AKRON—Taray International Corp. is representing Uzer Makina Machinery and Mold Manufacturing Inc. in the Americas for Uzer Makina's full line of machinery and molds for the tire industry, executives of both Taray and Uzer Makina said at the International Tire Exhibition & Conference in Akron, held Sept. 13-15.
Marco Island, Fla.-based Taray International is now Uzer Makina's marketing representative "from Canada to Argentina," according to Taray President and CEO Tarik Ayasun.
Based in Kocaeli, Turkey, Uzer Makina has provided hydraulic curing presses for tire manufacturers since its founding in 1978.
When Uzer Makina was founded, it supplied machinery for several industries, according to Managing Director Seyfullah Bozkurt. But Bozkurt, who joined Uzer Makina from the tire industry in 2000, helped transition the company to become a specialist in tire machinery and molds.
"At first we just concentrated on tire curing presses," he said. "But now we're manufacturing everything, including tire molds, bladder molds and container mechanisms."
Uzer Makina's major breakthrough came in 2007, according to company literature. In that year, the company developed a new-generation hydraulic curing press with a patented floating column feature that eliminated the need for mold height adjustment equipment and processes.
The simple design of Uzer Makina's curing presses allows for easy maintenance, trouble-free operation and durability, according to company literature.
Uzer Makina has sold more than 350 of its curing presses to manufacturers in Europe and the Middle East, and seeks to expand its market to the U.S. and South America, according to Bozkurt.
The company already has sold one press to a plant in South America and another to a facility in Latin America, according to Ayasun, who has represented Uzer Makina in various areas since 2002.
"We are meeting with everyone we can. We're going to every available trade show, and we will start our ad campaign soon," he said.
Taray International represents a number of tire-related Turkish companies. Earlier this year, Taray International established Ozka U.S.A. at Marco Island to distribute the tires and tread rubber of Ozka Lastik ve Kaucuk in the Americas.
Uzer Makina has distributed its curing presses to such countries as Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Hungary, China and Iran.