A Growth Engine for Europe

Turkish electronics manufacturer Vestel is both a constant innovator and a ‘proudly local’ business, providing consumers across Turkey with high-quality, local alternatives to larger international manufacturers.

One of Vestel’s fastest growing product categories is smartphones, an area that is being supported and strengthened by the Android platform. “Android is one of the main reasons for our success in the smartphone sector,” says Hakan Kutlu, Vice President for Product Management. “Because it is the industry standard, it made it so much easier to enter the smartphone market. And it continues to provide the ideal base for us to grow, by increasing the scope of products we can produce and sell.”

After reaching the production target of 1 million Android smartphones in a year, Vestel is now aiming for 4 million units – a target that Hakan believes is entirely achievable. “Because we only use Android for our smart products, the development process is more efficient, and we can easily find the developers to support our production,” he says. “In terms of sales, Android makes our smartphones appealing to customers. Thanks to its strong eco-system, we can produce devices with the apps and user experience consumers demand.”

Android also supports Vestel’s innovative ethos, by enabling research and development in new product areas, such as smart TV. “As an open system, it provides us with an equal footing to compete with the larger manufacturers who produce closed systems for their smart TVs,” says Hakan. “Android is really making it possible to explore new and innovative product areas, which enables us to grow as a business.”