From heavy industrial metalworking to refined wall decoration: the Turkish company Askon Demir can’t easily be categorised under one heading. Okan Konyalioğlu, general manager and chairman of the Askon Demir Group, was present in the LVD headquarters during the Turkish Customer Days. An excellent chance for a conversation.

From wood to metal

In 1932, nine years after the establishment of the Turkish Republic, the grandfather of Okan started a repair shop for wooden horse carriages in Denizli, in the southwestern part of Türkiye. The economic climate was still facing significant challenges but made steady progress in diversification and modernisation.

"The modest workshop grew into a flourishing family business. However, two devastating fires in the 1960s led the family to switch from metal&woodworking to solely metalworking," explains Okan.

The 1970s marked a new era with the production of agricultural machinery and tractor trailers. The business later included tube and sheet metal processing as well as in steel pipe and profile production.

Askon Demir, a new beginning 

Financial and economic crises afflicted Türkiye in the 1990s but thanks to its resilience the family enterprise managed to stay afloat. Eventually, the sons divided the subsidiaries among themselves. In 2001, as the economy slowly recovered, Okan and his father started the company Askon Demir, with three employees and a workshop equipped with a guillotine shear and a press brake.  

"From those initial three employees, we've grown to a team of 600. In 2022, Askon Demir achieved a group turnover of 70 million euros. We are still a family business, with my sister as vice chairman overseeing the finance department. Together, we proudly serve as Askon Demir's ambassadors. I see parallels with LVD, where family values also play a crucial role in the corporate culture," says Okan. 

The company includes Askon Demir Celik for metalworking, Askon Mechanics for welding, and Askon Design Center specialising in indoor and outdoor metal decoration integrated with glass, wood, marble, and other materials.  

The company has six facilities, one of which is located in the United States. The most recently acquired production site, an impressive 85,000 sqm area, is also the largest, strategically located near Çardak (Denizli), close to the airport, easily accessible for business partners.  

"The first building of 17,000 sqm is already operational. We intend to further expand our bending, welding, machining and painting operations there," Okan says. 

Core business 

Askon Demir Celik focuses on CNC cutting - laser, plasma, oxygen and tube laser cutting - and post-cutting services and press brake, roll and profile bending, machining, welding and coating. 

The company not only works with steel, aluminium and stainless steel, but also with IPE and NPI irons for steel constructions, machinery, mining, railways, airport GSE (Ground Support Equipment),  agricultural equipment and NPU profiles for building construction. It exports its processed parts and components to 32 countries worldwide. Customers operate in mechanical engineering, transportation, energy, agriculture, mining, pipe construction for water, gas and oil, storage systems, heat exchangers and construction. 

Partnership with LVD and Tekno2000 

"Our history with LVD dates back about 16 years. In our quest for the perfect laser cutting machine, we decided to explore options beyond Turkish suppliers. I was first introduced to LVD laser cutting machines in 2008 through Tekno2000, LVD's Turkish agent. The cut quality was impressive and I bought three machines in a row, at that time CO2.  

"A few years ago, we upgraded to two Phoenix fiber lasers. They have higher productivity and effortlessly handle the stronger materials we often work with." 

Tekno2000 has become a strong partner over all these years: " Onur Misirli, the general manager, is of my generation, we have a good relationship. He also thinks about what is good for our company, beyond mere sales. This important element is the main reason why we enjoy working with him and his team."  

"We recently invested in a ToolCell 200/40 with 40 ton pressing force/2000 mm working length and automatic tool changing. Again, a machine that perfectly suits our ever-increasing product mix. This year, we are attending the Turkish customer days in Belgium to learn more about LVD's robotic cells and large press brakes, including Synchro-Form, for our heavy-duty applications." 

Design objects 

In addition to being a subcontractor, Askon also manufactures artistic metal objects for the ethnic, commercial and high-end furniture markets.  

"About 10 years ago, we investigated how we could use our experience in metalworking, accounting, finance and logistics to create additional value, which led to the establishment of our design center, now called Askon Design Center. We craft decorative pieces and furniture, that we mainly sell on a B2C basis through e-commerce and export to 69 countries worldwide.  

The challenges 

“In the future, we also want to apply e-commerce in our core business, Askon Demir Celik. We have seen at LVD that it is possible. We are now implementing MES (Manufacturing Execution System), a challenging task for which all production processes were rewritten. Based on the data generated, we will be able to analyse site capacity, machine and employee performance, optimising production while having real time and historical traceability.” 

“The persistent, sky-high inflation in Türkiye poses one of our most significant challenges. Factors such as strong wage increases and high interest rates have contributed to rising prices. While we prefer entering into long-term contracts with our customers, obtaining such agreements from our suppliers has become increasingly difficult, creating a dilemma for us. The lack of certainty regarding net prices, compounded by daily fluctuations, makes it challenging for us to project our revenues well in advance.” 

“Türkiye has a population of 85 million people, about half of whom are under 30. Yet it is not easy to find technically skilled staff. The Askon Academy enables us to train our own staff and gives students the chance to gain experience. Even people who are not technically trained but show potential have a chance to join us,” Okan concludes. 

Company Profile

Company: Askon Demir 

Since: 2001 

Industries:  

mechanical engineering, transportation, energy, agriculture, mining, pipe construction for water, gas and oil, storage systems, heat exchangers, construction, decoration and furniture 

Works with:   

wear-resistant steel, high-strength steel, high manganese, corten, X120Mn12, commercial grades, aluminium, stainless steel, special alloys, IPE, NPI and NPU irons 

LVD installations: 
ToolCell 200/40 Plus press brake 

Phoenix FL-3015 laser cutting machines: 10 and 12 kW 

LVD software: 

CADMAN-B, -L and -SDI 

Website: www.askondemir.com