- Vaden in the press
- 23 Jan 2025
I Forgive the Hacker, He Saved Us from the Brink
I Forgive the Hacker, He Saved Us from the Brink
YEAR 1968, Konya… Seyit Usta, who manufactures gaskets, brake linings, and washers, made an important decision about İsmail Acar, who worked with him:
- İsmail, from now on, we are partners.
This decision laid the foundations for Yıldız Pul Automotive, which today produces 11,000 different parts for heavy commercial vehicles in Konya under the brand "Vaden".
As İsmail Acar expanded the business, he corporatized it, and in the first stage, adopted the name "Yıldız Injector and Record Washers." While initially producing in a workshop-sized area, it switched to mass production in 1990 in a 1000 square meter area in the Konsan Industrial Zone.
While expanding the business, İsmail Acar never left Seyit Usta's side, choosing to keep him in high esteem and work together. He also named his eldest son after his master:
· Seyit Acar…
Seyit Acar started working with his father during his middle school years. When he quickly became focused on work, he did not continue his education. His brother Sedat Acar, born in 1980, also took the path of Yıldız Pul Automotive after graduating from middle school. Semih Acar, born in 1985, started working during his student years but completed a 2-year vocational school.
When we went to the city for the "2nd Green Transformation and Sustainability Summit in Industry" organized by the Konya Chamber of Industry in cooperation with EKONOMİ Newspaper, we visited Yıldız Pul Automotive under the guidance of our representative İbrahim Çiçekçi and toured the facilities.
Yıldız Pul Automotive Chairman of the Board Seyit Acar and Vice Chairman Semih Acar explained the company's journey from 1968 to the present to Şeref Oğuz, Didem Eryar Ünlü, Handan Sema Ceylan, and me at their quite large production facilities in Konya OSB.
Seyit Acar went back 20 years:
- 20 years ago, we were producing with 13 people in our facility in Selçuklu. Our turnover was 238 thousand Euros…
He stated that they moved to Konya OSB at the beginning of 2023:
- When we came here, our turnover had increased to 86 million Euros. We closed the year with a turnover of over 100 million Euros.
He recalled that they took their first steps in the fair in Istanbul in 2006:
- While doing hair pieces and washers, the compressor gasket was in high demand.
He noted that they decided on “Vaden” while looking for a brand name that was easy for foreigners to pronounce:
- We invested 2 million dollars in our brand…
He stated that they value R&D:
- We allocate 3% of our turnover to R&D. We have been benefiting from R&D support for 10 years. We have also been under the Turquality brand support for 4 years.
We asked the investment cost of the current facility, and he shared it:
- We spent 45 million Euros on the first part. The second part will cost 55 million Euros. Over time, we will have 4 factories in an area of 350 thousand square meters.
During the conversation, he went back to a problem they had on October 31, 2019:
- On October 31, 2019, we experienced a "hacker" attack. We could not produce for a week. We invested 2 million dollars in IT, including 300 thousand dollars for security.
At this point, he showed an interesting approach:
- I forgive the “hacker”. With his attack, he showed us that we were on the brink of the abyss.
He complained about the information processing officer at that time:
- I do not forgive our information processing officer at that time. We parted ways with him after that incident anyway.
While leaving the Yıldız Pul Automotive facilities, Şeref Oğuz and I had the same impression:
The dynamism of entrepreneurs and the production power achieved in the industry are enough to overcome every crisis…
EXPORT INCOME PER KILO IS 20-25 DOLLARS
Yıldız Pul Automotive Chairman of the Board Seyit Acar stated that they have registered brands in 4 classes in 145 countries:
- 80% of our turnover is made up of exports. We have been among the "Top 1000 Exporters" for 5 years. Our exports, which were 54 million dollars in 2022, reached 70 million dollars in 2023.
We asked about their export income per kilo, and he answered:
- We have an export income of around 20-25 dollars per kilo.
He stated that "valve steel" and "rubber-coated sheet metal" stand out among their imports:
- We import 10 dollars of raw material. We process it and export 100 dollars.
He underlined the following point:
- We account for 2% of Konya's exports.
SOLAR ENERGY RECOVERED ITS INVESTMENT COST IN 24 MONTHS
Yıldız Pul Automotive Chairman of the Board Seyit Acar stated that there is a 6.5 MW solar power plant (SPP) on the roof of the facilities:
- We had spent 3.2 million dollars on the SPP. It paid for itself in 24 months…
Then he added:
- We do not need energy from outside. We can meet all of it ourselves. We are also preparing to increase the installed capacity of the SPP on the roof to 15 MW.
Yıldız Pul Automotive Vice Chairman of the Board Semih Acar intervened:
- We also take care to protect our water at the facility. Rainwater is collected through separate channels.
WE DO NOT HIRE ANY REFUGEES, WE TRANSPORT PERSONNEL FROM 100 KILOMETERS AWAY
Yıldız Pul Automotive Chairman of the Board Seyit Acar recalled that when he returned from the military in 1995, 3 people were working in their workshops at that time:
- We aim to reach 2-3 thousand people in employment.
He emphasized that they do not employ any refugees at the factory:
- We transport personnel from the districts. We have personnel coming from a distance of 100 kilometers.
When the topic of personnel came up, he shared his plans for education:
- We have a vocational high school plan on the Yıldız Pul Automotive campus.
