Cinch in Turkey Continues to Develop Closer Relationships with Local Customers and Distribution Channels

Defence Turkey: Can you please briefly introduce Cinch Connectivity Solutions, a company that was acquired by Bel Group in 2010, to our readers? Why was it established and what has been accomplished over the last 100 years?

Ufuk GÖREN: Cinch Connectivity Solutions has a wide product portfolio covering many applications and sectors. We aim to provide our customers with cost effective, high quality, custom-engineered solutions.

The products that we offer include:

Harsh Environment Fiber Optics - high-speed transceivers and media converters, and expanded beam optical connectors

Copper-based Connectors and Cable Assemblies, including Mil-spec circular and rectangular connectors

RF (radio frequency) and Ethernet connectivity

Our products have been utilized in many applications, but are specifically focused on the Military and Aerospace, Industrial, Data Communications, Transportation and the Oil and Gas market.

Defence Turkey: Could you please provide some key facts and the organizational structure of the company for our readers? 

Ufuk GÖREN: Bel has locations in three major areas - North America, Europe and APAC, with a manufacturing, sales and R&D presence in each of these regions in 2020, the Bel Group reported net sales of $465.8 million and employed 6,400 people across 14 countries.

Cinch Connectivity Solutions became part of the Bel Group in 2010 and reported sales of over $150 million last year.  

Defence Turkey: For over 100 years, Cinch Connectivity Solutions has manufactured high quality and reliable high-performance connectors & cable assemblies for the Aerospace, Military/Defense, Commercial, Rugged Harsh Environments & Communication markets. Could you elaborate on Cinch’s broad portfolio of businesses? What do you see as the strong points of Cinch in the Aerospace & Military/Defense sectors and how does it differ from its competitors?

Ufuk GÖREN: Our custom solutions deliver creative, hands-on engineering while utilizing multiple contact technologies including fiber optic expanded beam, RF and copper-based connectors.

We have a broad portfolio of MIL-SPEC and QPL listed products, including MIL-DTL-5015, MIL-DTL-26500, MIL-DTL-38999, MIL-DTL-83513, MIL-DTL-83526, MIL-HDBK-2036, MIL-HDBK-5400, EN-4644, M39030 and M3933 connectors.

As part of the Bel Group, we have consistently proven to be a valuable supplier to the leading EOMs by developing cost effective solutions for the challenges of new product development. By combining our strength in product design with our own specially designed manufacturing facilities, we have established ourselves as a formidable competitor on a global basis.

Defence Turkey: How is the mix of commercial and military products working at Cinch? Do you see changes in priority between military/defense and commercial production?

Ufuk GÖREN: The two-work hand-in-hand, our experience in manufacturing military quality products according to strict MIL-SPEC requirements enables us to apply the technology across the board to our commercial products, giving a high-quality product that is cost-effective as the R&D phase, and many of the procedures and processes are already in place to enable mass-production.

Defence Turkey: Can we please get an analysis of 2020 from Cinch’s point of view and could you elaborate on your targets for 2021? 

Ufuk GÖREN: Like many companies, 2020 did not turn out to be as we had expected! Face-to-face meetings were cancelled, and while online meetings are great, they are not ideal. However, despite the challenges, we continued to post strong results thanks to the flexibility and resourcefulness of our employees, and we started 2021 in a good position.

Defence Turkey:  How do the numbers look for the first half of 2021?  

Ufuk GÖREN: 2021 has started well for Cinch. There are positive signs in the market, and we have had some good customer wins, meaning that our sales so far are exceeding those of 2019. 

Defence Turkey: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused huge global disruption on critical defense operations and programs. Can you elaborate on whether you have experienced any delay or postponement in your annual activity plan/schedule for 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic? How and to what extent has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your business operations including production, manufacturing, and supply chain as well as your domestic and international programs?

Ufuk GÖREN: As with many companies, we have not been unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic – material shortages, price increases, and major changes to the way the business runs on a day-to-day basis have all played their part, however throughout the pandemic we have maintained all of our manufacturing facilities running to at least 90% capacity and have used it as an opportunity to review and revise the way we work.

Defence Turkey: What are Cinch’s current strategies and what are the targets for near-to-medium term?

Ufuk GÖREN: As a company we are focusing on operational excellence. In the Aerospace, Aviation and Military markets, lead times are critical. In Turkey, we are looking to develop closer relationships with our local customers and distribution channels. As you know, customer perception in Turkey is largely based on good communication, competitive pricing and very short lead times. This can be difficult to achieve for large global companies, but by having personnel located within Turkey, we hope to offer global manufacturing capabilities, combined with local customer service.

Defence Turkey: What could you tell us about the international presence and market position of Cinch in the high-performance connectors & cable assemblies’ field? How many Armed Forces and Commercial Airline companies around the globe use your products? What key geographical markets are your next targets?

Ufuk GÖREN:  Cinch offers substantial expertise in Radio Frequency, Fiber Optic, and Power and Signal connectivity systems - unlike many other companies, we lead in all three areas and have dedicated engineering teams available to work with customers to adapt and perfect designs.

We have products in many Armed Forces defense equipment across all geographies. Some of the items our connectivity is used in includes Missiles & Munitions, Tactical Communications, Armored Vehicles, Radar, and Satellites.

Defence Turkey: What is Cinch’s priority on the high-performance connectors & cable assemblies’ market?

Ufuk GÖREN: We invest heavily in development of connectivity that requires SWAP (size, weight, & power) reductions, and continue to offer a very agile capability for quick turnaround custom products. We also strive to maintain the most competitive lead times on the market.

Defence Turkey: What kind of new products do you see a demand for in the coming years in the high-performance connectors & cable assemblies’ sector? What can the industry expect to see on the horizon as far as new products and services from Cinch?

Ufuk GÖREN: We are focused right now on exciting new high density fiber optic product developments, which will enable customers to use one connector instead of several, while still maintaining military grade performance and ease of assembly.

Defence Turkey: Could you provide a capsule summary of your major responsibilities as Cinch Connectivity Solutions’ Country Manager of Turkey? Are you only responsible for the Turkish market or do your areas of responsibility also cover the Turkic Republics?

Ufuk GÖREN: I have been focused on the Turkish Defense Industry since 2018 in my position as Country Manager. My role also encompasses the Middle East, Turkic Republics and occasionally multi-national projects that cover Turkey as well as other countries. 

I am the only Cinch employee located in Turkey, however I work closely with the strong teams in both the UK and US organizations, including the Business Development Managers, Customer Service Teams, Production, and Design Engineers, so while I am alone by geography, but in reality, we are a close global team.

Defence Turkey: How would you summarize Cinch’s involvement in Turkey over the last 3 years?

Ufuk GÖREN: We have mostly focused on Micro-D and D-Sub connectors over the past 3 years.  However, we’re now looking to increase awareness on our fiber optic technology, RF connectors and new military designs.

We have also worked to increase our brand awareness and ensure that customers know that Cinch is in Turkey - we are not a company sitting far away from the market, we have local knowledge and understand the demands and requirements of Turkish companies. 

Defence Turkey: What are the aspirations of Cinch towards a long-term presence in Turkey through cooperation? What can you tell us about the medium-to-long term vision of Cinch in Turkey?

Ufuk GÖREN: Since I’ve been at Cinch, we have aimed to stabilize our sales channel from factory to the end user. We have also developed our distribution channels, reached out to many new potential customers, and explained our capabilities in the aerospace and defense industries. Moving forward over the medium to long term, we aim to increase the number of our designs developed for specific military programs and create awareness of our unique customized design capabilities for our Turkish customers.

Defence Turkey: Can you tell us about Cinch’s participation at IDEF ‘21? What are you expecting from the exhibition?  

Ufuk GÖREN: Cinch has exhibited at IDEF for many years and has previously relished the opportunity to present our product portfolio to visitors from all over the world. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing travel restrictions, it was decided not to exhibit at IDEF21, however I will be attending as a visitor with the aim of developing our connections with both existing and potential customers