Growing up in Terneuzen, a Dutch town home to Elopak’s largest production facility, Mevlüd Eryürük was always familiar with the company. As one of the region’s largest employers, Elopak stood out as an obvious career option. So, when the opportunity came to start an internship as a customer support coordinator, it felt like a natural step. Little did he know that he would become part of a vibrant colleagueship focused on solving customers’ challenges across borders every day.
From intern to manager – all the way to Madrid
Over the years, Mevlüd’s roles at Elopak evolved. He moved on to working with the market unit and also contributed digitalizing the business. About 5 years ago, he was offered a chance he couldn’t pass up: a managerial position that would take him to Elopak’s Madrid office to lead the customer support team for the South and MENA region. The opportunity fit like a glove as Mevlüd was now able to utilize his skills in multiple languages, business knowledge and customer relations to make a real difference. Today, he has his finger on the pulse in enabling logistics across the region – and beyond.
What he has come to especially appreciate during his 16 years at Elopak is the open culture and the opportunity to grow beyond the current role.
It’s a very open organization where you’re encouraged to share your ideas for improvements and get involved in projects to make them happen. I’ve worked in environments where you’re expected to just focus on your tasks, but here, you have opportunities to grow beyond your role.
Staying agile while adapting to new markets
As Customer Support Manager, Mevlüd now leads a team of twelve people who handle customer inquiries related to orders, claims, and packaging design. His team serves Southern Europe, as well as markets in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific, where Elopak is expanding its footprint. In this spider web of international trade, Mevlüd and his team ensures that customers receive what the desire, despite changing market conditions, tariffs and regulations.
For Mevlüd, the switch from working with Northern European markets has meant getting to know new market conditions and business cultures.
One major difference is seasonality. In Northern Europe, dairy packaging dominates, and sales are relatively stable. But in our region, we see fluctuations, like during the summer when gazpacho sales surge in Spain, or during Ramadan in the Middle East. Working with markets outside Europe has also taught me to adapt how I communicate and interact with clients.
Mevlüd’s role revolves around understanding and addressing customer needs, which requires close collaboration with various functions at Elopak, including sales, production, and supply chain. As customer demands for flexibility and speed have increased, this cross-functional teamwork has become more crucial than ever. With his unique background of Turkish descent, upbringing in the Netherlands and residencies from several countries, Mevlüd has several strings to play on in enabling seamless logistics and customer success.