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19.03.2024 | Press release

Corteco Strengthens Ambitions in Southeast Europe

Automotive & Transportation Keywords in this article Sustainability Automotive, Truck & Bus Corteco

Weinheim/Istanbul, March 19, 2024. Corteco is aiming for further expansion in Southeast Europe. That is why the independent aftermarket unit of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has unveiled its new warehouse in Turkey. It will ensure much faster deliveries of premium spare parts to local customers in the future. At the same time, the new warehouse marks another step forward in enhancing sustainability, as transport routes to the customers will now be much more efficient. Corteco will also launch a dedicated sales office in Serbia to strengthen customer relations there.

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Turkey is a pivotal market for Corteco, the aftermarket specialist from Freudenberg. It hosts many customers from the independent aftermarket in both passenger car and heavy-duty vehicle sectors. They appreciate the high-quality products from Corteco. With the new warehouse in Turkey, Corteco aims to be closer to its customers and further intensify its steadily growing position in Southeast Europe.

Michael Apfel (second from the left) and Erkin Demirol (second from the right) from Corteco together with representatives from logistics partner Mars.

"We experienced continuous growth in the Turkish market in recent years. Now we would like to develop this further. The expansion is a significant step for us. Turkish customers will get even better service in future. Our local representatives have excellent market insight, are familiar with local conditions and communicate in the native language, which is very important. At the same time, the entire Southeast Europe region offers high and dynamic growth potential. So, our ambition to expand in the region is a logical step,” says Jürgen Friedl, Vice President of Corteco Europe.

Improved CO₂ footprint: New warehouse in Istanbul

As a subsidiary of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST), Corteco offers over 26,000 OEM-quality products in total, focusing mainly on sealing and vibration control technologies, as well as cabin air filters. Around 6,000 items can now be shipped directly from the 1000 square meter warehouse in eastern Istanbul to customers across Turkey every day.

Resul Ayar, Emre Yesilkavak, Goran Vujovic, Ersoy Caliskaner und Fatih Yaman (from the left) – the Corteco Sales Team in Turkey.

"Being local offers immense benefits for our customers,” says Michael Apfel, Operations Project Manager Europe at Corteco. “Turkish customers were previously supplied from Germany, but now the deliveries will come from the Istanbul warehouse, which is managed by our logistics partner Mars Logistics. This means that Turkish customers will get their orders much faster, after just a few days instead of the previous three or four weeks. We also handle the entire customs clearance process for our customers alongside our partner.” The new warehouse in Turkey also plays an important role in sustainability. Now the CO₂ emissions for customer deliveries are reduced to one third, as products are shipped from Germany to the Turkish warehouse by train. The route from Germany to the customers was previously covered by trucks.

Closer to customers: New sales office in Serbia

A new sales office in Novi Sad, Serbia, further highlights the company’s ambitions in Southeast Europe. Local employees will serve customers from a variety of industries that were formerly managed from Germany. “The diversity and needs of our customers in Serbia are also growing steadily. Our new representative office is responding to this demand and enhancing our local service, which is particularly important on a personal level,” says Friedl.

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