Meet Nurgul Atayer, Global Marketing Communications Manager
As Global Marketing Communications Manager in the Motor Vehicle Industry division, Nurgul’s role is all about understanding customers, and reaching people all over the world. So why not develop a mobile exhibition center that can go on a global tour?
With a background in engineering and extensive experience from working internationally, Atlas Copco had been on Nurgul’s radar long before joining. In 2016, while attending a session hosted by the Swedish Female Engineer’s Network, she met the person who shortly after became her manager. “Atlas Copco needed someone to drive a big, new project so I joined the marketing department in the Motor Vehicle Industry division on a temporary project assignment. It was spot-on timing,” she says and explains that the division designs and markets manufacturing assembly solutions and tools to the automotive industry.
On tour with the Smart Connected Assembly Roadshow
At this point in time the challenge was how to give customers inspiration, insights, and a hands-on feeling all at once. “When I joined Atlas Copco, there was this great idea of having a truck that would run through Europe and present our products to customers, but nothing really concrete. I came in and started to think about how to connect it to Smart Connected Assembly and how to package everything,” she says.
The Smart Connected Assembly Roadshow required many preparations before the truck could start its tour through Europe. Nurgul was the one coordinating and providing support to local customer centers with set-up, presentations, videos, speeches, and activities connected to the Roadshow. “In comparison to big fairs, where there’s not much space, nor time to talk to customers and with many competitors in the same place, the truck with smart tools and solutions was a much better way to present the values we could bring to customers, especially high-level decision makers,” she says and explains that the truck stopped at different factories for customers to visit.
The rise of Big Data and Internet of Things
In 2016, Big Data and Internet of Things was top of mind for people in the manufacturing industry. “Car manufacturers were ahead of other industries and quickly needed to adapt to consumers’ different customization demands and expectations on delivery time. They needed smarter ways of being more flexible in their assembly lines and this is where our Smart Connected Assembly concept came in,” Nurgul says.
“Smart Connected Assembly addresses challenges that manufacturing companies face when using data that they collect in their production. It’s a networked system where assembly related tools and processes are connected to each other,” Nurgul says and describes that the generated data can be used to control and identify improvements in and between assembly processes.
The Smart Connected Assembly Roadshow was well received by customers and by the internal audience. “It was an effective way for the organization to learn about the ecosystem with our products and solutions and to tell the values around smart connected assembly to customers or to colleagues internally,” Nurgul says. In 2019, the Smart Connected Assembly was updated with “Powered by data” as an outcome of customers’ feedback. As the roadshow launch concept worked very well, for us it was a no brainer to repeat the same.
Recipient of the Peter Wallenberg Marketing and Sales Award
The feedback received from the Roadshow was incredibly positive and many leads came in. In 2018, Nurgul and the team received Atlas Copco’s prestigious Peter Wallenberg Marketing and Sales Award for the global launch.
Aligning communication around new products
Since the end of 2018 Nurgul is working as Global Marketing Communications Manager in the Motor Vehicle Industry division. With several product companies and a global product portfolio, her role revolves around aligning the messaging for new products to the concept of Smart Connected Assembly, the key value proposition of the Industrial Technique Business Area. As well as supporting and launching new products to the market. “We have currently launched brand-new tool range, the Tensor IxB family, these are cordless, battery-driven and ergonomic tightening tools where controllers are built in. It is the first generation of Atlas Copco products that feature internal controllers, the brain of the tools. This launch is very exciting, it’s the first big digital launch within the Industrial Technique Business Area” she says. And it got even more exciting when the Tensor ICB tool, part of the Tensor IxB tool family, was awarded the Red Dot Design Award in 2021.
An open culture where people speak their mind
Atlas Copco describes itself as the home of industrial ideas. “To me this means that we launch new innovative products, we are market leaders and we innovate for our customers and for society,” Nurgul says. When it comes to the Atlas Copco culture, she emphasizes that she enjoys working in an international environment. “It brings value to have different people from diverse cultures working together, it gives us another level. The culture here is very open, people can speak their mind and bring their ideas. You are free to test different things, and learn a lot while applying new ideas, it’s a true entrepreneurial approach,” she concludes.
