Women Strengthens the Furniture Industry

Esma İşel (53) praises the women touch in the furniture industry as an objective and aesthetic point of view. Having worked as a calibration specialist, control engineer and mechanical engineer for many years in different companies, İşel has now started to work at T En Enerji; a family-run company that produces kitchen tables, chairs and coffee tables. İşel, who became a partner in the family business with the support of her brother, says that they purchased raw materials with the loan provided within the scope of the FOSTER Project.

After graduating from Mechanical Engineering Department at Erciyes University in 1991, she got her master’s degree on solar energy in 1997. She is justifiably proud of being the first woman in Turkey to publish a calibration thesis. İşel stands out in the male-dominated furniture sector thanks to her training in quality control and personal development. Undertaking a responsible position in human resources, finance and corporate relations, İşel notes that women are shy in the sector; as a result, she encourages them to complete job-related trainings they desire and to follow the relevant support offered through various programmes.

T En Energy faces difficulties in purchasing raw materials therefore, they used the loan to buy raw materials such as pipe profiles. She emphasizes that low interest rate/profit share and long-term maturity are the loan’s most significant benefits.

İşel provides in-depth details about the issues they encountered as a result of the rise in container prices during the Covid 19 pandemic and also mentions that the transportation processes took a very long time. Additionally, she mentions the effects of the earthquake as follows: “After the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, stores suffered field damages, and our current orders were cancelled. The supply of raw materials and pipe profiles was affected the most by the earthquake, especially due to damage to a particular factory”.She registered the Bystol brand of her company with the European Union, and her next objective is to “own the Turquality brand.”