R&D and TECHNICAL SUPPORT MANAGER
Ozdisan Elektronik, the leading brand of Türkiye in electronic component distributorship, considers R&D as one of the most important aspects of technology, manufacturing and qualified labor force employment. With its expert team, Ozdisan offers support to its customers who do not have their own R&D departments in small and medium-scale R&D projects. The R&D and technical support department provides support to its customers on many issues, from providing the necessary documentation and sample software related to components to product selection suggestions. We came together with Sabri Dageri, the R&D and Technical Support Manager, and discussed Ozdisan Elektronik's R&D activities.
What would you like to say about the gap that Ozdisan Elektronik has filled in the sector?
Since its establishment in 1980, Ozdisan Elektronik has been continuously improving itself and has managed to become one of the pioneers of the sector in every period. In the components industry, technology and therefore customer demands are changing very quickly, and we see that companies that cannot keep up with this change are left out of the industry over time. Ozdisan Elektronik Ozdisan is one of the companies that has managed to differentiate with the investments it has made and with its constantly expanding trained and experienced staff. Another reason for the success of Ozdisan Elektronik in the sector is the constructive and supportive business model that it has established with its customers. It not only makes its way with the “big players” but also prefers to grow together with its other customers like “start-up” companies. Due to the contraction in traditional business areas in recent years, manufacturers have turned to new business areas based on innovation and R&D. Ozdisan Elektronik supports these projects with the new brand representative offices it has added to its existing organization.
The R&D and FAE teams at Ozdisan accelerate the users’ transition to new technologies. Rapid supply of components and documents is very important for R&D studies. Ozdisan Elektronik is a supplier with the largest inventory diversity in Türkiye. Also, the users can access all stock information, obtain documents and place orders online via ozdisan.com. These enable R&D projects to be completed faster. Ozdisan is also a manufacturer in addition to being a component supplier. In order to manufacture an electronic device, it is necessary to supply components and PCBs and combine these materials in board placing machines. A single electronic device requires the procurement of materials from many different sources, and these operations can be challenging for companies. By providing these services to its customers, Ozdisan Elektronik reduces the operational burden of its customers.
What issues does the R&D and Technical Support department support companies on? Can you tell us about your studies?
Ar-Ge ve Teknik destek departmanı firmalara hangi konularda destek oluyor? Çalışmalarınızdan bahseder misiniz?
We can say that the R&D and Technical Support departments mainly focus on technical support. There are 9 engineers and 1 technician working in these departments. We support our customers who do not have an R&D department within their own organization, in small and medium-sized R&D projects. The best way to learn and explain a component or technology to our customers is to implement it ourselves. We can say that new components and technologies are more of a priority during the selection of the projects we will undertake. The R&D and Technical Support departments provide our customers with the necessary documents and sample software related to components, make recommendations to users in product selection, share their own experiences to solve technical problems experienced by users, and ensure that the necessary technical support reaches the user by contacting the manufacturer when needed. One of the tasks of the R&D and technical support department is to conduct component testing depending on existing technical means. Users can send the products they have experienced problems to Ozdisan for testing.
What are Ozdisan’s goals regarding R&D activities in the short and medium term?
In recent years, IoT integration in industrial devices has become essential. The IoT projects that we have already started are also on our agenda. We are thinking of focusing more on these projects in the coming period. Linux and Android operating systems used to be used only on PCs, tablets and mobile phones, but today they are also included in electronic designs. In the coming period, we will also have studies on these topics. There are also development boards that we manufacture in-house. We are also planning to increase the number of these products.
“We can talk about 3 stages during an R&D project is being carried out.
These are preparation, application and field testing.”
How do you evaluate the impact of Ozdisan’s R&D operations on your overall sales and export figures?
The impact of the R&D and technical support department on sales figures is either directly or indirectly. While a direct impact is achieved by selling products during the realization of an R&D project, we can also indirectly affect the amount of component sales with the technical support services we offer. Being able to offer technical support services for the supplied products while selling electronic components creates confidence to the users and this positively affects the overall sales volume.
What stages does an R&D project go through when it is being developed?
We can talk about the 3 phases. These are preparation, application and field testing. The preparation stage is essential in order to make a proper start to the project. During the preparation phase, the customer's needs are determined, a comparative review is made with competing products, and cost targets are determined. Once these are agreed with the customer, a scenario is created in writing and submitted for the approval of both parties. At the application stage, first the hardware design is completed and then the sample product is manufactured. If no problem is detected after the hardware tests, the software stage is started and the sample product is manufactured. However, the sample product manufacturing stage is restarted if any issue is seen. In large-scale projects, the hardware and software designing can be completed by different engineers, while in small and medium-sized projects this can be done by a single engineer. Once the design tests are completed by the R&D department, the product is sent to the customer for testing, and if any problem is detected by the customer, a revision is made again. After all laboratory tests are completed, a trial product is manufactured and sent for field testing. Revisions can also be made according to the feedback received from the end users in the field test. If no issues are mentioned in these feedbacks, the amount of manufacturing can gradually be increased. These stages should be followed in order for a project to come to life successfully. Otherwise, there may be negative consequences.
Do you find the R&D investments in Türkiye as sufficient?
Compared to the past, there have been improvements in the field of R&D in recent years, but still not at the levels that it should be. Companies that manufacture electronics need to offer technically and commercially successful products. Just as having a good product without commercial success is of no use, it is not possible to achieve commercial success without having a good product. With globalization, domestic companies have to compete not only in the domestic market, but also with their global competitors. Companies engaged in electronic manufacturing can gain huge advantages over their competitors with the right R&D investments. Rather than cost-oriented competition, the products with higher added value can provide more profit. With the advancement of technology, the cost of new design components may be lower than that of old technology components. The fact that manufacturers keep their designs up-to-date also offers advantages in terms of cost.
“Ozdisan Elektronik is a supplier with the largest inventory diversity in Türkiye.
Also, the users can access all stock information, obtain documents and place orders online via ozdisan.com.”
