A family business with history since
"Turning and milling craftsmanship is a form of art and must be practiced with passion. The desire to produce a quality product is the core essence of manufacturing quality mechanical components and is reflected in the final product. The most modern technologies and the latest machines are useless without the mindset to create a quality product. One must live mechanical engineering and production." – Ibrahim Karatekin
The production of mechanical components has always been a part of the Karatekin family. Even the grandfather of Ibrahim Karatekin, the founder of what is now Alform, was a production manager in a mechanical engineering company around 1890. The know-how has since been passed down from generation to generation.
1972 - 1981
The history of today's company Alform begins on September 07, 1972, when Ibrahim Karatekin founded the then IK TORNA ve DISLI SAN. TIC. LTD. STI. for the production of CNC turning and milling parts and gears. These are mainly produced and supplied as spare parts for the mechanical engineering industry and the automotive industry.
1981 - 1986
In 1981, Ibrahim Karatekin's younger brother, Mustafa Karatekin, joined the family business. He had completed his apprenticeship as a locksmith and was striving to expand the existing product range. At the request of the former regular customers, minor welding work and welding repairs of defective components are carried out and included in the range of services. For the processing of a larger order for a rolling mill, assembly assemblies are to be produced, but technically the order cannot be divided between different suppliers. The manufacturer of the gear elements and the turning and milling elements must produce the uniform and complete assembly assembly in order to avoid the risk of discrepancies. For this order, Mustafa Karatekin invests in more professional welding equipment and assembles a team of welders to handle the order. The order is processed and the end customer is very convinced of the quality of the delivered assembly assemblies. With the courage that was taken from the completed order, welded assemblies and assembly assemblies were included as an integral part in the existing product range. in 1986, the company was transferred to IMK TORNA, DISLI ve KAYNAKLI IMALAT SAN. TIC. LTD. STI was renamed.
1986 - 1991
The expansion of the product range leads to an exponential increase in the order volume, as all elements of individual assembly assemblies could now be delivered from one house. Only castings, which were also used in some projects, had to be cast externally. One day a complaint came up, because of an externally purchased casting, and the production stopped. This omission prompted Ibrahim and Mustafa Karatekin in 1991 to invest in the foundry of a long-time friend in order to ensure,
that only castings of the highest quality are produced and installed.
1998 - 2004
Around 1998, the company expands and changes its sales strategy, in the course of which a larger customer base is established in Europe, especially in Germany. The customer orders are always processed without complications, but the contractual and legal processing is sometimes a little complex. It is found that the end customers prefer a contact person in the same language for technical aspects. Especially for larger projects, a German contractual partner is absolutely required. Ibrahim Karatekin thinks about how to optimize the contractual processing and decides in 2003 to establish a branch in Germany for the purpose of facilitating the contractual processing. In the course of this, the technical service should also be optimized and the customers in Germany should have a contact person for technical aspects in the same language on site. Okan Karatekin, the son of Ibrahim Karatekin, who has been living in Germany since 1998 and produces aluminum profiles, leaves this sector in 2004 and joins the family business.
2004 - 2012
Okan Karatekin put together a team of engineers and founded the current company Alform in 2005. The order processing is optimized, the end customers are satisfied and can now also award larger projects to the company Alform. in 2008, the first warehouse of the company Alform in Germany is built, so that the annual needs of the customers can be stored until the demand date and can be called up flexibly. The use of the storage space is still part of the fixed range of services of the company Alform today. Thus, the end customers do not have to use their own storage capacity and can still access their goods flexibly. in 2012, Alform bought out the entire company shares of the foundry, from which Ibrahim and Mustafa Karatekin had already acquired 43% in 1991. The capacity for castings can thus be used entirely for the projects of the company Alform, the project design becomes significantly more flexible and simpler. Various customer projects can now be handled entirely internally, this fact allows a significant increase in the annual production volume and capacity. Okan Karatekin is consolidating the structure of the branch in Germany and is constantly optimizing the company structure. All contractual aspects are now handled by the company Alform in Germany.
2012 - 2022
In 2017 Cengiz Karatekin, the brother of Okan Karatekin, joins the family business. He is a partner in a large steel mill and is experienced in the field of raw materials. Cengiz Karatekin takes over the management of the production facilities of the company Alform, so Okan Karatekin can focus on the management of the company Alform in Germany and optimize and further develop various procedures and processes, together with the respective department heads.
In 2019, Darnell Karatekin, the son of Okan Karatekin, joins the Alform company and works on optimizing the marketing concept and the structure of logistics. In the course of this, among other things, the logo of the company Alform will be changed in 2022. in 2021, a new service division, an in–house logistics service - Alform logistics, will be introduced in direct connection with the use of the internal warehouse space. The goods, which the customers store and retrieve, are now transported by the company Alform itself. Thus, the shipping and delivery of these goods is no longer dependent on external parties / carriers and can be made more flexible, efficient and completely according to the requirements of the customers. In 2022, the logo of the company Alform will be changed and the marketing concept will be completely redefined. At the same time, the concept for environmental protection is being developed, production and the entire Alform company are to be managed sustainably and as climate-neutral as possible.
Since 1972, Alform has been optimizing all processes with every generation and is constantly evolving. The core essence, which still consists of the original roots of the Alform company, always remains unchanged...Quality and customer satisfaction have the highest priority, all various factors are secondary.