Arçelik to open R&D center in Cambridge

Turkey's leading domestic appliances producer, Arçelik, is set to open a research and development (R&D) center in Cambridge, England.

With the intention of expanding its global R&D network, Arçelik is gearing up to open an R&D center in the Cambridge Science Park, which is run by Cambridge University's Trinity College, and encapsulates the world's leading technology companies. It will be the company's second R&D center abroad after a center in Taiwan. The new R&D center will conduct research and development activities focused on creating innovative products to build home appliances, software, and new materials and advanced manufacturing technologies.

"Thanks to the new center, we will be closer to the global technology ecosystem," said Arçelik CEO Hakan Bulgurlu. He added that the activities the center will engage in will help them improve their international R&D collaborations. Underscoring that one of the major factors behind Arçelik's success is its R&D prowess and concomitant technological competencies, Bulgurlu said Arçelik continues to increase its global presence and develop world-class products with unique technology that stands out among the competition. "What lies behind the power of brands is a sound technology," Bulgurlu said, adding that they enter all markets self-assured thanks to their R&D competencies. Bulgurlu stressed that U.K. Trade & Investment (UKTI) has supported the project since the very beginning, adding: "Our global brand Beko has demonstrated itself as an assertive actor with the leading position it has maintained in the British domestic appliances market for a long time. The establishment of our new R&D center is a step that will strengthen our position in the U.K."

Arçelik is the R&D leader in its sector in Turkey with more than 2,000 patent applications and the sole Turkish company among 200 international companies that have the greatest number of applications to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It has more than 1,000 R&D staff spread across nine R&D centers, with eight of them being in Turkey and one being in Taiwan.