Those who grew several times more than their sectors

These 50 companies have succeeded in growing at least twice as much as their own sectors and left their rivals trailing in their wake. Ağaoğlu İnşaat ranks first with a growth rate of 25.3 fold. It is followed by Goldaş Kuyumculuk and Hedef Allianz. Here are the five secrets of those that have grown several times faster than their sectors.


Strong human resources
The main shared characteristic of those companies which are leaders in their sectors and as a result both increase their own turnovers and grow the market is strong human resources. It is the companies which say "Our personnel are our greatest asset" and who apply this principle that finish first. Erhan Baş, general manager of Bilim İlaç, which grew four times as fast as its own sector, says they always put their employees first and adds: "I believe that investments in HR have a higher rate of return than investments in technology and capital. Because now success is based on teamwork and the ability to create mature, talented, creative teams who are devoted to the company."

Customer-focused strategies
Another shared characteristic of companies which have grown more than the market is their customer-centred approach. Executives at all of the companies, regardless of the sector, said that they put their customers first. One of them is the Efes Group, which grew twice as much as the drinks sector as a whole. Saltuk Ertop, Efes Group Director for Corporate Relations, Regulation and Administrative Affairs, explained the secrets of rapid growth as follows: "We follow our consumers' agenda very closely and we have a very strong relationship with them. Our

Sustainable economy approach
What has enabled Akçansa to succeed in increasing its turnover by 41.5 percent over the last five years, while the cement market as a whole has grown by 19 percent, is its strategy of sustainability. Akçansa General Manager Hakan Gürdal explains how they have grown by 2.2 times the rate of the sector as a whole as follows: "One of our most important priorities is growth that focuses on sustainability. Within this context, in addition to investments in renewable energy resources, continuing environmentally friendly investments, accelerating our work on recycling and waste management, continually developing health and safety at work and our work on corporate special responsibility form our most important goals."~

Quality production principle
The company which has recorded the highest rate of growth when compared with the automotive sector as a whole is Tofaş. The sector has grown by 19.2 percent, while Tofaş has grown by nearly 120 percent. The company has grown 5.7 times more than the sector. According to Tofaş CEO Ali Pandır, this success is the result of high quality production. "Over the last five years, Tofaş has expanded its production capacity from 250,000 to 400,000 and left behind all seven of the Fiat Group's assembly plants in Italy.
During this period, Tofaş has assumed full responsibility for the investment financing, development engineering and production of three important vehicle projects of the Fiat Group, the Linea, Minicargo and Doblo. We have translated this high quality and cost advantage into a multibrand production model and, in addition to Fiat, we shall soon produce Peugeot, Citroen and Open and Vauxhall brands."

The superiority of R&D and innovation
The Indesit Company, which over the last five years has achieved a growth rate 4.7 times higher than that of the white goods sector as a whole, is one of the companies which regard R & D and innovation as essential prerequisites for success. Indesit Turkey General Manager Andrea Ojetti believes that the underlying reason for this success is launching innovative products on the market. Ojetti commented as follows: "Every year, we allocate one third of our budget to R & D for new products. In order to be more creative, we are continually renewing our product range. Our extensive distribution network, aftersales services and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction play a major role in this." Akçansa General Manager Hakan Gürdal notes that R & D is an important element in securing a competitive advantage. "We think that our R & D activities ensure that we are one step ahead of the competition," says Gürdal.