The journey that began in 1971 reached its fortieth year in 2011. In a news article published on February 5, 2011, Malkan Machinery announced that it had evaluated the performance of its dealer network and employees as part of its 40th-year events.

Gifts and plaques were presented to those who stood out. The company stressed that the journey continued with the same excitement and passion as on the first day.

The heart of the news was gratitude. With its domestic and international teams, the company sought to serve customers in Türkiye and around the world better; its unseen heroes were the dealer network that delivers, installs and keeps machines running, together with the factory employees.

The sections below cover the story of that day along with the technical side of dealer and employee evaluation.

From 1971 to 2011: The Excitement of the First Day

Founded in 1971, Malkan Machinery is Türkiye's first domestic manufacturer of industrial ironing machines. The first industrial iron produced in Türkiye, displayed today at the Rahmi Koc Museum, bears witness to the starting point of domestic ironing technology. The 2011 news showed that this beginning still burned with the same excitement forty years later.

At the center of this journey stands Mustafa Alkan. Having carried the effort, name and quality approach of Malkan Machinery since 1971, Alkan brought his team and business partners together around the same goal for forty years. The care shown to dealers and employees during the 40th-year events was a natural reflection of this approach.

Forty years is a long time for an industrial company. Production techniques, customer expectations and markets changed in that period, but the company's commitment to its work and its promise to its customers stayed the same. What did not change in forty years was the excitement of the first day and the people who shared it.

A Family Atmosphere Built Over Long Years

The news drew attention to a family atmosphere that had formed in the company over long years. Mutual understanding and cooperation were described as the way all activities were carried out. In industrial production, such an environment makes it easier to pass knowledge from one generation to the next.

In making industrial ironing machines, many skills are learned through experience rather than written instructions. The leak-tightness of the steam installation, the flatness of an ironing surface, the tension of buck covers and the adjustment of presses are subtleties that a craftsman's eye and hand acquire over the years.

A team that has worked together for a long time passes these subtleties to newcomers through a master-apprentice relationship.

The same atmosphere extends to dealer relations. A dealer who has worked with the same manufacturer for years knows the team in the factory, directs a technical question to the right person and resolves the customer's problem faster. The dealer organization is the extension of the trust built in the factory into the field.

Long-term cooperation has a counterpart on the customer side as well. Years later, when the customer calls, they can find again the team that installed or maintained their machine. This continuity is the most tangible sign of trust in after-sales service.

The Nineties: Opening to the World

According to the news, the company opened to international markets in the nineties and continued to grow with the breakthroughs of later years. This expansion required an international team alongside the domestic one. Today, Malkan Machinery exports to 95 countries.

For a machine manufacturer, exporting is far more than sending a catalog. Machines and documents are prepared to suit the target market's electrical grid, steam and compressed air infrastructure, occupational safety rules and language needs. The user manual, spare parts list and electrical diagrams are provided in a language the buyer understands.

Installing a machine in a distant market, training its operators and responding quickly to a breakdown are difficult without a local partner. This is why the dealer network grows as exports grow. The dealer network abroad becomes the manufacturer's eyes, ears and hands in that country.

Different markets require different document regimes. For machines entering the European Union, a CE marking and a declaration of conformity are required, while other markets look for their own national certification rules. The dealer network is the partner who knows how these rules work in practice and guides the customer correctly.

Trade fairs are the most direct way to bring the manufacturer, the dealer network and the customer face to face. Malkan Machinery introduced its Thermo Steam boiler at the Garment Tech Istanbul 2025 exhibition. After the CAITME 2026 exhibition in Tashkent, it will welcome visitors at HOSTECH 2026 on November 10-14.

The 40th-Year Event: Thanks, Gifts and Plaques

As part of the 40th-year events, the performance of dealers and employees was evaluated; Malkan Machinery then extended a special thank-you to all its dealers and employees. Dealers and employees who stood out for their performance were honored with gifts and plaques. The news stressed that this moment was shared with pride.

The company sincerely thanked all its employees and expressed its wish for continued success. The labor of forty years was the shared work of everyone, from the craftsman in the factory to the technician in the field, not of a single person or a single unit. The plaques were a tangible memento of this partnership.

The news also stated a goal of multiplying the service provided in the anniversaries to come. This goal showed that growth was measured not only by sales figures but by service quality. Dealers and employees were seen as the carriers of this goal.

The Lasting Effect of a Culture of Appreciation

Appreciation means seeing good performance and recognizing it by name. A plaque or a gift is a symbol; its real effect lies in the feeling that effort has been noticed. This feeling strengthens the loyalty of employees and dealers to their work.

An effective appreciation practice has three features: its criteria are clear, it is given on time and it rests on a concrete achievement. Thanking everyone with the same words is well meant, but naming the standout contribution is more meaningful. The combination of general thanks and individual awards at the 40th-year event reflected this balance.

A culture of appreciation is just as valuable for the dealer organization. A dealer is an independent business, and its loyalty to the manufacturer is fed by trust rather than by contract. A dealer who knows that its effort is seen represents the manufacturer to its customers with greater care.

Appreciation does not take only one form. An opportunity to join new training, more responsibility or having a successful practice shown as an example to other teams are also powerful tools. These tools make effort visible while supporting development.

Appreciation can also come from outside. Malkan Machinery's approach to quality was honored in 2013 with a Gold Award under the TSE Quality Awards.

Employee Performance Evaluation: From Factory to Field

The 40th-year evaluation also covered factory employees. At a machine manufacturer, employee performance is tracked with different criteria in manufacturing, assembly, electrical, testing, sales, after-sales service and administration. The common denominator is the contribution to the quality of the machine that reaches the customer.

In production units, the number of defects caught in quality control, compliance with safety rules, on-time delivery and improvement suggestions are the leading criteria. In sales and service teams, customer feedback, speed of technical solutions and the quality of communication with dealers are evaluated. This integration shows how labor in the factory turns into results in the field.

A good evaluation system is transparent; criteria are known in advance and results are discussed with the employee. The evaluation thus stops being a means of inspection and becomes the starting point of a development plan. A family atmosphere spread over long years can only be preserved with this kind of trust.

The timing of evaluation matters too. When comprehensive annual interviews are supported by short feedback during the year, employees learn in time what they do well and what they should improve. There are then no surprises at year-end, and the development plan rests on realistic goals.

The Dealer Network: The Manufacturer's Strength in the Field

An industrial ironing machine does not work straight out of the box. Steam, condensate, vacuum, compressed air and electrical connections are made; the machine is adjusted, the operator is trained and the first production is monitored. Each of these jobs requires a dealer network that is close to the customer and strong in technical knowledge.

A dealer network creates value before the sale as well. It sees the customer's facility on site, listens to the product type, the daily volume and the existing infrastructure, and recommends the right machine group. The engineering team in the factory prepares the offer and the layout plan with this information.

After the sale, the dealer network is the customer's first point of contact. Fast delivery of spare parts, planning of periodic maintenance and retraining when operators change make up a service that lasts the whole life of the machine. The manufacturer's reputation depends directly on the quality of this service.

Key Criteria for Choosing a Dealer

For a machine manufacturer, building a dealer network is a long-term partnership decision. The first criterion is the technical staff: the dealer must have technicians who can install steam, vacuum, compressed air and electrical systems and diagnose faults on site. Sales skill matters, but it cannot replace technical competence.

The second criterion is regional knowledge. A dealer who knows the garment and laundry businesses in the region, their production structures and their needs offers the customer the right solution at the right time. Knowing local regulations and infrastructure conditions also speeds up installation.

The third criterion is service infrastructure. A spare parts warehouse, a service vehicle, measuring and test equipment and the habit of keeping regular records are concrete factors that determine service quality among dealers. Visits to reference customers are the most reliable way to see how these factors work in the field.

Regional balance is also considered when a service network expands. Instead of dealers who narrow each other's market in the same region, partners positioned according to each region's needs and complementing one another are preferred. The customer thus meets a similar level of service in any region.

A Common Language: Technical Documentation and Technician Training

It was significant that the news mentioned the domestic and international teams together. Although the customers, markets and working conditions of the two teams differ, the machines and services they offer rest on the same quality approach. This unity is achieved through shared technical documents, shared training and regular exchange of knowledge.

The first tool of a common language is technical documentation. Installation instructions, maintenance plans, spare part codes and troubleshooting tables are used in the same form by both teams and the dealers. The service given to a customer in Türkiye and to a customer abroad therefore stays at the same standard.

The second tool of a common language is training. When a new machine group reaches the market, the technical team in the factory first trains its own staff and then the dealer technicians. Feedback from the field also becomes an input to the next product development effort.

A dealer network is only as strong as its technicians. For this reason, machine manufacturers put dealer technicians through hands-on training by product group at the factory. The training covers the mechanical structure of the machine, steam and vacuum circuits, the electrical and control system, adjustment points and common faults.

A good training program explains not only the machine but also the environment in which it works. Steam safety, steam trap logic, compressed air preparation and electrical safety lie behind most field problems. A technician who connects these points looks for faults in the installation too, not only in the machine.

For training to last, it must be documented. Attendance records, practical exams and competence lists by product group show which technician may work on which machine. As new products arrive, this list is updated with refresher training.

Installation and Commissioning: The Dealer Network's First Test in the Field

The competence of a dealer network is seen most clearly during installation. The process starts with a survey before the machine arrives: the steam line capacity, condensate return, vacuum need, compressed air quality and electrical supply are checked on site. Any shortcomings are reported to the customer in writing before installation.

After the machine is placed, connections are made and sealing and safety elements are tested. Functions such as the ironing surface, the buck and the vacuum are tried with the customer's actual product; if necessary, settings are redone for the product type. The first production run takes place under the supervision of the dealer technician.

Commissioning is completed with the training of operators and maintenance staff. Daily checks, cleaning, recognizing simple faults and safe use rules are demonstrated in practice. The handover record, which documents the tests performed and the training given, becomes the first formal document between the dealer network and the customer.

Criteria for Evaluating Dealer Performance

The dealer performance evaluation that Malkan Machinery carried out within its 40th-year events was an example of making a partnership measurable. In the sector, evaluating a dealer network is usually not limited to sales volume. Installation quality, service and customer satisfaction carry at least as much weight as sales.

Common criteria include new customer acquisition, installations commissioned without problems the first time, response time to fault reports, the number of trained technicians and the resolution time of complaints. Spare parts stock arrangements and the regularity of technical communication with the manufacturer also enter the evaluation. These criteria allow a fair comparison within the dealer network.

The evaluation is not made only to give scores. The results show which dealer needs additional technical training, in which region spare parts stock should be increased and which practice can serve as an example to other dealers. As good practices are shared, the dealer organization grows stronger as a whole.

Service quality can be measured only when it is recorded. The service form completed for each installation, maintenance and fault intervention shows the machine's serial number, the work done, the parts replaced and the time spent. These records make it easier to follow both the customer's machine history and the dealer's performance.

As records accumulate, patterns become clear. It may be seen that a certain part is replaced often, that the same fault repeats in a certain region or that a certain installation step causes trouble. When this information reaches the factory, it becomes a valuable input for product development, training and spare parts planning.

Customer feedback is part of the same cycle. A short satisfaction interview after installation helps assess the technician's attitude, the adequacy of the training and the first performance of the machine. When dealers share this feedback regularly, the manufacturer and the dealer look at the same picture.

The Dealer Network and After-Sales Service

Many of the problems met over the life of an ironing machine can be prevented with simple maintenance work. Checking steam traps, replacing the ironing table cover, cleaning the vacuum motor and inspecting steam hoses are among the first. When the dealer network plans these periodic maintenance tasks, breakdown-related stoppages fall.

Spare parts management is also the heart of after-sales service. Keeping frequently replaced parts in regional stock prevents production from stopping while waiting for parts. Regular ordering and stock sharing between the manufacturer and its dealer network is the healthiest way to maintain this balance.

Finally, operator training needs continuity. As staff change in businesses, correct use of the machine can be forgotten. Refresher training given by the dealer network at regular intervals protects both ironing quality and the life of the machine.

At the moment of a fault, the first diagnosis often starts by phone or video call. The symptoms described by the operator show the dealer technician which part and which tool to bring. The service visit then reaches a result in a single trip.

The importance of service speed was also heard from the field. One of the jacket and trouser manufacturers in Anatolia that chose form ironing presses in 2014 named after-sales service speed among its reasons for preference.

The Dealer Network and Service Structure in an Investment Decision

For a garment or laundry business making an investment decision, the service structure behind the machine matters as much as its technical specifications. For this reason, at the offer stage not only price and capacity but also the dealer network in the region should be asked about. The questions below offer guidance for this evaluation.

• Is there a trained service technician in the region, and how quickly can a fault report be answered?
• Are frequently replaced spare parts kept in stock at the dealer?
• Is an on-site survey made for the steam, vacuum and compressed air infrastructure before installation?
• Are operators and maintenance staff trained at commissioning?
• Is the dealer in direct and regular contact with the manufacturer's technical team?

The answers to these questions determine the machine's performance in its first year and its long-term operating cost. A strong dealer network shortens downtime and reduces quality problems caused by operator error. The machine leaves the factory, but it proves its value in the field.

Common Traits of Long-Lived Industrial Companies

Industrial companies that have passed forty years often share certain traits. The first is that the relationship with the customer is not limited to a single sale. A company that sells a machine considers it part of its work to stand by the customer for the whole life of the machine.

The second shared trait is that knowledge is preserved inside the company. Experienced craftsmen, engineers and technicians pass their knowledge on through written instructions, training and new generations. Without this transfer, each generation repeats the same mistakes.

The third trait is the ability to build long-term relationships with partners. When suppliers, dealers and customers move toward the same goal, the company gains a service network it could not build alone. Malkan Machinery's thanks to its dealer network and employees in its 40th year was a clear expression of this approach.

Conclusion: The Dealer Network, Carrier of Forty Years of Trust

Malkan Machinery's 40th-year news in 2011 was more than an anniversary announcement; it was a message of thanks. The dealer network and employees emerged as carriers of forty years of labor and as the foundation of the future. A machine's success is complete only when it works reliably in the customer's production for years.

This approach continues today. The company's current goals are set out in detail on the Malkan Vision 2025-2026 page.

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