Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role as an industry leader?
I was born in Ankara in 1992 and grew up in an entrepreneurial family environment where discipline, teamwork and curiosity were always encouraged. In my teenage years, I played basketball at a licensed, competitive level – an experience that still shapes how I lead today. Basketball taught me to anticipate opportunities, manage crises and make strategic decisions under pressure. Success in both sports and business depends on preparation, adaptability and communication.
You assess your rivals before and during the game, you may need to change tactics instantly and you keep morale and energy high until the very last second, which taught me early on that both sport and business success are rooted in preparation, adaptability, consistency and communication.
I studied business administration at Koç University, where I developed an interest in marketing psychology, behavioural economics, international trade law and technology. These fields continue to guide how I interpret organisational behaviour and market trends. Since joining BVS Cranes in 2017, I have focused on export development, global partnerships and brand growth.
Today, as vice president and a board member at both BVS Cranes and the Turkish Machinery Exporters’ Association, my mission is to blend family legacy with innovation, guiding BVS towards sustainable, intelligent global growth. My focus is on strengthening the global presence of the Turkish machinery industry and leading strategic initiatives that reflect our responsibility to our partners and to society.
Can you tell us how you got into this industry and why?
BVS Cranes was founded in 1985, 40 years ago by my father, Önder Bülbüloğlu, but our family’s entrepreneurial legacy extends even further.
My grandfather, Mehmet Ali Bülbüloğlu, was a well-known contractor in the construction industry. Although he could not complete his formal education, he had incredible intuition, courage and vision. From him, we inherited not only experience, but also the ability to sense opportunity, assess risk and act with determination.
Growing up with such examples made business feel like a natural language. When I decided to join BVS, it wasn’t only out of duty to family heritage but also from a desire to carry that entrepreneurial DNA into a more global, structured and technology driven context.
From the first day, my ambition was to connect tradition with modernity. Preserving our heritage matters deeply, but growth requires global professionalism, sustainability and continuous learning. My background in behavioural economics and technology gave me a wider lens – I saw cranes not just as machines, but as intelligent systems that interact with people, data and digital ecosystems.
My early years were spent in export markets, meeting partners and customers across not only in Europe and the US, but also the Middle East and Asia. These experiences showed me that success depends not only on technical quality, but also on cultural understanding, trust and local adaptation. I entered this industry by inheritance, yes, but more importantly by conviction – to evolve BVS Cranes from a national leader into a resilient, technology oriented global brand that reflects both courage and innovation.
What makes your company stand out?
BVS Cranes operates three state-of-the-art factories in Ankara with a combined area of 100,000m2 and over 500 employees. The company exports to 94 countries across six continents and has delivered more than 30,000 cranes worldwide, demonstrating its global manufacturing strength and long-standing expertise in lifting technology.
One of the three facilities in Ankara belongs to Bülbüloğlu Steel Construction Industries, a 100% subsidiary of the BVS Group specialising in technological steel structures and exports to more than 15 countries. This vertical integration often provides a significant competitive advantage – while we manufacture cranes, BCES simultaneously constructs the accompanying steel buildings, allowing us to deliver complete, synchronised industrial solutions. This synergy enables us to offer fully aligned, turnkey industrial solutions under one roof.
Beyond scale, what makes us stand out is the way we grow – organically and sustainably. In recent years, BVS Cranes has achieved rapid expansion across Europe, establishing regional sales and service centers in Duisburg and Mannheim (Germany), Sisseln (Switzerland), Salzburg (Austria) and across the Benelux region (covering the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg). These hubs allow us to provide full coverage throughout Europe with crane installation, spare parts supply, electromechanical modernisation and 24/7 emergency service. Each centre is staffed by local experts, fully euipped crane service cars, enabling fast response and technical precision on-site.
Across the Atlantic, our Chicago office in the US has also begun to produce promising results, strengthening our position in North America and paving the way for sustainable long-term growth.
Another key differentiator is our R&D capability. In 2024, we doubled our R&D area and now employ nearly 50 engineers, many holding MSc or PhD degrees. Working closely with universities and technology institutes, we focus on automation, digitalisation and structural optimisation. Our progress is reflected in Turkey’s national ranking of R&D investors, where we climbed 170 positions to become the 240th largest investor.
Finally, our BVS Academy enhances the skills of employees, customers and distributors worldwide, ensuring knowledge continuity and safe operation. With innovation, partnership and sustainability at our core, BVS Cranes continues to combine engineering precision with human expertise – delivering lasting value for every customer.
By combining engineering precision with long-term thinking, BVS Cranes continues to grow – not only in size, but in its lasting impact on the industry and our global partners.
What do you like about working in this industry?
What excites me most about the crane industry is its direct and visible impact. Every project we deliver contributes to global progress – lifting tonnes of molten steel in mills, moving containers in ports, hoisting massive turbines in power plants, assembling components in renewable energy facilities or maintaining wagons in railway depots.
Witnessing a crane we designed and built operating safely on-site brings an immense sense of pride and purpose.
It’s also an industry where engineering meets trust. Every crane we produce is not just about tonnes and metres, but about people’s safety, operational continuity and national infrastructure. The complexity of these projects, the cross-border collaboration involved and the pace of technological advancement continuously challenge and push us to grow.
The industry also evolves constantly. Beneath its traditional exterior lies a world of transformation powered by automation, digital twins, AI and green energy. For me, who values both behavioural insight and technology, this blend of human intelligence and industrial innovation is deeply inspiring.
Equally fulfilling is the global collaboration. Every region – from Scandinavia to the Middle East, from Australia to the Americas – brings different business cultures and problem solving styles. Managing this diversity requires empathy, adaptability and strong communication, all of which make our work intellectually rich and personally rewarding.
Finally, teamwork remains a vital source of motivation. Much like basketball – where every pass, tactic and decision matters – our success depends on the coordination of engineers, welders, designers and field technicians.
Seeing all those efforts converge into a seamless system capable of lifting hundreds of tonnes is incredibly satisfying. In this industry, every achievement feels both collective and deeply meaningful.
Why should people want to join and work in this industry?
The crane and lifting industry offers a unique combination of technical depth and human connection. It’s one of the few fields where young professionals can simultaneously engage with engineering, automation, finance, and global trade – often within their first few years. The learning curve is steep but immensely rewarding, and the satisfaction of seeing tangible results is unparalleled.
Our field also teaches something that textbooks cannot: empathy in global business. At BVS, we work with partners, suppliers and customers from vastly different cultures – from the Middle East to Scandinavia, from Central Europe to Australia.
Each market brings its own rhythm, mindset and expectations. Navigating this landscape sharpens not only your technical expertise but also your emotional intelligence, communication skills and strategic agility.
Working across continents sharpens your emotional intelligence as much as your technical knowledge. You learn to navigate different negotiation styles, decision-making processes and expectations while staying focused on everyone’s shared goal – delivering excellence.
Moreover, as sustainability, automation and digitalisation reshape our industry, young people with data-driven, analytical, and creative skills will find endless opportunities to make a difference. It’s a career that rewards curiosity, cross-cultural awareness and the desire to build something that literally moves the world.
Young professionals who are curious, analytical and digitally fluent will find limitless opportunities here. As sustainability, automation and digitalisation reshape the lifting industry, those with a cross-disciplinary mindset will be key drivers of innovation and transformation.
That’s why I believe this sector reflects the spirit of GLAD: Growth, Learning, Advancement and Development. It’s a career that challenges and develops you across many dimensions – technically, intellectually and interpersonally. When you see a crane you’ve worked on lifting critical components at a port terminal or steel plant, you feel proud not just of the machine, but of the teamwork and impact behind it.
What are your expectations for the industry going forward?
The crane and lifting industry is undergoing a major transformation shaped by three powerful forces: automation, sustainability and digitalisation.
Customers are no longer satisfied with just robust machines – they seek smarter, more efficient, and more connected solutions. This is driving demand for automation technologies, remote diagnostics, real-time data monitoring and seamless integration with smart factory systems. At BVS, we are actively investing in AI-powered predictive maintenance systems, using sensor data to detect anomalies before failures occur – enhancing both safety and reliability.
Sustainability has moved from a competitive edge to a core expectation. Our factories operate entirely on solar power, with photovoltaic panels covering every rooftop.
We’re proud to be the first and only crane manufacturer listed on Borsa Istanbul that transparently reports its annual sustainability targets and achievements. Our cranes are increasingly equipped with regenerative drives, lightweight structures and intelligent control systems that reduce motion cycles and minimise overall energy consumption – combining ecological responsibility with economic efficiency.
Yet, the path forward is not without challenges. Global supply chain volatility, raw material fluctuations and the ongoing competition for skilled talent remain significant hurdles. That’s why we invest continuously in localisation, engineering resilience and human capital – from internal education programmes at BVS Academy to university industry collaborations focused on AI, sustainability and advanced mechanics.
We believe the future belongs to companies that can combine intelligence, integrity and environmental consciousness. Those who design cranes not just to lift loads – but to lift industries into a smarter, greener and more resilient era.
Are there any exciting projects or initiatives at BVS right now?
Absolutely – and they arrive at a defining moment in our journey. This year marks the 40th anniversary of BVS Cranes, a milestone that goes far beyond numbers. Building cranes is a discipline of engineering, but building a resilient corporate culture, a globally respected brand and a reservoir of knowledge is the result of four decades of vision, grit and continuous evolution.
In developed economies, industrial strength is measured not only by innovation but by longevity – the ability of companies to create value across generations. In that sense, I feel deep gratitude towards my father, Önder Bülbüloğlu, whose entrepreneurial vision, long-term thinking and courage laid the foundation on which we now stand. His legacy continues to guide our forward-focused path.
Today, we are delivering containerhandling cranes to Germany and automated process cranes for leading European steel producers – projects that reflect the latest in safety, digitalisation and energy efficiency. Our growing European footprint, with hubs in Duisburg, Mannheim, Sisseln, Salzburg and across Benelux, allows us to offer local engineering, rapid service and customised solutions across the continent.
Across the Atlantic, our Chicago operation is showing consistent growth and plays a key role in anchoring our presence in North America.
Meanwhile, our enlarged R&D Center – now home to nearly 50 engineers – continues to develop patents, utility models and pioneering technologies in collaboration with leading universities and institutions. The spirit of innovation runs deep, from smart control systems to structural optimisation and next generation digital tools.
Sustainability remains at the heart of our operations. All our production facilities run on solar energy, and we transparently report our annual environmental goals. By integrating lighter materials, regenerative drives and intelligent energy use, we reduce carbon emissions without compromising on performance.
Finally, through BVS Academy, we continue to empower our workforce, distributors and partners. We see knowledge transfer not as a side function, but as a pillar of long-term excellence – ensuring safety, competence and shared understanding across every project.
With innovation, sustainability and a legacy of trust as our cornerstones, BVS Cranes enters its fifth decade determined not only to build cranes, but to build a company culture that will endure and evolve for generations to come.
Is there anything you would like to add?
As a company rooted in engineering, we’ve always believed that trust and transparency are as essential as technology itself. Whether in design, production or customer support, our ambition has never been limited to being just a supplier – we aim to be a reliable, long-term partner for our stakeholders around the world.
As a young woman leader in a traditionally male-dominated industry, I’ve also learned that real impact stems not only from technical knowledge, but from empathy, resilience and the ability to build bridges across people and cultures. Listening carefully, acting with integrity and creating environments of mutual respect are just as important as engineering precision.
We’re proud to be part of a sector that builds the backbone of modern economies – lifting, transporting and supporting the infrastructure of progress. I firmly believe that Turkish engineering has vast global potential, and at BVS, we are committed to being a trusted ambassador of that capability.
Lastly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who made this journey possible. To my father, whose courage and long-term vision laid the foundation; to every team member, whose dedication and skill carry us forward every day; and finally to all our customers, partners and supporters around the world – thank you for walking this road with us.
We are honoured to grow together
