It was a surprise for us to see Pusula Marble while visiting the national participation stands at Verona Marmomac. The company, which had been one of the strongest representatives of the block market for years and had gained an important place especially in the Chinese market, had stayed away from cut-to-size and slab sales. When we saw Pusula at Marmomac, our first words to Etkin Cihangiroğlu, the company representative, were “What’s up?”. Afterwards, we sat down and talked about the new direction of Pusula.
Stating that the basis of trade is to read the direction of the market, Cihangiroğlu said, “The general contraction in China and the block market in recent years is well known to everyone. At such a point, we have to open new doors and increase alternatives. At first, we participated in the Singapore trade delegation together with İMİB. Then we took our place in Verona Marmomac, which we see as the heart of the processed product. If the rules of the game are changing, we need to learn to act according to those rules. We will either make a way or find a way.”
Here, we intervene and ask about the fair and the company’s road map for the future. Etkin Cihangiroğlu answers as follows: “Our activities in the block market will continue. However, we will also be in the dimensional business. We will take part in fairs and trade delegations in Italy, Singapore and the USA. Factory investment is in the back of our minds. If you want to produce dimensional products and plates, having a factory is a great advantage both in terms of cost and control of the works. However, there is a crisis in the world and a factory is not a short-term plan for us.”
Of course, it is impossible not to ask a person who has focused on the Chinese market for many years about his expectations for this critical stop. As a final word, we ask, “How do you see the Chinese market going?” and Cihangiroğlu concludes: “I don’t think the block market will recover in the short term. First of all, let’s say this. China will no longer be like the old golden days. The years 2013, 2014, 2018 are now behind us. We are closing 2023 with a serious decline. I don’t get very positive signals for 2024 and 2025 either. I don’t think there will be a revival in China. However, the crisis is not exclusive to China. We saw in Verona that there is a serious slowdown from the US to the European market. There is a recession in the world economy and we feel its effects very clearly.
