Last month I had the chance to accompany the Europump sales team on a visit to the Mepsan factory in Turkey. Mepsan are based in Konya and have been manufacturing fuel dispensers for over 35 years.
The company employs over 600 people in Konya, but over 1,000 people around the world. They also supply pumps to 81 countries and manufacture much, much more such as car washes and EV charging units. But don’t worry, I’m not going to bore you regarding how impressed I was with the factory and the fact that “all” the components were precision made on-site. Unlike other pump manufacturers, these guys don’t ship their stuff from somewhere else for assembly, they do it all under one roof.
At the factory, we were greeted by a large group of Mepsan management, who obviously take pride in working for the company and what they produce. After a welcome reception we were given a presentation on their history and capabilities – both of which were impressive.
The company is family owned and the culture of a family business was very evident. The level of respect that each employee showed each other was visible and with the current staff shortages in the UK, we were given a timely reminder on how to retain staff. In Turkey unemployment is high so labour can be cheap but Mepsan looks after their people. While at the factory,I used the staff canteen. There I witnessed a team of chefs produce three meals a day for a grateful workforce. If proof was needed that a well-fed workforce was productive, this was it. They even provided a well-used prayer room. Of course, there were some cultural differences. At night time when the factory closed, instead of static guards the factory had a pack of Kangal dogs. These creatures are local to Turkey and stand 5ft tall! When the factory closes, their keeper arrives on site and releases them to roam the facility until the morning... needless to say they don’t have any break-ins.
I would definitely suggest that Mepsan dispensers are well worth checking out; they have some engineering advances and might be keener on price!
