Leica Microsystems has strengthened the alliance with its Turkish distributors Mikro-Optik Tıbbi Malzeme Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Limited Şirketi and Gantenbein Ticaret Mürsel Gelincik ve Ortağı Adi Komandit Şirketi, thereby deepening its market presence in Turkey.
All relevant assets of the two companies, both of Istanbul, with another office of Gantenbein’s in Ankara, have been acquired as of June 4, 2014. Mikro-Optik distributes and services Leica surgical microscopes and has worked closely with Leica Microsystems since 1985. Gantenbein provides customers from industry and life science research with products and services and has acted as a distributor since 1952. The associates of both companies will be taken on and integrated into a new Turkish legal entity together with our Turkish associates. This Turkish legal entity is currently being established and will be headquartered in Istanbul. The office in Ankara will be retained.
“We see significant potential in the Turkish market. There is an increasing demand for our products and services from the medical community as well as customers from industry and life science research,” says Peter van den Broek, President Leica Microsystems. “Mikro-Optik and Gantenbein are highly valued partners who have built and nurtured customer relationships for decades. We are investing into these relationships and developing our business further with this move.”
Hayk Celalyan, former owner of Mikro-Optik, will act as a consultant during the integration of the businesses. He adds: “With the more direct link to Leica Microsystems, we will be even better able to serve customers in the future. This will also help in the development of new products as well as the evolution of existing ones, as the people in the field can address directly what our customers need. I am looking forward to being part of this new chapter.”
Having been founded as a family business in the 19th century, Leica Microsystems has a tradition of developing and evolving high precision optics and scientific instruments “with the user, for the user”. “At Leica Microsystems, we work to ensure that our products and services are exactly as the users need them. We support them in their work-flows, constantly striving to understand how we can help them achieve their results more quickly, more precisely, and more easily,” says Mehmet Dinc, General Manager of the prospective Turkish branch. “We want our customers to succeed at what they wish to attain – whether that is technicians inspecting the quality of components, biologists exploring the secrets of life and brain surgeons operating on their patients. We are looking forward to cooperating more closely and directly with our customers in Turkey.”