It all started when he visited Hannover EMO Expo with a family friend businessman. The magical world of metal become leader also on his education life.
First, he studied in a vocational high-school, and then machine technics. Özer Küçükgöl, who made a stride to his business life professionally in Germany, always focused on companies in İzmir during his business trips. Özer Küçükgöl, with his older brother Özcan Küçükgöl, convinced Stellram in 1992 and HPT Hartner in 1996 to make investments in İzmir. Küçükgöl enlarged his business on both companies and after the German shareholders of the HPT Hartner had retired, Küçükgöl have bought the entire company. Özer Küçükgöl now has new projects on his agenda.
Özer Küçükgöl, a name has earned his first money in his uncle’s jean factory by ironing when he was 12 years old and worked flawlessly since then. We have listened the life story and future plans from Özer Küçükgöl, who is one of the founders of HPT Hartner, a company that produces oil pump shafts for Europe’s leader automotive manufacturers. After the earthquake in Gediz, Kütahya in 1970, his parents have migrated to Germany as workers, stated Küçükgöl. And that was how the story started.
That Expo leaded his life
“My deceased father was a tailor. After the earthquake, he has migrated to Germany from Simav, Kütahya. After a while, he also got us migrated to Germany. I started to elementary school there. As a representative of the second Turkish generation in Germany, I have faced a lot of difficulties. I have worked every summer in order to earn my own expenses since I was 12 years old. My father’s fellow townsman and businessman friend, the deceased İsmail Tiryaki, always visited us during his business trips to Germany. Every time I asked him questions about his job. After one of the questions, he has taken me to Hannover EMO Expo when I was 14. I even acted as an interpreter there for him. That expo changed and leaded my life.
Germans retired, he bought
Özer Küçükgöl went for vocational school after the situation in the EXPO. Then he started working with a friend of İsmail Tiryaki. Küçükgöl said : “After high school, I studied machine technics. It was nearly equal to a mechanical engineering study in Turkey. I started working in Stellram in 1987. When I was working there, I never thought of anywhere but Turkey for my career. I focused on companies in İzmir during my business trips. After a while, I started to think : Why wouldn’t we manufacture these pieces in Turkey? We convinced Stellram in 1992 to make investments in İzmir on condition that we will hold the bigger part of the shares. Thus, we became a licensed manufacturer for Stellram. The performance that we showed with our business impressed Manfred Grunski, general director of Stellram and also a shareholder of HPT Hartner. Hence, we also convinced HPT Hartner to investments and in Aegean Free Zone, 1996, we have established a new company with my older brother Özcan Küçükgöl under the condition that we will have a small part of the shares. Today we are the licensed manufacturer of Stellram. After years, other shareholders of HPT Hartner, Günter Hartner and Manfred Grunski, wanted to retire. We bought all of the shares of the company that we have worked for years and moved all the production from Germany to Turkey.”.
16% from İzmir
HPT Hartner provides 16% of Europe’s oil pump shaft needs from İzmir. Özer Küçükgöl said : “HPT Hartner has a history of more than 30 years with 20 years in Turkey. When we went in action Turkey, we were only producing 3% for a customer. Now this rate is near 75%. In this journey that we have started with 7 workers, now we have more than 70 employees in two companies. In addition, we have enlarged our workshop from 210 square-meter to 3000 square-meter and our production rate from 3000 per week to 70000 per week. For any company that have a production problem, we can offer a solution.”.
German Manufacturing Discipline
HPT Hartner possesses a strict German discipline. Factory manager is also a German had a part in establishment of some other factories in İzmir. Küçükgöl added : “Every employee of HPT Hartner receive training in Germany. This is a prerequisite for us. Germans have a different system and we need that for succeed. Most of the German companies do not want to cooperate with Turkish companies due to fluctuation of EUR/TRY exchange rate. However, since we have stability throughout years, we can maintain a stability with our prices and compete. We do not have competitors in İzmir but many in Germany.”.
Lean Times
Özer Küçükgöl remarks that a downturn is going on in both global and Turkey market and adds : “Foreigners wants stability and firmness in Turkey. One of our customers are Canadian and due to security reasons. BMW has a project for next year. They must come to Turkey and inspect our facility, but they abstain from coming. There was an increase in the global market until 2013, but then a stopover started. We are on a stage that no new projects cannot be carried out, but we are planning to produce for two more pump manufacturers.”.
- Özer Küçükgöl and his older, mechanical engineer brother Özcan Küçükgöl have grown their business together. They have a strict division of labour between them. While Özer Küçükgöl is responsible for manufacturing and sales, Özcan Küçükgöl is responsible for staff and finance.
- Özer Küçükgöl, arbitrated for many German investors to invest in İzmir since 1992, says : “Companies willing to make investments in İzmir first get our opinion, and then decide on their investments.”.
- Özer Küçükgöl participate in non-governmental organizations and interested in sailing. He even has nearly 50 trophies.
