Müslüm Ülker, the owner of Precise company, is also a company that gives priority to the Swiss watch industry, producing both Modelist and Saddlery products. He also focused on special production: “We prepare the product with our customer’s own logo, the leather and color he chooses, and the accessories he requests, and deliver it to our customer.”
As Magazine Leather, we will get to know the companies Precise and Nobel Manufacture, which we included in our interviews.
Mr. Müslüm, can we get to know you and your company first?
I am Müslüm ÜLKER, I am the owner of PRECISE company. As our company, we produce such products as leather goods, leather goods, travel bags (suitcases). At the same time, we address the world’s most important watch industry. We mainly work in the Swiss region. We produce promotional products, 100% genuine local leather watch protection cases, women’s and men’s wallets, warranty card holders and related leather products. Our company works ninety percent as export.
Our company was established in 2007. We have between 40-50 employees within our company. Following this, we make sales through our e-commerce website as our own brand.
Recently, they have turned to alternatives rather than genuine leather for the straps of Apple watches. This caused reactions from the consumer as it would not last long. What would you like to say about this issue in terms of the watch industry?
This issue is related to recycling, it is a brand-related situation, it is completely related to the preferences of the users, but in our watch industry, this is not the case, especially since we work with an important point in the watch industry such as Switzerland. Of course, we come across it from time to time, but generally our customers prefer genuine leather.
Where do you make your productions? Are there any difficulties you are experiencing? In terms of leather supply or accessories?
We carry out our production together with our team, with our office and workshop based in Istanbul, Turkey, in the same building.
If we consider the difficulties we experience, we have no problems in leather supply, we use completely local genuine leather. In terms of leather, it can be said that our country is at a very advanced level and can even compete with the Italians. But of course, we have supply problems in terms of accessories. From time to time we have to import accessories. As a country, we have a big deficiency regarding this issue, especially in the finishing department of accessories. We would prefer to have domestic accessories, I think domestic production should be crowned with exports.
Colorful leather hangings in your office Is it customer oriented?
It is exhibited purely for visual purposes. In order to meet the demands of our customers, we create the order for which product in which color they want and accordingly, we produce the work for the customer’s special order. To give an example, we prepare the product for a customer with his own logo, the leather and color he chooses, and the accessories he requests, and deliver it to the customer. This situation is beneficial for our customers, it makes our job easier and we save on our stocks. In other words, we do not invest in leather and we produce specially for the customer.
Can your customers go to www.preciseleather.com and place orders from there?
Yes, you can place an order on our website, we prepare the desired product according to your request and deliver it within three days at the latest. We produce the leather product he wants, in whatever color he wants, with his own logo. Since we made customer-specific production, we had no problems.
Do your works include belts?
We do not prefer belts because they are not our choice due to size issues, but we can have them made outsourced. In order to meet the customer’s demand, of course, we do not reject the customer’s request in this regard. In other words, since the belt, wallet, bag and watch are a whole, we do not reject special requests.
Do you have other brands besides Precise?
Of course, we have a company called Nobel Manufacture, one branch in Turkey and the other in Switzerland, and we have an office very close to Lausanne. As Nobel Manufacture, we also address our office there. That company also works in the Swiss watch industry. We also produce there as Nobel Manufacture, appealing to the segment of people in the Lausanne region of Switzerland. It responds to orders coming from there. We also have a showroom and warehouse there in an area of approximately 250-300 meters. We send what we produce from here to there and distribute it to our customers from there.
I guess because Switzerland is the number one country when it comes to watches…
Yes, it comes from there as a company, we are a company of Swiss origin, both as Precise and Nobel Manufacture.
Apart from the watches in Switzerland, do you also work on different models, just like the special orders in Turkey?
Yes, our production system is the same. In addition to the products we produce both in Turkey and Switzerland, we also receive special orders and respond to those orders. It continues as the Nobel Swiss brand in Switzerland.
Are you experiencing staff shortages in your company?
I can say this about this: we are not living. Because our staff are people we have trained ourselves. Especially since I was trained from the same background, I am also a model designer and I trained my staff myself. We have staff who know their job very well. Of course, we make additions when we need new personnel, but we do not experience any problems. Are there any problems in general? Yes, there is already a big problem. There is no such thing as infrastructure in this sector, unfortunately, since the schools are reduced to high school level, unfortunately no one is trained from the bottom. When such a situation occurs, there is a huge problem for the industry. But obviously everyone is trying to protect their staff.
‘Sustainability’ has been on the agenda lately. Leather is actually a sustainable material, what would you like to say about it?
In general, the infrastructure for this is being prepared, and meetings regarding this are held from time to time. As you know, we, as a company, support the seminar organized by the (İDMİB) Istanbul leather and leather products association. I recommend everyone to comply with this issue. It is a very important issue, especially related to nature and the environment, and we, as a company, support and implement it.
When it comes to Sustainability, as a company you make Saddlery products, there are leftover parts, do you evaluate them in a different way?
Of course yes, there will be no material left to go to waste. Since we make the smallest leather goods such as keychains and tags, we evaluate them down to the smallest detail so that there is zero consumption in that regard.
What would you like to add as your last words?
As Turkey, we must give importance to exports. As both the country’s management and the company’s management, we should export as much as possible. As long as there is production and export in the country, it is always inclined to development. We must pave the way for exports. When production, from export to the smallest level, rises up and continues to stand, it gets stronger and stays strong. That’s why we need to produce and export in order to be successful. It is very important.
Mr. Müslüm, thank you very much for the interview you gave as Magazine Leather. We wish you good work.
We thank you, good luck to you for coming here, and we wish you good luck.
