Selçuk Erdem is CEO at Yemmak. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Izmir University of Economics and an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Dokuz Eylul University. Erdem is a Board Member of the DEİK Türkiye-Vietnam Business Council and a member of the Pellet Fuel Institute and the North American Rendering Association. His career has been defined by expanding Yemmak’s global footprint, establishing international offices across multiple continents and driving the company’s vision to become a top-five global player in the feed equipment sector.
Selçuk, thank you for speaking with us. Can you tell us about Yemmak’s history and your journey with the company?
Yemmak is one of the oldest companies in the Turkish feed sector, with almost 60 years of experience. The name itself reflects our heritage – ‘Yem’ means feed in Turkish, and ‘mak’ stands for machinery. We have been working in this sector for six decades, but our product lines have expanded beyond feed milling to include rendering, fish feed, petfood, biomass and flaking units.
I joined the company 19 years ago. Before that, I was in the textile machinery sector. My father invited me to Bandırma, which is my home city, and I found Yemmak to be the best company available there. When I started, I was focused on international sales, preparing offers, drawings and handling negotiations alone. The company was smaller then, more of a family business in its structure. Today, we have grown significantly, with international sales now accounting for 10 percent of our business, and we communicate in five languages: English, French, Arabic, Spanish and Russian.
How has Yemmak’s international presence evolved and where do you see future growth?
Before my arrival, international sales were limited. We would only respond to customer requests without any proactive marketing. Our sales were mostly in neighbouring countries like Greece, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
My vision was to make Yemmak an international company, not just a local or regional player. Today, we have international offices in Vietnam, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, New York and Colombia, and we will soon open an office in South Africa. We supply equipment to 51 or 52 countries.
Looking ahead, I see significant potential in Latin America and South America, where we are not yet fully active. I want to add at least 20 more countries to our portfolio. We are already strong in North Africa – Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco – but there is still opportunity in the sub-Saharan African markets.
What is Yemmak’s strategic focus in terms of products and markets?
In my opinion, focusing on main equipment is where our strength lies. Yemmak is known for producing some of the best equipment in the world – extruders, hammer mills and mixers. We aim to offer a complete line of equipment without any gaps. For example, we produce all kinds of hammer mills, single and double extruders and all types of mixers.
We are also expanding into the rendering sector. There is less competition in this area, and the quality requirements are high. We are participating in the North American Rendering Association exhibitions and have become a member. Additionally, we see strong growth in the pellet mill market – we have sold 40 pellet mills in Vietnam and 20 in the United States, where our robust and high-quality machines are popular.
We have a clear vision: to be among the top five companies in the sector globally.
How important is automation and digitalisation to Yemmak’s future?
We are unique in Turkey because we have our own automation, electronic and electrical divisions. We are also an industrial partner of Mitsubishi in Turkey. This allows us to write our own software, which is very beneficial for our customers. We provide them with complete software solutions, not just hardware.
This capability gives us a competitive advantage because we can offer fully integrated systems that are tailored to our customers’ specific requirements. Automation is the future of our industry, and we are investing heavily to stay at the forefront.
What is your outlook on the global feed equipment industry and the challenges ahead?
I believe our sector will see significant consolidation over the next decade. We are already seeing acquisitions – CPM, Andritz and others have been buying companies. I think half of the companies currently operating may not survive the next 10 years. Those that do will need to be innovative, efficient and truly global.
Yemmak has also earned the ‘Turk quality’ qualification, making us the first company in our sector to receive this recognition. This is a testament to our commitment to quality and our ability to compete internationally.
Our focus is on markets where investment is happening. In Africa, for example, we work with governments and large investors, not small farmers, because the Chinese competition is too strong at the lower end. We are currently following a project in Burkina Faso, for example. We are also focusing on Brazil, which is a very large market, and we see opportunities in renewal projects. Companies like BRF, which has 80 pellet mills, need to upgrade their equipment every year even without expanding their business.
What is your view on providing food for the world’s growing population?
The industry has a significant responsibility. I think we are capable of meeting the challenges, but it requires focus and innovation. Consolidation in the sector is inevitable, but it will also drive efficiency and quality improvements. Companies that can offer advanced technology, reliable equipment and comprehensive support – like Yemmak – will be well-positioned to succeed.
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