How would you describe your line of business?
In the early days under the APACK brand, we only provided sales and marketing services for European-made food packaging machines. Later, we began engineering our own packaging machines and manufacturing them under our own brand. For the past 18 years, we have been manufacturing food and medical packaging machines, entirely designed by us, in our own factory. All our models are certified to international food and medical production standards.
 
How do customers connect with Apack?
Our friends, with whom we have worked on projects for many years, call us immediately when they have a need and inform us of their requirements. We plan the project and deliver the service or machinery/equipment. They do not question the work we do, its quality or price. This is because they have a sense of trust that has developed over the years. We establish long-term relationships with our customers and strive to maintain this continuity. We do not compromise on service quality, we do not skimp on materials, and we do not cut corners. The factor of ‘trust’ is very important in trade; it cannot be found in shops, it is distilled from the fabric of time.
 
How do you establish your workflow with new companies?
Of course, new players are always entering the sector, some of whom are young people. Therefore, investor companies have already done a lot of research before contacting us. Some even come to us after meeting with rival companies. They follow us on the internet, social media, and in the industry, and they see the work we do. The most valuable endorsement in our sector is recommendations from acquaintances. They sit down at the meeting table having learned from their peers whether we deliver on time, set up systems properly, provide training, offer maintenance, repair and spare parts solutions, and whether the machines work properly.
We call the first meeting we have with the authorities the ‘zero meeting’. At this meeting, we shed light on the question, ‘Why APACK when there are other companies in the market producing the same services/machines and solutions?’ It is essential not to start any collaboration without asking this question. We are a company that has been serving this sector for 30 years, particularly in the packaging of food products. We have been working with our colleagues who labour in R&D, design and production for many years; we are like a family. We are packaging machine manufacturers, but the experience we have gained in the process has enabled us to specialise in ‘food and medical’ applications. Ultimately, we have evolved from being merely a machine manufacturer to becoming a systems and solutions provider.

We are actually a professional team working with an amateur spirit. Every machine we produce is like our own child. When we turn a few steel parts into a fully automatic machine, we rejoice like children. I have often witnessed some of our craftsmen chatting with the machine during production. This is a sign of how committed we are to our work. A company grows through its work, recommendations and references. If we hadn't been doing our job right all these years, no one would have looked at our dark hair and dark eyes and invested in us. One of the most important reasons why they choose us in the market is that we are a TRADESMAN company. Our human relationships come before our work. We don't start work without saying hello and asking how they are. Shopping and business are temporary, but our friendships are lasting. Our relationship with our project partners is not based on shopping.
 
You sold the machine, then?
We are not one of those companies that step aside after selling their machines. We have many friends who, after suffering losses due to bad investments or wrong business connections, end up coming back to us. The man has sold his machine, and now it's every man for himself... Good luck finding it.
Some machine sellers say, ‘The plate supplier is here, the film supplier is here, the gas supplier is here, get what you need and then we'll come and set up your machine,’ leaving the customer to fend for themselves. Then there are the faulty packaging, defective products, wrong plate and film choices, incorrect processes, misguided market policies, returned products, damaged brand value... We see and follow how many companies go bankrupt with millions of pounds in losses.
We are not like that. We provide solutions for our customers, offer system support, and connect them with other aspects of production. We train staff and customers on machine usage, tray selection, film usage, and gas usage. We stay by your side until your product is packaged correctly and reaches the shelves in stores. The higher your success flag flies, the higher we can raise ours. We even support many investors who get stuck while trying to develop projects with different companies. We spend almost half of our service time rectifying such flawed projects.
 
As a machine manufacturer, are you different from others?
The machines we produce are packaging machines that meet global standards, are of high quality, can operate 24 hours a day, and are very easy to use. After all, you must meet many criteria to enter the European and global markets. Otherwise, you won't be able to get a single screw through customs. We have been supplying machines to global markets for years by exceeding the criteria demanded by these markets.
There is no room for error in the food industry. We are well aware of this. The slightest mistake can cause significant damage. Therefore, our technical service infrastructure and production quality are excellent. To date, we have manufactured hundreds of machines and established numerous facilities. We offer a 24-hour service. If a problem arises during production, we rush to the site at midnight, regardless of holidays or weekends. We know that time is of the essence in production. Thankfully, we have never received any complaints. Our machines and systems run smoothly. We can rest our heads on our pillows peacefully at night.  
 
What are the principles of maintaining your presence in the market?
We closely monitor innovations in machine operation, packaging techniques and packaging materials. We make several updates to our machines every year. We have over 5,000 connections around the world, which we monitor, inform and receive information from. We communicate with them every day. We exchange information. Approximately 800 of these 5,000 people are world-renowned doctors, engineers, and scientists serving in the academic field in our industry. When you add the professionals who are actually involved in this work, you can imagine what a magnificent information network we are part of. This is why we can share the problems we encounter and produce solutions very quickly.
One of the key factors in our preference is our ‘boutique’ production tailored to the product, location, and customer. We manufacture all our machines to order. Our standard factory production is minimal. We do not operate by producing items, placing them on display, and waiting for customers. We design our machines entirely according to our customers' requests, needs, and production facilities. The other day, we had to completely overhaul the main structure of a fully automatic machine for a customer. This required new part designs, new modules, and different methods of motion transmission. But we do it—that's our style.
 

How do you assess your position in the market?
We view individuals who approach us with an investment mindset not merely as customers, but as a new cog that will provide the dynamics to sustain the sector. The investor must have a solid footing and earn money from their endeavours so that we may also profit. Therefore, we begin by explaining our views on our customer's investment policies and strive to assist them in taking the first step correctly. We do not attempt to sell the largest machines, the most automated, or the most expensive ones without considering the market's response. We share our past experiences with packaging and processes.
You may listen to us or not; that is your decision. No matter how powerful your car's engine is, if your control mechanism is inadequate, you will crash into a wall. The damage won't just be to you; you'll leave behind companies that collapse like dominoes, suffering losses. That's why we call ourselves TRADESMEN.
We're happy if the bread you get from us fills your stomach. If you go hungry, we feel bad and try to help. Most of the time, we put our hands under the stone. It has always been like this until today. Is this behaviour valid in today's ruthless market conditions? Of course not. But we have reached today thanks to this behaviour. We have no intention of abandoning this old-fashioned tradesman character.

Whether you are our customer or not, we always welcome you to drink our memorable coffee.

The interview was published by the trade publication Packworld magazine. (2025)
https://www.packworldturkiye.com/haber/gida-sektorunun-pardonu-yoktur-abdullah-sen-ile-sektor-ve-ilkeler-uzerine.html