The Tüyap Fair and Congress Center in Istanbul hosted one of the major meetings of the garment machinery industry between April 27 and 30. The Tüyap 2016 exhibition was regarded as a center where innovative technologies came to the showcase. At the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, Malkan Machinery brought its ironing technologies together with international professionals.

In an exhibition area of about 100,000 square meters, 500 companies and representative offices from nearly 30 countries took part. This participation demonstrated the international character of the Tüyap 2016 exhibition. The exhibition offered a comprehensive opportunity for buyers who wanted to compare new machine and process solutions.

Despite concerns about a sector slowdown, the Tüyap 2016 exhibition hosted around 40,000 professional visitors from more than 60 countries. This visitor profile showed that the fair was a qualified platform for buyers. For Malkan Machinery, the Tüyap 2016 exhibition provided a chance to strengthen existing market relationships and to hold new meetings.

Malkan Machinery is Türkiye's first domestic manufacturer of industrial ironing machines, founded in 1971. At the fair, it presented its experience in industrial ironing equipment with the latest engineering solutions and an R&D-based production approach.

The first industrial iron produced in Türkiye is exhibited today at the Rahmi M. Koc Museum. This piece bears witness to the starting point of domestic ironing technology and is a source of pride for Malkan Machinery.

The new-generation ironing presses, automatic mechanical systems and energy-efficiency-oriented designs shown at the Tüyap 2016 exhibition stood out as examples reflecting the company's vision.

Ironing presses are the equipment that determines form quality in outerwear such as jackets and trousers. If the balance of temperature, steam, pressure and vacuum is not established, shine, marks and distortion of shape can appear on the fabric. For this reason, pressing quality is one of the topics visitors evaluate at fairs.

This article covers the award at the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, the technology presentation, the market meetings, the live factory simulation and the industry assessments. The developments at the fair are based on the company's own account and are presented in sections.

1. CORPORATE STABILITY AND THE BUILDING OF TRADITION, AWARDED AT THE TÜYAP 2016 EXHIBITION

A view from the fair held at Tüyap.

The sustainable success of institutions is measured not only by periodic sales figures but also by their uninterrupted presence on industry platforms. Fairs are among the most visible indicators of this presence, and the Tüyap 2016 exhibition was a clear example. Regular participation builds trust among both customers and suppliers.

The fair that Tüyap first opened in 1986 has a history of 30 years. As the 25th edition of this organization, the Tüyap 2016 exhibition held a special place in Malkan Machinery's corporate memory.

As one of three companies that had participated in this fair without interruption for 25 years, Malkan Machinery was given a special award by the Tüyap Board of Directors. This continuity was regarded as an indicator of the company's international fair strategy.

The award was presented by Bulent Unal, the founder of Tüyap Fairs and Exhibitions, at the Malkan Machinery stand on the fairground. This recognition was interpreted both as a gesture of loyalty to the past and as an institutional confirmation of the company's long-standing fair participation.

For Malkan Machinery, the Tüyap 2016 exhibition was not merely a space where products were displayed. It served as a platform where corporate identity, quality policies and future goals were shared with international stakeholders.

A company's presence at an international fair 25 times in a row suggests that regular operational capacity, a supply chain and R&D work stand behind it. This continuity is among the criteria buyers consider when choosing a supplier.

For the company's goals in the following period, the Malkan 2018 target page can be consulted. This page is a separate resource on medium-term growth and export planning.

Moving beyond traditional production thinking and keeping the engineering structure up to date is one of the conditions for a domestic brand to remain visible in the international market. Fair participation offers an opportunity to show the results of this renewal.

At international fairs, continuity shows the buyer that the brand is a lasting presence in the market. When a supplier appears at the same industry platform at every edition, it gives an indirect sign of reliability in spare parts and service. This is why fair participation history is supporting information in purchasing evaluations.

Corporate recognition such as an award contributes to a company's reputation capital. Reputation is one of the factors that support a purchasing decision, especially for high-value capital goods. However, product quality and service performance determine whether that reputation lasts.

2. INNOVATIONS IN INDUSTRIAL IRONING TECHNOLOGIES AND PLC INTEGRATION

In the garment and textile industry, manual or semi-automatic systems are increasingly giving way to fully integrated and highly precise machines. The main reason for this transition is the need to make the quality standard independent of operator experience.

One of the technologies Malkan Machinery highlighted at the Tüyap 2016 exhibition was fully automatic jacket and trouser ironing presses equipped with a PLC (programmable logic controller).

A PLC stores parameters such as temperature, steam pressure and vacuum time as a program and applies them in the same order in every cycle. In this way, verified settings for different fabric types become repeatable.

In systems with reduced operator intervention, quality stays more consistent between shifts. Selecting a recipe from touchscreens can also shorten the training time of new operators.

Industrial ironing is not merely applying heat and steam to fabric. Correct steam distribution, temperature control that protects the fiber structure and the vacuum strength in the cooling stage affect the appearance and form stability of the final product.

Visitors to the Tüyap 2016 exhibition had the chance to observe the effect of these parameters on fabric in hands-on demonstrations. Heating element structures aimed at reducing energy consumption, surfaces that limit heat loss and ergonomic operator interfaces were among the features displayed.

Surfaces that limit heat loss and insulation reduce the energy needed to keep the same temperature. An ergonomic interface lowers the operator's posture and movement load, which reduces the risk of error.

The invisible determinant of pressing quality is the nature of the steam. Wet steam carrying water droplets raises the risk of stains and shine on the fabric, while dry steam penetrates the fibers evenly.

In the demonstrations at the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, feeding the presses with dry steam and sufficient vacuum made the result comparable to that in the factory.

At the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, Malkan Machinery emphasized an approach of being a solution partner for garment manufacturers, beyond being a hardware supplier. This approach can also be seen in Malkan Machinery's Texprocess participations.

In machines based on a PLC, safety and maintenance are also supported by program logic. Recording values such as pressure, temperature and operating time provides data for planned maintenance. This data can help reduce unplanned stops.

Jacket and trouser presses require different pressure and time to be applied to different areas of the fabric. On the jacket front, the collar, lapel and pocket area are processed with separate settings, and on trousers the hem and the front and back center seams. Programmable systems store these regional differences in the recipe.

In systems such as the fully automatic presses shown at the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, the cycle consists of placing the fabric, pressing, applying steam and cooling with vacuum. The duration of each step varies with the fabric type. When the times can be set in the PLC, product standards are preserved.

Automation does not solve every problem; fabric preparation, correct buck selection and operator training also affect the result. However precise the machine is, a wrong fabric-program match produces defects. For this reason, training and recipe verification are an inseparable part of the process.

In PLC systems, alarms and error codes make it possible to find a fault quickly. Warnings such as low pressure, water level and safety interlocks appear on the screen. This information shortens the response time of the maintenance team and limits the consequences of unplanned stops.

3. MALKAN MACHINERY'S STRATEGY IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

An image related to the meetings held during the fair.

In the global textile machinery market, expectations for quality and technology are high. Malkan Machinery aims to compete in this market by continuing its engineering investments and focusing on its quality policy.

During the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, meetings were held with special buying delegations and investors from abroad. These meetings gave the company an opportunity to share its export vision with international buyers.

B2B meetings at fairs are mostly about first introductions and the exchange of technical information. The order decision is usually made after the following quotation, sample and reference evaluations.

When choosing a brand, buyers evaluate together how comparable the technology is with competing solutions, the price balance and the quality of after-sales service. Malkan Machinery also placed these three topics at the center of its fair meetings.

According to Factory Manager Metin Kilic, the company's quality, reasonable pricing approach and service network are the main elements supporting its competitiveness in international markets. Kilic stated that these elements strengthen the company's hand in international competition.

The B2B meetings held throughout the Tüyap 2016 exhibition provided input to the company's international growth plans. The page on the Malkan Cakiroglu strategic partnership contains information related to these expansion goals.

Keeping domestic customer satisfaction high creates a reference in international meetings. Buyers often also evaluate feedback from local users.

When quotations, technical documents and samples are shared quickly after a fair, the chance that interest generated at the fair turns into a concrete result increases. For this reason, fair work is not limited to the duration of the stand.

An international machine sale consists of the quotation, technical specification, payment terms, shipping and commissioning steps. For the European market, CE conformity and the relevant machinery safety legislation are also required. Fair meetings are the beginning of this long process.

At a fair like the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, regular communication is needed to sustain the relationship with a buyer met there. Reference visits and commissioning support make trust concrete. In export relationships, the service experience after the first order is among the main factors that determine repeat orders.

Access to spare parts is also one of the basic questions in export meetings. Being able to obtain consumable parts such as buck covers, gaskets, valves and heating elements quickly secures the production of a customer in a distant market.

At the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, being able to put these questions directly to the technical team made the buyer's evaluation easier.

Price alone is not decisive in international markets; total cost of ownership is also evaluated. Energy, maintenance, spare parts and operator training costs accumulate over the life of the machine. For this reason, buyers look beyond the initial investment price when comparing quotations.

4. INCREASING VISITOR QUALITY DESPITE SECTOR SLOWDOWNS AND MACROECONOMIC RESILIENCE

Macroeconomic fluctuations in global markets can directly affect capital goods sectors. Before the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, expectations of stagnation and weakening demand were felt in the sector.

Once the Tüyap 2016 exhibition began, quality rather than quantity came to the fore in the visitor profile. Professionals ready to make investment decisions examined machine specifications in detail.

According to the field observations of Malkan Machinery managers, the slowdown in the sector acted as a kind of filter: only companies with a sound financial structure continued their investment plans. For this reason, the Tüyap 2016 exhibition was productive for the company in reaching the target audience directly.

According to Factory Manager Metin Kilic's assessment, the upward trend in visitor quality that began at the previous fair continued at the Tüyap 2016 exhibition as well. Engineers and factory owners discussing machine specifications were seen in the fair aisles.

Before the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, the company had voiced the expectation that “a Malkan wind will blow on the fairground.” According to Kilic, some critical meetings turned into orders while the fair was still going on.

In periods of weakening demand, it is important to run the sales strategy proactively. Fair participation is one of the tools that preserve visibility in a shrinking market.

The qualified visitor profile showed itself at the Tüyap 2016 exhibition in technical questions and detailed specification meetings. Such meetings clarify the suitability of a machine for the need during the fair.

Investors behave more cautiously in uncertain periods and evaluate payback time, energy efficiency and service support more carefully. For the seller, this means technical transparency becomes even more important.

In shrinking markets, manufacturers turn to efficiency investments instead of capacity increases. Topics such as energy saving, waste reduction and lowering dependence on the operator strengthen the investment case in this period.

Financing terms are decisive in capital goods purchases. Leasing, credit and deferred payment options spread the budget impact of a machine investment. Discussing the financing framework early between seller and buyer shortens the decision time.

At fairs, the quality of meetings matters as much as the number of visitors. Sitting at the same table with the decision maker, answering technical questions the same day and sending the quotation quickly make a difference in shrinking markets. The technical readiness of the fair team is therefore an important preparation topic.

Recording the meetings is also the way to get the highest yield from qualified visitors. When the visitor's product group, production scale, machine of interest and expected delivery time are noted, the post-fair quotation is prepared quickly. At the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, this discipline kept follow-up running without delay after busy days.

5. MALKAN MACHINERY'S LIVE FACTORY SIMULATION AND VISITOR INTERACTION

An image from the fair stand.

One of the most effective ways to explain the quality of a high-technology garment machine is to show it under real operating conditions.

Malkan Machinery turned its stand at the Tüyap 2016 exhibition into a working live factory simulation. This approach let visitors watch the performance of the machines within a dynamic production flow.

A live demonstration allows quiet operation, vibration, steam density and operator ergonomics to be evaluated transparently. The visitor directly observes details that a catalog cannot convey.

Visitors closely followed how programming done from the touchscreens of the PLC systems is reflected in the final form of the fabric. This transparency can speed up the decision process.

The match between the theoretical capacity of a machine and its real operating performance is an important element of trust in customer meetings. The repeatability of the results obtained in a demonstration also increases this trust.

The contributions of operator-friendly designs to occupational health and safety were also among the topics emphasized in the Tüyap 2016 exhibition simulation. Low vibration, suitable working height and clear warnings reduce the risk of accidents.

Preparing live factory demonstrations covers electricity, steam and air infrastructure, sample fabric and operator planning. This preparation is among the jobs for which the stand team needs to set aside time.

This approach makes visible the behavior of the machine not only at the moment of sale but also inside the business. The buyer can compare energy consumption and cycle time with their own production data.

Selecting in advance the sample fabrics to be used in a live demonstration makes the results comparable. Recipes prepared for different fabric groups help the visitor see an example similar to their own product. At crowded fairs like the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, this preparation increases the efficiency of the demonstration.

Keeping measurement records during the demonstration allows the results to be used after the fair as well. When pressure, temperature, cycle time and energy values are noted, the technical team can offer the buyer concrete data. This data creates trust at the quotation stage.

Operator selection is also important in a live demonstration. An experienced operator can show the strengths of the machine better, but the fact that results can be repeated with a beginner operator shows the value of PLC recipes. This difference gives the visitor a realistic performance expectation.

Safety is also part of the plan for a live demonstration. Visitor distance is kept around the running presses, hot surfaces are protected and safety valves on pressurized lines are checked. At the Tüyap 2016 exhibition stand, these measures allowed visitors to watch the machines closely but safely.

6. MACROECONOMIC EXPECTATIONS, FAIR CYCLES AND SME INCENTIVE POLICIES

International fairs are strategic investments for which companies set aside logistics and marketing budgets and whose returns come in the medium and long term.

Setting the frequency of fairs correctly is important for industry efficiency. After the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, Factory Manager Metin Kilic stated that the fair should be held every three years instead of every two. It was reported that this view was shared among participating companies as well.

R&D and prototyping cycles are long in high-technology machines. A three-year fair period can give companies room for more comprehensive product development. This demand also came up in consultations with fellow participants.

Participating in large organizations like the Tüyap 2016 exhibition requires a serious financial base. Supporting companies that back domestic production and exports is considered important for development.

The company argues that fair participation support for manufacturer SMEs and marketing grants abroad should be updated within sustainable programs. With the right incentives, the machinery sector in Türkiye has the potential to increase its international market share.

Predictable fair support helps SMEs plan their fair calendar in advance. Simplifying application and payment processes also lowers the cost of participation.

For information on the company's next fair vision, the Garment Tech Istanbul 2025 vision page can be consulted. This page is a separate resource on the continuity of fair work.

When planning a fair budget, besides the stand cost, the shipping of sample machines, installation, staff and post-fair follow-up expenses should also be taken into account. Seeing these items from the start makes the return analysis more realistic.

Fair support programs generally cover a certain part of stand rent, freight and promotion costs. The conditions for benefiting from support vary with the nature of the fair and the scale of the company. For current programs, the announcements of the relevant institutions should be taken as the basis.

International fairs held in the domestic market, like the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, give SMEs the chance to build export relationships without going abroad. For this reason, the international participation rate and buyer quality of local fairs are important criteria in evaluating support policies.

When planning the fair calendar, seasonal order periods are taken into account as much as the R&D cycle. A fair that overlaps with the order season can draw the sample and stand team away from production. For this reason, fair dates should be evaluated together with the production plan.

The visitor's perspective should also be considered in the fair frequency discussion. A manufacturer planning an investment wants to see current technology at regular intervals, and a very sparse calendar may not meet this need. For this reason, the proposed period should be read as a search for balance between participant cost and visitor expectation.

7. Conclusion: Malkan Machinery from the Tüyap 2016 Exhibition to the Global Future

An image related to the close of the fair.

Malkan Machinery left the Tüyap 2016 exhibition not only with an award and meetings but also with feedback from international buyers. This feedback provides input for product development and market planning.

A structure that produces its technology in-house and offers after-sales support is the foundation of long-term customer relationships. The R&D unit, in turn, develops the technical counterpart of these relationships.

The company aims to carry the experience of 25 years of uninterrupted participation into its later fair work. The value of this continuity is preserved only when it is supported by concrete quality and service results at every participation.

Indicators such as the number of meetings, the number of qualified quotations and the time to order conversion can be used to track the results of fair participation. These indicators guide the planning of later fairs.

The Tüyap 2016 exhibition went into the records as a participation that stood out in Malkan Machinery's fair history with corporate stability, live demonstration and technical presentation.

A post-fair internal review meeting helps determine which meetings were qualified and which products drew interest. This analysis provides input for the product and stand plan of the next fair. In this way, the fair experience turns into a systematic learning cycle.

For garment manufacturers, the real criterion is how the machine works on their own production line after the fair. For this reason, the technical data sheet, reference visit and service terms should be evaluated separately.

After the Tüyap 2016 exhibition, Malkan Machinery continued to take part in international fairs such as Texprocess, Garment Tech Istanbul and Exintex. The strategic partnership with Indupress and energy efficiency were among the topics that stood out at these fairs.

8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Which award did Malkan Machinery receive at the Tüyap 2016 exhibition? Malkan Machinery was given a special award by the Tüyap Board of Directors as one of the companies that had participated in the fair without interruption for 25 years. The award was presented at the stand by Bulent Unal, the founder of Tüyap Fairs and Exhibitions.

When and where was the Tüyap 2016 exhibition held? The Tüyap 2016 exhibition was held April 27-30 at the Tüyap Fair and Congress Center in Istanbul. According to the reported data, 500 companies and representative offices took part.

What advantages do ironing presses with PLC equipment bring to the production line? PLC systems store temperature, steam pressure and vacuum times as a program according to fabric type. In this way, operator-related variability decreases and the quality standard becomes more consistent.

What did the live factory simulation give visitors? Visitors could watch the performance of the machines while they worked. This allowed energy consumption, cycle time and the effect on the fabric to be evaluated directly.

Which views stood out in the post-fair assessment? Factory Manager Metin Kilic stated that visitor quality had increased and that holding the fair every three years would suit R&D cycles better.

How did the company's export strategy take shape after the Tüyap 2016 exhibition? The company used the meetings held at the fair as input for its export vision. This vision is covered separately on the corporate goals pages.

Why is fair participation support important for SMEs? Fair participation includes logistics, stand and staff costs, so it is a high cost item for SMEs. Regular and predictable support balances this cost.

Why does a live demonstration make the purchasing decision easier? When a machine is watched while it works, performance, energy consumption and operator ergonomics are seen directly. This offers a more reliable basis for comparison than catalog data.

Why is post-fair follow-up important? Interest generated at the fair can turn into a concrete result through a quick quotation and sharing of technical documents. Late follow-up can lead the buyer to turn to other suppliers.

What is a PLC recipe used for? A recipe stores the verified temperature, steam, pressure and time settings for a fabric and model. In this way, the same result can be repeated with different operators.

How is preparation made for a live demonstration at a fair? Sample fabrics, recipes, electrical and steam infrastructure and the operator plan are prepared in advance. Measurement records also help document the results of the demonstration.