. Kaynak gösterilse dahi aktif link verilerek kullanılabilir. Kaynak göstermeden ve aktif link vermeden yayımlayanlar hakkında yasal işlem başlatılır.
