Controlled and strategy based production and sales gain …

All who deals with marble business in Turkey know him. Jinjin Zheng, who has been in Turkey since 1999 and has invested in quarries in Turkey, spend 200 days of the year in Turkey …

Interview: Ersin BOZKURT

Jinjin Zheng is a familiar name for many marble producer friends of us! Because, Jinjin is one of the first Chinese marble producers, that had come to Turkey. I met him in Elazığ in 2001. It was then that the Chinese marble purchasers occupied Elazığ. Chinese marble buyers had set up a base in Elazig in order to buy Elazig Cherry, which is known as Rosso Levanto in the world. Jinjin was there as a customer of Alacakaya Marble. I had gathered with Jinjin and the partners of Alacakaya Marble at a diner in Turpol Hotel by the Lake Hazar. It was a marvelous night.  That night, Elazig had a couple’s wedding at the hotel’s garden and Jinjin managed to stand out at the wedding with his sympathetic attitude.

Jinjin Zheng has left behind years as an expert and became one of China’s major marble industrialists. We will try to introduce Jinjin to you and convey his thoughts about Turkey in this article.

I hope you read with pleasure…

Elazığ Cherry Years…

• In the years when you first came to Turkey, there was a serious terrorism threat in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia. Nevertheless, you went to buy block marble from the quarries located in these areas. Security measures were strict on the ways to the quarries where you had gone. Weren’t you scared by these situations?

My first visit to Turkey was towards the end of 1999. I was buying marble from quarries in Elazığ and Diyarbakır. On the way, we often used to encounter the security measures of Turkish troops. Obviously, Alacakaya, which hosted me at that time, was a much-respected company in the area. So I always felt their protection. This situation gave me a sense of confidence. I have never experienced any situation that disturbed me. If there had been such a situation, Alacakaya Marble would not lead us to that area.

-Which stones were you purchasing from that region?

– In those years, we were mainly buying Rosso Levanto, Boticino Beige, Sahara Beige, Aman Beige, Roman Beige, Oya Beige stones from Turkey. The main material we purchased was Elazığ Cherry of Alacakaya Marble. Elazığ Cherry was highly demanded by Chinese marble purchasers due to its colour at that time. At the beginning, we were getting smooth blocks. Then as the number of customers increased, we started to get what we found. We had a purchasing priority that arises from the fact that we are one of the first customers. Sometimes we were entering the Elazığ Cherry quarry together with a few other Chinese companies. So we did not have much trouble with our block purchases. Elazığ and Diyarbakır were two important centers for marble purchase.

-You came here as an expert for a very short time. Then you established your own factory in China. Did you have any infrastructure?

-I established my company Xiamen Jinyuan Stone in Xiamen in 2000. Then in 2011, I opened a 30,000-square-meter factory under the name of Nan’an Jinhan Stone in Shuitou, which is considered as the center of China’s natural stone industry. My Jinyuan Stone Company, which is headquartered in Xiamen, is an international stone importing, exporting, project implementation and business development company in the natural stone industry. It is still serving actively.

The reason of my success is to work a lot and be hardworking!

How can you explain the success of your breakthroughs that you have done in a short period?

-I can say that my experience is based on a single philosophy. Working and being hardworking! This philosophy is stepping me and my company towards my goals!

-You have opened a quarry in Turkey. You are buying stone from other quarries besides that as well. Do you plan to open any other quarries and factories here?

-I am buying stone from Bilecik, Afyon and Burdur quarries in Turkey currently. We mainly purchase and process the stones of Crema Eva, Maya Gray, Aman Beige, Roman Beige, Light Pearl. I opened my first quarry in Bilecik in 2013 with my partner Aze Mining. The stone we produced here had attracted the Chinese market, but we closed it, as we could not reach the capacity we had expected. Then in 2014 we opened another quarry in Bilecik, Söğüt and it is still working today. I am currently focused on quarry investments in Turkey. I do not have the idea of ​​opening a marble processing plant anywhere. However, we still carry out Re & De activities with our partner İrfan Söğüt for new quarries. We have a few applications for new quarries. If they result positively, the number of our quarries will increase gradually. Investing in Turkey has never frightened me. I have an infinite trust in Irfan, my partner in this matter. We are like brothers.

– Are you buying marble from other countries other than Turkey?

– I buy white stone from Greece.. I do not have any investment plan in Greece for now!

– Will Turkey be able to reach its old market volume in China?

– Is it possible that China’s block marble purchases from Turkey reach the speed when it was in 2015 again?

Nobody in China can answer this question for the time being. The economy shrank in China and all over the world. Construction investments will be back on track over time. But, we can not give the exact answer of your question at the moment. Turkey’s export figures and the marble purchases made by China from Turkey seem to be very stable at this time. I think it is very important to protect this situation. I hope we do not have worse situations!

Turkish marble producers must control the production and sale of marble!

-How are your impressions about Turkish marble and marble producers?

– There are very rich and various marbles in Turkey. Therefore, Turkish Marble producers should make controlled production and sales, create strategies, and take joint actions with their customers with the consciousness of protecting the product market. It is necessary to take serious effort on production amounts and prices by considering the customer demands in the strategy determination process. While some stones are much more expensive than its real value, some stones are still undercharged. Of course, in this case, the financial means of the quarry owner company can also be seen as a factor. But the right strategies will be keys to the development of Turkish companies and Turkish marble sector.

-Do you have any unforgettable moment you have lived in Turkey?

– I have been coming to Turkey for many years. I do not remember any specific memory now. But I can say that I had lived very enjoyable moments in Turkey. I can explain the reason for this as having many friends here.

-Have you ever had any problem of trust caused by not having enough capital power during the initial periods of your investment here?

– During the initial periods of my investments here, my capital was my business partners. We all worked together as a family and we went along. Thanks to these partnerships, I have never experienced a problem of trust. It was a great pleasure for me to work with them.

Do you purchase machinery from Turkey for your quarry and factory?

– Yes, I buy machinery for my quarry investments in Turkey, but I never thought about it for my factory.

-We know that you hold a residence permit in Turkey. How often do you come to Turkey? How many days of the year do you spend here?

– I come here every month and I spend more than 200 days of a year in Turkey.

-What are the things that attract your interest in Turkey apart from natural stone?

– I love fruits and pistachio nuts.

-How is your relationship with Turkish food as a citizen of a country with a distinctive culinary culture?

-I know almost all Turkish dishes and I eat them all. As a person who spent more than half of the year in Turkey, I had to get used to it. I like some forms of food and their presentation very much. But my favorite thing is making barbecue in the quarries!

Interview: Ersin BOZKURT