Sanayi Coğrafyası Açısından Sektörel Bir İnceleme: Balıkesir’de Kolonya Endüstrisi
Tarih boyunca insanların güzel kokulara olan ilgisi zaman içinde dünyada büyük bir parfüm ve kolonya endüstrisini ortaya çıkarmıştır. Esasen Avrupa kökenli olan kolonya, Türkiye’de toplumun gündelik yaşamı içinde de kolayca benimsenmiş; imalat ve pazarlama süreçleriyle önemli bir sektör haline gelmiştir. Sektörde faaliyet gösteren işletmelerin küçük ölçekli yapısı nedeniyle Türkiye ölçeğinde bir dağılış söz konusu olsa da, kolonya imalatında bazı şehirler uzmanlaşma göstererek merkezi bir yer elde etmiştir. Nitekim burada sunulan çalışma kapsamında, Türkiye’de kolonya üretimi ve ticaretinde öne çıkan bir merkez olarak Balıkesir ili ele alınmaktadır. Araştırma kapsamında Balıkesir ilinde kolonya endüstrisinin tarihsel süreç içinde gelişimi incelenerek; kolonya imalatı ve pazarlama süreçlerinin mekânsal ilişki ve bağlantıları araştırılmıştır. Çalışmada değerlendirilen veriler, saha çalışmaları ile örneklem alandaki işletmelere uygulanan anket ve bilirkişi görüşmelerine dayanmaktadır. Araştırma sürecinde elde edilen veri ve bilgiler, incelenen sektörün SWOT analizi yöntemi ile değerlendirilmesine olanak sağlamıştır. Böylece, araştırma bulgularının ve SWOT analizi sonuçlarının, sektörün geleceğine ilişkin alınacak kararlar ve oluşturulacak stratejiler için bir başvuru kaynağı oluşturması amaçlanmıştır. Balıkesir’de kolonya imalatı yapan firmalar genellikle mikro ve küçük ölçekli işletmeler olduğu için, üretim faaliyetleri daha çok ev tipi ve atölye tipi imalat kategorisindedir. Balıkesir’de kolonya endüstrisinin; köklü geçmişi, sektörel deneyimi ve birikimi, ürün çeşitliliği gibi üstünlüklerinin yanı sıra, ürünlerin yüksek kalitede üretilebilmesi bakımından da rekabet üstünlüğüne sahip olduğu belirlenmiştir. Ancak sektörün kalifiye ve teknik işgücü sağlamada yetersizliği, imalatçıların yerel ve ulusal örgütlenme sorunları, yeni ustaların yetiştirilmesinde yaşanan güçlükler, kolonya sektörünün Balıkesir ilinde büyüme potansiyelini sınırlandırmıştır.
A Sectoral Analysis on Industrial Geography: Cologne Industry in Balikesi̇r
Throughout history, people’s interest in pleasant smelling scents gave rise worldwide to the large perfume and cologne industry. Society in Turkey easily adopted cologne because of its European origin, and it became an important sector due to its manufacturing and marketing processes. Although cologne is distributed throughout Turkey, some cities have become prominent by specializing in the manufacturing of cologne. Similarly, the province of Balıkesir, a center that stands out in the production and trade of cologne in Turkey, is addressed within the scope of the study presented here. The research examined the history and the development of the cologne industry in Balıkesir province. The study covered the spatial relationships and connections of the processes of manufacturing and marketing cologne. The data evaluated in the study is based on the fieldwork, the questionnaires applied to the enterprises in the sample area, and the interviews with the experts. The data and information obtained in the research process were used to conduct a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of the sector under examination. So, the research findings and the results of the SWOT analysis were aimed at constituting a source of reference for the decisions to be taken, and the strategies to be developed on the future of the sector. As the firms manufacturing cologne in Balıkesir are generally micro- and small-scale enterprises, the production activities are predominantly categorized as home-type and workshoptype manufacturing. The research found that the cologne industry in Balıkesir had a competitive advantage concerning producing high-quality products besides other benefits such as its deep-rooted past, sectoral experience and accumulation, and product diversity. However, the inadequacy of the sector to provide a skilled and technical labor force, manufacturers’ problems about the local and national organization, and the difficulties experienced in training new masters have limited the growth potential of the cologne sector in the Balıkesir province.
Throughout history, people’s interest in pleasant smelling scents gave rise worldwide to the large perfume, and cologne industry. Meaning ‘light perfume’, initially cologne was produced as a type of perfume, and its development depended on the perfume sector. Later, the cologne and perfume industries developed independently as the respective demand qualities differed due to the different ways they were used. There are two different views on the discovery and first production of cologne (Eau de Cologne). According to the first view, cologne was first produced with its French name Eau de Cologne (Cologne Water) in 1709, by Maria Farina (Tez, 2010). The other view is that cologne was produced in 1792 by Wilhelm Muelhens, who lived in Cologne, Germany.
Cologne was first used in Turkey during the reign of Abdulhamid II (1870–1909) in the Ottoman country (Yentürk ve Yentürk, 2001). The impact of the trade agreements signed with the European countries in the early 19th century enabled cologne to become widespread throughout the nation (Yentürk, 2005). The influence and role of the Turkish perfumers on, the production and consumption of cologne in Turkey are quite significant. Cologne was readily subsumed into the everyday cultural life in Turkey as it was mainly of European origin. Over time, it became a sub-branch of the chemical industry according to the preferences and the demands. As cologne depends on the presence of the small-scale production enterprises in the sector, its production is characteristic of distribution throughout Turkey. Some cities have acquired a central function in the manufacturing of cologne in the process of development of the cologne industry in Turkey.
The subject of the research presented here is the province of Balıkesir, which is a noticeable center in Turkey’s production and trade of cologne. The development of the cologne manufacturing industry in Balıkesir province was examined, and the scope of research included the investigation of the spatial relationships and connections of the processes of manufacturing and marketing cologne. Besides, determining the production capacity and the opportunities for marketing in the cologne sector, the study sought to highlight its contributions to Balıkesir province and the Turkish economy. The evaluation of the research findings helped to compose supporting proposals for the development and competitive conditions of the cologne sector in Balıkesir. The data evaluated in the study is based on the results from questionnaires given to the enterprises in the sample area, and the interviews with the experts, along with the observations in the fieldwork. The data and information obtained in the research process were used to conduct a SWOT analysis of the cologne sector. The research findings and the SWOT analysis both shed light on the current state of the industry, and constitute a source of reference for the decisions to be taken, and the strategies to be developed, concerning the future of the sector.
According to the research findings, as the firms manufacturing cologne in Balıkesir are micro- and small-scale enterprises, production is mainly in the categories of home-type and workshop-type manufacturing. The workshops, almost all of which were in the form of family enterprises, were located in the settlement area, under the houses or immediately near them, thereby influencing the shaping of the spatial view.
The research findings reveal that the process covering the manufacturing and marketing of cologne in Balıkesir leads to commercial connections between Balıkesir province and various places in Turkey. Besides, it was also determined that the cologne sector in Balıkesir had competitive advantages concerning producing high-quality products, together with its deep-rooted past, sectoral experience and accumulation, and broad product diversity. Nevertheless, the inadequacy of the sector to provide skilled and technical staff, manufacturers’ problems about the local and national organization, and the difficulties experienced in training new masters have limited the growth potential of the cologne sector in the Balıkesir province.
It is not possible to compare the past and the present trends for this sector due to the unavailability of data and the previous years’ records for this sector, which seem to have been neglected to date. Similarly, there are no primary sources of data to show the contributions of cologne production to the Balıkesir province and the Turkish economy. The fact that most of the firms operating in the sector are not registered in the chamber of tradesmen and artisans, and the unrecorded production in the sector complicate the determination of the economic potential of the industry.
Given the lack of research revealing the geographical connections of the cologne manufacturing industry and marketing processes in Turkey, the study hopes to make a meaningful contribution to the literature. The available studies on the sector in Turkey are concerned predominantly with the history of cologne, its manufacture and the properties to use cologne. The determination of the geographical connections of the manufacturing of cologne and the marketing processes in Balıkesir in this study also contribute toward understanding and introducing the cologne sector at a national level.
