Interview with Mr. Mehrdad Zakipour, Setareh Kavir Carpet: Insights on Domotex and the Global Carpet Industry
By: Kohan Textile Journal / Middle East Textile Journal
In this exclusive interview, Mr. Mehrdad Zakipour, the founder and representative of Setareh Kavir Carpet, shares his valuable experiences from 25 years of attending Domotex Hannover, with 20 of those years marked by Setareh Kavir Carpet’s continuous presence at the exhibition. In his conversation with Kohan Textile Journal, Mr. Zakipour reflects on the impact of Domotex on the global carpet market, particularly how it has shaped Setareh Kavir’s growth and approach to international trade.
He discusses the importance of innovation, market insights, and networking at such prestigious events, highlighting how participation at Domotex has exposed Setareh Kavir Carpet to new markets and international standards. With candid advice for Iranian carpet producers, Mr. Zakipour emphasizes the need for adaptation, quality improvement, and market expansion in a competitive global textile landscape.
How many years have you been in Domotex?
This is the 25th year of my presence and the 20th year of the Setareh Kavireh Yazd carpet is in Domotex Hannover Exhibition.Â
Describe your experiences of twenty years of continuous presence at Domotex, and please say that what is the Domotex impact on a company’s market? What should be the company’s approach to attend?
Domotex exhibition, like any field of activity, has its own characteristics. Domotex is the world’s largest flooring exhibition. Due to the diversity of the Domotex product in the supply of wood, plastic, machine and handmade carpet, the tufting carpet, this exhibition is able to meet the needs of large manufacturers and traders from anywhere in the world, which is why it is an international event.
The time of the exhibition has coincided with the end of the sales season and the start of the new season at the beginning of the year. The goal of this time is to provide the opportunity to negotiate and marketing, prepare the raw materials, make initial arrangements, carrying out design steps and then producing carriage so that at the beginning of the wholesale distributor and distribution of carpets at retail stores and retailers, distributors are available to meet market demand in the main sales season, which is most common in countries at the end of the year.
Usually, people who come to Domotex already have a specific program for themselves and know that which companies should go. In Domotex, someone does not easily change their supplier. By attending Domotex and negotiate with different people, you will get acquainted with their market details. Details such as the sales system, timing, and sales chains and their retail features.
You’ll find that some countries have seasonal markets, and others have a consistent year-round market. Through the presence, you find that you need to design more, colours which are more popular in markets you need, to meet the needs and progress of more machines, identify your weaknesses in different sectors, dying or completing what you need to changes. You have to upgrade your design and get out of the traditional way and base your design and production system on a larger market basis.
Attending an exhibition like Domotex introduced us to a larger world. It taught us that the market is not limited to national borders. We are aware that many customers in the rest of the world are buying our carpet. We learned that the product was not just what we had been producing for our market for many years. Our minds have been developed with this lesson, and our product series became more complete.
We became more familiar with today’s technology by a new design, new colour schemes, new products that were not previously in our product portfolio. We became more acquainted with a manner of negotiation and international relations and effectve factors in international trade competition. In a sentence, we learned a lot of things from Domotex.
About 35 percent of the audiences in Domotex are the Germans and 65 percent are from the rest of the world. Some people imagine is that the presence in Domotex is to enter the German and several other European countries markets, which is not true. For those who present at Domotex, Germany is just one of the target countries. Since Domotex is the largest and most diverse floorboard exhibition ever built around the world, visitors and companies can easily reach what they want. Another advantage of being in Domotex is that manufacturers become familiar with the different nationalities needs and they produce carpets according to the tastes of the different region.
What is your advice to your colleagues in the Iranian carpet industry to attend in Domotex?
Each company can participate in any event according to its own plans, but Domotex is not a place for a company that has been working for many years with a minimum of the production and diversity and does not try to improve the quality and quantity of its production. It’s natural that such companies can not succeed in Domotex, because they do not imagine a perspective for themselves.
Eventually, this presentation will not play a role in their economic life. Of course, I’m not in a position to assign to them, but I have to tell the truth. In contrast to it, there were companies that started last year with limited power, but growing gradually is their plan, so they think this is this is one of the ways to expand. Well, it’s obvious that attendance for such companies will be useful. If a company is convinced that by attending to Domotex after a period of time will have several contracts, and will be entered into several new markets, modify its mindset or prepare itself for failure.
I prefer to express my experiences and avoiding giving advice to my friends. All Iranian carpet weavers holding up the flags of production in this harsh atmosphere. they are like my professors. I have always encouraged others to participate in the international arena at all meetings and congresses.
the domestic market is saturated and there is no more place for lucrative economic activity. The installed capacity is much higher than the internal requirement. Therefore, if we do not send surplus production out of production, we have to work with the least efficiency, which means reducing production and rising prices and slowing down the economic cycle which we are witnessing today. One of the ways to get out of this situation is the presence of foreign exhibitions and the subject of our discussion which is Domotex.
Those who intend to investment and development. Those who think bigger, those who are willing to bear the paying extra cost for future operations, those who are willing to listen to the market, and see a bigger picture of themselves in nowadays in a tomorrow mirror, Domotex will be in the place to answer their many questions about how to cross national boundaries to world markets. And those who want to work at the same level and in the past that they are satisfied and do not have any complaint of the current state, do not enter to this road, because there is nothing more than extra costs and God forbid a frustration for them cycle which we are witnessing today.
One of the ways to get out of this situation is the presence of foreign exhibitions and the subject of our discussion which is Domotex. Those who intend to investment and development. Those who think bigger, those who are willing to bear the paying extra cost for future operations, those who are willing to listen to the market, and see a bigger picture of themselves in nowadays in a tomorrow mirror, Domotex will be in the place to answer their many questions about how to cross national boundaries to world markets. And those who want to work at the same level and in the past that they are satisfied and do not have any complaint of the current state, do not enter to this road, because there is nothing more than extra costs and God forbid a frustration for them.
At Domotex when customers entering the pavilion, what they more paying attention to the carpet? Plan and design? Comb and Density?
At Domotex, as other markets, at first, the customers be attracted by their eyes. If you notice, some companies hang a pair of carpets on the pavilion wall and there is no explanation about the specifications or raw materials about the carpet.
The next step is to enter the pavilion, ask about price and product status. Is the raw material used in polypropylene or acrylic. Therefore, the raw material is so important because there is some limitation in some markets. If the goods that they wanted was available, they will compare your price with the other manufacturer. After these steps and questions are going to on the carpet’s other specifications. At the last step, they go to the colours. Foreign customers are often not allergic to colour.
According to your own words, what is your plan for this year and with what kind of products?
According to our experience, as in previous years we make our products publicly, we provide about ten types of collections and do not work exclusively in one section. Our effort is to show the Iranian carpet capabilities in terms of designing and local colouring. That means we use Iranian famous carpets in our products.
We have exported to all geographical regions of the world. The variety of products and listening to the customers’ demands of is reasons of this wide range of markets.
What is your definition of success in Domotex?
I think for some of our domestic companies, the correct presence in Domotex means success. When you come with a few high-quality products that are liked in several markets at least a dozen different countries will see you. Gradually, you will come to attention and attract customers.
Being a brand in the global market is the most important selling factor, and your brand is very important in the global marketplace. As there are many names and brands in the market that produce a very strong product, but people are more interested in a product that delivers the name of a well-known brand.
Success is attending in several consecutive periods with a slight slope of quantitative and qualitative growth and reaching the stabilization stage in the Domotex market, coupled with constant customers and gradually attracting new customers and becoming a credible brand. This success will be always with you by continuity planning and looking positive at the future goals.
