Garment quality control in Turkey and Europe – an interview with Derya Birlik, Operation Manager - Euromed Inspection, Eurofins CPA
Presentation of 10th Year of Service Award to Derya (middle) by Christophe Liebon, Director of Eurofins Assurance (right) and Sevket Cankoy, Managing Director of Eurofins Assurance Turkey in 2022.
What comes to your mind when you think of quality control of consumer products such as garments, footwear and furniture? A person traveling a few hours on public transport a day to arrive at a specific location and measure the sizes of selected trousers? A person referring to client’s inspection protocol and AQL table, while dropping cartons to the floor deliberately? Or a person assessing the quality of goods and giving a pass or fail in inspection reports? All of these can be correct answers, but of course, the big picture of performing inspections is far more detailed.
We spoke to Derya Birlik, Operation Manager - Euromed Inspection, who has been with us for 10 fantastic years, and has recently been promoted to her current position for her remarkable contribution to the company. Derya shares some more fun facts about working as a frontline QC in Turkey and nearby regions with us.
Q: Why did you enter this industry? Was there any special reason or passion?
It might sound a little bit funny but I joined the company by chance. My degree is in Food Technology and I also completed a Masters in Business Administration, and they are not related to garment quality or manufacturing that much.
After leaving school I started looking for a full-time job. My mother is a Pattern Maker so I was not completely new to the garment industry, and at the time it was a booming industry in Turkey (and still is!) which provided a lot of different opportunities to people who are willing to work hard. A friend of my mother worked as an inspector with Eurofins, and I just joined with her referral!
Q: How has the 10 years been so far? Did you enjoy your work?
Yes, very much! Like I said, the garment industry has been and continues to be full of exciting opportunities, and the same can be said of Eurofins. I. I started as an inspector in Turkey only in my first three months, picking up fundamental garment manufacturing knowledge and quality check skills. Then I was transferred to an inspection centre in Istanbul, a service that we developed for our clients, facilitating extra high annual inspection volume to lower cost and boost efficiencies, I worked there as an assistant for two years, before becoming Inspection Centre Manager, a position I held for another four years.
Working at the centre was like having another family to me since my colleagues and I spent a lot of time together there. There were some peak seasons where we had to work until midnight for several months. Naturally we became each other’s best buddy and shared laughter and tears, breakfasts and dinners, and enjoyed parties and travel together. Our trip to Ankara was especially memorial.
After the inspector centre I was moved to the Europe inspection team, which expanded my horizons and my exposure to a global network!
Q: Were there big differences working as a QC in Turkey and Europe?
To be honest, the inspection work is similar. In both locations, we confirmed booking details, went to factories and performed inspections, drafting inspection reports at the end of some long days. Processes are more or less the same. There are manufacturers that are happy to have expert quality checks by an external party like us, seeing this as a way to improve the quality of the products they produce. But, naturally, there are also factories that do not welcome third-parties as warmly and co-operate as much, since they might have a misconception that product quality check is a form of skepticism about their product quality and workmanship.
However, performing inspections outside Turkey has sharpened my survival skills greatly! I performs inspections in Eastern European countries like Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia, Bulgaria and Macedonia, where buyers have started sourcing more goods in the last five to six years. Needless to say, I have had dozens of thrilling, warm and lately, some sad stories!
Once I was in Moldova, getting returning to the airport after having completed an inspection job. It looked from the map that it was merely a 30-min walk from my hotel to airport, and I had several hours before boarding, so I decided (stupidly) to walk. This turned out to be a really bad idea as the route basically came across forests and highways, and midway heavy rain started pouring. I was left totally stranded and wet with two big suitcases, and the clock ticking, I decided to hitchhike and managed to reach the airport safely in just five minutes! That was quite a once-in-a-life-time memory that I hope I won't experience again.
I have made so many friends along my many work adventures, and in fact I was in Lviv, Ukraine only one week before the war began to carry out some inspection jobs. Everyone I spoke to at the factory was very worried at that time about the possibility of difficulties and unfortunately, the rest is history. Each day I have prayers, like many people in the world, that the people I met at the factory and other kind citizens stay safe, and peace be restored as soon as possible for the people of Ukraine.
Q: These surely are good and tough memories. Inspection isn’t a straight-forward job. Throughout all the frontline and office inspection works, have you observed some changes or shifts in the industry that are worth sharing?
In Turkey for example, our focus for many years has been QC on garments, as the industry has been booming. In recent years, home textiles goods and glassware have also been steadily growing, so we run more and more inspections for home textiles and hardgoods as well, while the demand for garment inspection continues to increase in parallel as a result of organic growth in the industry.
As you can imagine also, when the garment industry in Turkey was in its infancy, factories were of much smaller scale and less structured. This was not only the case in Turkey but also in the other Eastern European countries that I mentioned earlier. Factories were honing their skills in garment production so sometimes quality missed the mark, and similar issues could be observed in compliance, in terms of governance, labour and environment. In another inspection in Moldova several years ago, some factory workers were shocked to see my auto-retrack measuring tape as they were only familiar with the traditional soft vinyl ones. Times are changing and evolving. This example may seem trivial, but it tells us a lot about the discrepancies that exist in some manufacturing sites.
Things have improved a lot recently and most factories have implemented proper quality and compliance policies to fulfill buyers’ requirements and meet their responsibilities as operating businesses. But of course, having an assessment by us is essential as we can add value and mitigate risk!
Q: What do you think about your career? Do you plan to continue your journey with Eurofins?
Yes, definitely! I see many opportunities and room to grow here, particularly now that we are part of the Eurofins Group (the original company that Derya joined was acquired by Eurofins CPA in 2019). Both the business and our industry coverage have grown tremendously since the acquisition. I love working with my current teams in Turkey and other locations a lot, who are all fantastic, energetic and supportive. There are moments where we might get into disagreement with each other at work, but we move on quickly and work as one towards our common goals.
There is simply no reason for me to leave!
It was a wonderful experience talking to Derya to hear first-hand her experience as one of our many frontline inspectors. Working in the field and constantly traveling is tiring, but Derya has found a way to enjoy her job and her dedication and commitment is crystal clear.
If you are looking for a partner to carry out inspection on your consumer goods, don’t hesitate to reach out to us anytime. We are happy to customise an inspection programme that best suits your sourcing needs!
