Yanmar Turkiye Machine Inc., the Turkish subsidiary of Japanese engine manufacturer Yanmar Holding, aims to increase its production in Turkiye by 3 times and its exports by more than 10 times with its facility in Izmir’s Torbali district.
Yanmar Turkiye Machine Inc. Agriculture Business Line and Business Development Manager Murat Balkan Kanbir told the AA correspondent that Turkiye is the 4th largest tractor market in the world.
Kanbir explained that in the process that started with the decision to invest in Turkiye in 2017 due to Turkiye’s potential, the company made a breakthrough in agriculture, one of its business lines, and the first facility in this direction was opened in Izmir Menderes. He said that the new facility in Torbali was commissioned in September due to the demands of customers in Turkey, their export targets and their desire to increase technical competence.
Kanbir stated that thanks to the new facility in Torbali, the annual production capacity of 2,500 units increased to 8,500, and said, “We have determined Turkiye as a production and business development base because we believe in Turkiye’s potential, young population and capability.”
Kanbir stated that the employment in the new facility, which has the capacity to produce 35 tractors per day, is around 100, and that they plan to reach 400 in a few years. “Here, we assemble the main components brought from abroad, such as engines, transmissions, and gearboxes, with localized products such as tires, rims, and batteries.”
Stating that the developments in exports brought about growth in capacity, Kanbir said, “The tractor export move that we started in 2022 has reached approximately 400 units. At the point where we reach 8,500, we will meet our production from here, with 50% of the domestic market and 50% of the foreign market.”
They will produce “robot tractors” in Turkiye
Kanbir noted that the facility will focus on the European market and will also begin to serve the Turkish republics and Middle Eastern countries.
Stating that in addition to the Yanmar YM series offered to the European and domestic markets and the Solis brand tractors of which we are a shareholder, the facility also plans to produce the multi-purpose compact Yanmar SA series and the Yanmar YT series with unmanned autonomous driving feature, Kanbir gave the following information:
“One of the models produced in Europe is Yanmar’s YT series. It is called ‘Robot tractors’. It is a driverless tractor that can perceive commands. With our move to this facility, we plan to take responsibility for the production of YT tractors in Turkiye. We plan to produce the autonomous tractors demanded by Europe in our facilities in Turkiye.”
Kanbir said that they are new to the Turkish market and that they have a market share of 2.6% with the Solis brand and around 1 per thousand as Yanmar, adding that they aim for a market share of 10% in the medium term in the Turkish market, where an average of 55-60 thousand tractors are sold annually.
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz