Launched in 2019 in partnership with TÜRKONFED (Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation), Visa, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and with the support of 30 banks and e-money institutions, I Can Manage My Business Program met with SMEs in Gaziantep in its fifth activity period. Academicians and professionals from the business world informed about ‘access to funding’, ‘supply chain’, ‘financial resistance’, ‘e-commerce’, and ‘e-export’ in the event hosted by the Southeast Federation of Industry and Business (GÜNSİFED).

Making a speech in the panel themed “Supply Chain Management and Safety in Times of Disaster” organized within the scope of the activity, which started with the opening speeches of TÜRKONFED’s Chairman of the Executive Board, Süleyman Sönmez and GÜNSİFED’s Chairman of the Executive Board, Gamze Aşnük, Kadoil’s Vice President of the Executive Board Nergiz Kadooğlu Çifçi explained the phase when rules of the economy was re-written with the rapid change in the recent years and the supply chain management of Kadoil.

Forget All You Thought Was Right!

Defining the last couple of years as “a period when we forgot all we thought was right and started re-writing the life and economy from the beginning”, Vice President of the Executive Board Nergiz Kadooğlu Çifçi stated that this new era was defined as “Great Reset” in Davos. Nergiz Kadooğlu Çifçi said “I think this concept has already started showing us a direction. Politics, economy, trade, seasonal crises, natural disasters, health, logistics, and consumer behavior are changing. When we think of the developing technology, it becomes a priority to be able to foresee and manage these changes”.

Vice President of the Executive Board Nergiz Kadooğlu Çifçi expresses that Kadoil, one of the largest 8 fuel distributors of Türkiye, has achieved great operational success with the effective management of the supply chain. Çifçi explained the changes in supply chain management as follows: “The imbalance of supply and demand in recent years has led to great fluctuations in the commodity prices and logistics costs as well as cost inflation. We were all working with the ‘Just In Time’ principle before this change happened by considering the costs. This means that the orders were able to be provided with small stock and advanced logistic capabilities. However, access to raw materials can become difficult and the supply can become a challenge after crises. Therefore, sometimes we may switch to ‘Just In Case’, which is a more cautious production and supply model. This means that we implement the policy of powering up the purchase and preserving more products in our stocks. Our fuel terminal in Mersin with a capacity of 145.000 m3 is the most important asset for our fuel supply. However, we are structuring ourselves carefully enough to respond to possible supply/demand imbalances in the world and our region, instead of being content with this. We need to provide the product supply on time and at the most affordable costs so that our business can be sustainable. Of course, one of the most significant matters is carrying out all our activities in accordance with Health, Safety and Environmental rules. If we can analyze all the developments in the world and Türkiye on time and accurately, and take our decisions by anticipating these changes, we can create more effective strategies and ensure that the supply chain is safe and sustainable.”

“We have to be prepared for any scenario”

Drawing attention to what happened in the fuel industry after the earthquake, Kadooğlu Çifçi called attention to the importance of being prepared for any scenario by stating that incidents such as natural disasters and war make it difficult to access raw materials and require strategic measures for the global supply chain. Kad oil’s Chairman of the Executive Board Nergiz Kadooğlu Çifçi continued: In February, we experienced one of the biggest disasters of recent times. A great need for fuel emerged after the earthquake. Just like other companies, we ensured that the demands we received were directed to the right stations after confirming the health of our distributors. We even developed an application with our internal resources showing which stations had fuel from moment to moment on our website and social media accounts. We were the first to do so in our industry. Later on, we planned from which terminals we could supply fuel to our stations by taking the closing routes into consideration. Those were hard times and we still feel the pain of the earthquake in our hearts. However, the lessons we learned from this must ensure preparedness in our activities. First of all, we need to increase our awareness since it is awareness only allowing us to be prepared. Earthquake is a reality in this country, we cannot prevent them, but we need to create buildings and infrastructure that will remain strong in earthquakes.

GTO’s Chairman Mehmet Tuncay Yıldırım, GSO’s Chairman Adnan Ünverdi, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Ebru Tekin Bilbil were also among the speakers on the panel moderated by Visa Türkiye Corporate Social Responsibility Senior Manager Didem Karabuda.

Kadooğlu Çifçi Presented Gifts of Thanks

Vice President of the Executive Board Nergiz Kadooğlu Çifçi presented gifts of thanks to the Governor of Gaziantep Kemal Çeber, Mayor of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Fatma Şahin and TÜRKONFED’s Chairman of the Executive Board Süleyman Sönmez within the scope of Gaziantep training on I Can Manage My Business Program.