I became acquainted with EEC when I started working as a Control Engineer in the construction of the Tekfen Tower in 2002. As we had already heard and knew about EEC from our own experience, we did not experience any problems. In the course of time, all question marks in our minds were eliminated thanks to their struggle to solve problems, whether they were about fire or announcement systems, and their exchange of knowledge and suggestions on these matters. We have never faced a lack of experience or knowledge. When we asked a question, we always received the answers or suggestions for solutions. From time to time, we discussed how we could build the system better, and both parties used their experience to execute the job excellently. In fact, the first system installed by EEC has been still operating at Tekfen Tower without major revisions to the main system for the last 17 years.
When we started to cooperate with EEC, it was already a self-proven company. Our single hesitation was to ensure adaptation with this building; we thought that there might be some problems due to the structure of the building. We solved these problems by working on the projects together; so, we did not experience any difficulties. Our cooperation has been continuing for the last 17 years. This is the point where EEC has demonstrated its difference for 17 years: its priority is not to sell products, but to sell experience, and to solve the problems as soon as possible. This is all that is required from a company.
The EDWARDS product that we use at the Tekfen Tower is an international product. While we were constructing the building, it was essential to have UL and FM certification. Now, it also has CE certification. We had no doubts about the product, and we worked with EDWARDS, a well-known brand that has been used for years. Then EDWARDS was acquired by Carrier, but in the end, they are always big brands, not ordinary brands. We did not have any problems regarding the products. When we were building the Tekfen Tower, the management asked us to always choose the right products that will not create any problems for us and that we can use for many years, even if they are expensive, without concessions on quality. The products and services of EDWARDS and EEC fulfill our expectations. They offer high quality services in terms of periodic maintenance, solving problems, service speed and accuracy. After all, we have been maintaining excellent cooperation efficiently for all these years. We continue to work on the majority of our projects. Obviously, product and service costs are not a big factor for us, because these are secondary factors. It is much more important to install the systems correctly. After all, you protect human life and property. Therefore, these systems must be always operating smoothly. This requires a truly specialized experience. We have not had any problems with EEC in terms of periodic maintenance to keep the systems up and running. As a result, we observe the benefits. Whether in the Tekfen Tower building or in our other buildings, we have been using your products efficiently without encountering any problems for 17 years.
Regarding the benefits of the systems installed by EEC at the Tekfen Tower, we can give 3 examples for fire, CCTV and card access points. They are remarkable in terms of reliability because they cause very few breakdowns, and we trust the products. The other benefit is flexibility because we can easily make additions when we need to expand the system. Reliability and flexibility are the two most important benefits of these products. A third benefit is the ability to ensure full access and retrieve reports. We can say that the products are easy to use, user-friendly and easy to understand. Another benefit is smooth operation, which we can actually consider as part of reliability.
There are many incidents we have experienced in the last 17 years, but there is nothing that we failed to solve. We did not have any breakdown or fire, but the biggest incident was the HSBC blast that occurred at the time of initial installation. We also know that there was no system-related problem there. We regularly conduct drills every year. Of course, there might be certain system-related deficiencies occasionally, and there might be points that you cannot control for 24 hours per day, or there might be revisions made by the tenants on the floors without informing us. We work together to fix the errors detected at those points. Therefore, there is nothing we fail to solve.
When we receive an alarm, for example, when someone pushes the call points, we can immediately see it on a location basis as it was already determined as a project. It is possible to instantly see what is happening at a particular point, and this gives you the possibility to take quick actions. You can intervene before a major problem occurs and the incident further escalates. This is the ease of use of the system, which we achieve together with EEC. After all, when there is a revision here, we notify EEC and ensure that this revision is included into the system. Therefore, we always work with mutual dedication to ensure that this system operates properly and we will not lose this ease of use and always take quick actions. EEC supports us at all times. When we add a detector and ask them to include it into the system, they quickly provide this service and ensure its operation immediately.
We always recommend EEC, there is no doubt about it. I can also say that there is no other product that can compete with the products of EEC. As the systems we use here are self-proven products around the world, we obviously do not receive other products favorably. For example, your product costs 100 TRY while another product costs 50 TRY. We choose your product that costs 100 TRY because experience and perspective is very important. We are not a company that chooses cheaper products. The highest priority for us is the quality of the products and the quality of the services we will receive. As EEC offers a combination of both high quality products and services, we can buy and recommend it immediately to everyone. We do not experience it personally, but we hear about the experience with the other products in the market.
We are extremely satisfied with the products and EEC. It always has staff that works for this business from the boss and the highest managers to the lowest level. In fact, we can say: EEC is a company that has become a school in the market in terms of its operations. It had many staff who left, resigned and opened their own companies, but EEC has become a school for them from the highest level managers to the lowest level staff. Therefore, EEC should deserve praise here. It is one of the rare companies that has led the market since its establishment, created this idea in Turkey, and trained staff that can work on it.
I can say the quality of the products is high. If we call it sufficient, it would not be right. The price may be high, but the quality and feedback are important. Therefore, there is a quote: "I am not rich enough to buy cheap goods", it should be summarized as such. Fire system is at world standards, but in terms of cameras, China is dominant now. There are cameras sold for 50 TRY and 500 TRY. If you buy a camera for 50 TRY, it will either break down every two or three months or you will replace it. When you consider your total costs, it would be around 1000 TRY. As a result, price-quality performance is very important here. I think EEC offers quite reasonable prices, and the market conditions force it to do so.
The properties of the products match our needs and expectations, otherwise we would not have selected EEC. It has an infrastructure that meets all our expectations. Its product ranges are broad, that is why it is selling worldwide products.
We can make a note here about lead times: Let’s accept that delivering the product is a result, but it is important to deliver a high quality product that truly operates smoothly. So, EEC also makes a difference in this field.
We do not have any problems in terms of easy access to technical services. As I have summarizedearlier, we can easily access the experienced staff of EEC. So, whomever we talk to has knowledge about the systems. All of them already have training on the relevant subject. Therefore, we do not have any problems on this subject. Whether it is access or solving problems, they are quite fast.
EEC also makes a difference in terms of the approach and communication of its sales staff. There is a problem in Turkey, sales staff often do not know what they are selling. They do not have a technical background or training about the product, so when you ask a question or ask about the technical specifications of a product, they fail to respond to you. They say: "Let me learn about it and I will get back to you then". This is not true for EEC. Due to the organizational structure of EEC, the sales staff can answer questions about the materials immediately, as they already have a technical staff infrastructure, and the staff has taken turns with each other due to the changes of job. As the staff is experienced, they already know what the product can do and what specifications it has. Let me summarize it: they have a very professional approach to inform you even about the number of products that can be connected to the system.
