SHOT Show proved that CANiK is a brand that is respected, followed, and appreciated across the entire globe
Samsun Yurt Savunma (SYS) as a whole has an intense fair and event schedule for 2023, with its CANiK brand and its subsidiaries like UNIDEF and UNIROBOTICS.
Didem ARAL, Member of Executive Board in charge of SYS Foreign Trade“SHOT Show proved that CANiK is a brand that is respected, followed, and appreciated across the entire globe.”
Samsun Yurt Savunma (SYS) as a whole has an intense fair and event schedule for 2023, with its CANiK brand and its subsidiaries like UNIDEF and UNIROBOTICS. The first destination in this journey was the SHOT Show, held between 17-20 January in Las Vegas, NV. Didem Aral, Member of Executive Board in charge of SYS Foreign Trade, shared insights on their participation in
SHOT Show for CANiK News readers.
CANiK attends many fairs, located in all four corners of the world, every single year. How important is SHOT Show among them?
Didem ARAL: SHOT Show is the largest huntsmanship and marksmanship fair in the entire world. This year, the fair was held for the 45th time, and it is held in January every year as it guides the sector for the rest of the year. As such, firearms producers and almost all defense companies prepare for this fair with utmost effort. The preparation efforts for this fair started right after the end of the previous one.
As CANiK, we place great emphasis on SHOT Show, and we value it greatly. We have participated in this fair without skipping a beat since 2008, and our presence grows yearly.
How did CANiK prepare for SHOT Show? Which products did you showcase and perhaps even launch?
Didem ARAL: We have launched two new products that are in vogue, METE MC9 and SFx RIVAL-S, at SHOT Show. We also presented many different pistol models and all of our pistol accessories. CANiK USA and Century Arms were the significant stakeholders of our participation.
METE MC9 and SFx RIVAL-S Revealed to the World
What kind of attention did METE MC9 and SFx RIVAL-S receive?
Didem ARAL: I can gladly say that both METE MC9 and SFx RIVAL-S, both very innovative products in their classes, enjoyed much greater attention than we first thought.
METE MC9 is the first micro-compact model of the METE series. Many users were waiting for a product like METE MC9 in the micro-compact class, and we have met this demand in spades.
SFx RIVAL-S was developed as the steel-frame version of our very successful SFx RIVAL model. A steel-framed pistol was among our users’ demands, and SFx RIVAL-S was a big hit throughout the fair and was very well received.
The fact that we received purchase orders beyond our initial estimations clearly shows that this attention and demand are reflected in the numbers.
I must say our accessory program also enjoys similar attention. The demand for products in CANiK’s accessory program increases day by day. To be honest, we are significantly investing both effort and capital for CANiK’s accessory program. CANiK has become a well-known brand in the sector that leads the conversation and claims one of the highest shares in the market with its accessory program. Combining this accessory program with the superior CANiK pistols clearly reveals a success story.
People from various walks of life, like distributors, officials from shooting ranges and gun shops, as well as end-users, attend SHOT Show. Could you share insights on the fair from this perspective as well?
Didem ARAL: CANiK renewed its yearly contract with the most significant 5 distributors in the USA. We have received purchase orders for this year’s Q1. The total value of these orders significantly surpasses our expectations. These orders were weighted towards our two new models, METE MC9 and SFx RIVAL-S.
As was the case in recent years, our users had to form queues for our booth in this SHOT Show. We also received many comments from our users on how METE MC9 and SFx RIVAL-S were long-awaited products.
Can you share some numerical data on CANiK’s SHOT Show 2023 performance?
Didem ARAL: The number of orders we received and contracts we made were about 3 times of our forecasts, showing just how successful this fair was for us. I can say more than 80,000 people visited our booth from around 70 countries across the globe.
CANiK Makes a Difference, with Its Products and with Its Staff
How would you evaluate where CANiK is globally when you assess the products presented in SHOT Show?
Didem ARAL: SHOT Show proved that CANiK is a brand that is respected, followed, and appreciated across the entire globe.
This is a result of the difference CANiK’s staff makes. CANiK’s staff is not afraid to get in touch with everyone who touches a CANiK product, listening to customer demands and working on them, along with interacting with everyone who visits our booth at fairs, from high-echelon managers all the way to engineers and other staff. All CANiK fans are aware of this fact, so they share a bond with the brand. The fact that many recently launched products and accessories sell out within the day they reach sales offices and stores are the greatest proof of that.
We have an extensive team that ensures CANiK is this well-respected and followed around the world. Every single employee is dear to us, as successes like this are only possible with a devoted team and long-winded processes. We are aware of this fact and thank all of our colleagues, from the youngest to the oldest, every single time. We will celebrate the 25th year of our founding in 2023, and we know many more years and successes lie ahead of us.
CANiK has been participating in SHOT Show since 2008. What do you think of CANiK’s story through the years, with your most recent participation in mind? Could you share CANiK’s journey and its place in the firearms world through a SHOT Show lens?
Didem ARAL: CANiK sold its first products domestically in the mid-2000s and decided to become a global company simultaneously. At this stage, we have set our sights on the American market, the most challenging market in the world. When we produced the first member of the TP9 pistol family in 2009, we also offered this product to the American market. Following this pistol's incredible success in the American market, we decided to invest in the USA in 2010 and established CANiK USA joint venture with Century Arms. As of 2021, we are the third largest exporter of firearms to the American market.
In a short period, like 10 years, CANiK’s brand awareness in the USA has gone off the charts. Our first polymer-frame pistols, which we named the TP series, have won the best handgun of the Year award in the Industry Choice Awards (ICA), known as the Oscars of the pistol world, in 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2022. This last award CANiK received in 2022 was with SFx RIVAL, netting the brand its 4th award in 6 years.
CANiK commenced its 2023 fair schedule with SHOT Show 2023. What awaits CANiK for the rest of the year?
Didem ARAL: We can list the fairs and events CANiK, UNIDEF, and UNIROBOTICS will attend as IDEX, ENFORCE TAC, IWA, NRA, HuntEX, IDEF, CANiK Summer Fest 2023, MSPO, DSEI, AUSA, Defence & Security.
Samsun Yurt Savunma (SYS) as a whole has an intense fair and event schedule for 2023, with its CANiK brand and its subsidiaries like UNIDEF and UNIROBOTICS. The first destination in this journey was the SHOT Show, held between 17-20 January in Las Vegas, NV. Didem Aral, Member of Executive Board in charge of SYS Foreign Trade, shared insights on their participation in
SHOT Show for CANiK News readers.
CANiK attends many fairs, located in all four corners of the world, every single year. How important is SHOT Show among them?
Didem ARAL: SHOT Show is the largest huntsmanship and marksmanship fair in the entire world. This year, the fair was held for the 45th time, and it is held in January every year as it guides the sector for the rest of the year. As such, firearms producers and almost all defense companies prepare for this fair with utmost effort. The preparation efforts for this fair started right after the end of the previous one.
As CANiK, we place great emphasis on SHOT Show, and we value it greatly. We have participated in this fair without skipping a beat since 2008, and our presence grows yearly.
How did CANiK prepare for SHOT Show? Which products did you showcase and perhaps even launch?
Didem ARAL: We have launched two new products that are in vogue, METE MC9 and SFx RIVAL-S, at SHOT Show. We also presented many different pistol models and all of our pistol accessories. CANiK USA and Century Arms were the significant stakeholders of our participation.
METE MC9 and SFx RIVAL-S Revealed to the World
What kind of attention did METE MC9 and SFx RIVAL-S receive?
Didem ARAL: I can gladly say that both METE MC9 and SFx RIVAL-S, both very innovative products in their classes, enjoyed much greater attention than we first thought.
METE MC9 is the first micro-compact model of the METE series. Many users were waiting for a product like METE MC9 in the micro-compact class, and we have met this demand in spades.
SFx RIVAL-S was developed as the steel-frame version of our very successful SFx RIVAL model. A steel-framed pistol was among our users’ demands, and SFx RIVAL-S was a big hit throughout the fair and was very well received.
The fact that we received purchase orders beyond our initial estimations clearly shows that this attention and demand are reflected in the numbers.
I must say our accessory program also enjoys similar attention. The demand for products in CANiK’s accessory program increases day by day. To be honest, we are significantly investing both effort and capital for CANiK’s accessory program. CANiK has become a well-known brand in the sector that leads the conversation and claims one of the highest shares in the market with its accessory program. Combining this accessory program with the superior CANiK pistols clearly reveals a success story.
People from various walks of life, like distributors, officials from shooting ranges and gun shops, as well as end-users, attend SHOT Show. Could you share insights on the fair from this perspective as well?
Didem ARAL: CANiK renewed its yearly contract with the most significant 5 distributors in the USA. We have received purchase orders for this year’s Q1. The total value of these orders significantly surpasses our expectations. These orders were weighted towards our two new models, METE MC9 and SFx RIVAL-S.
As was the case in recent years, our users had to form queues for our booth in this SHOT Show. We also received many comments from our users on how METE MC9 and SFx RIVAL-S were long-awaited products.
Can you share some numerical data on CANiK’s SHOT Show 2023 performance?
Didem ARAL: The number of orders we received and contracts we made were about 3 times of our forecasts, showing just how successful this fair was for us. I can say more than 80,000 people visited our booth from around 70 countries across the globe.
CANiK Makes a Difference, with Its Products and with Its Staff
How would you evaluate where CANiK is globally when you assess the products presented in SHOT Show?
Didem ARAL: SHOT Show proved that CANiK is a brand that is respected, followed, and appreciated across the entire globe.
This is a result of the difference CANiK’s staff makes. CANiK’s staff is not afraid to get in touch with everyone who touches a CANiK product, listening to customer demands and working on them, along with interacting with everyone who visits our booth at fairs, from high-echelon managers all the way to engineers and other staff. All CANiK fans are aware of this fact, so they share a bond with the brand. The fact that many recently launched products and accessories sell out within the day they reach sales offices and stores are the greatest proof of that.
We have an extensive team that ensures CANiK is this well-respected and followed around the world. Every single employee is dear to us, as successes like this are only possible with a devoted team and long-winded processes. We are aware of this fact and thank all of our colleagues, from the youngest to the oldest, every single time. We will celebrate the 25th year of our founding in 2023, and we know many more years and successes lie ahead of us.
CANiK has been participating in SHOT Show since 2008. What do you think of CANiK’s story through the years, with your most recent participation in mind? Could you share CANiK’s journey and its place in the firearms world through a SHOT Show lens?
Didem ARAL: CANiK sold its first products domestically in the mid-2000s and decided to become a global company simultaneously. At this stage, we have set our sights on the American market, the most challenging market in the world. When we produced the first member of the TP9 pistol family in 2009, we also offered this product to the American market. Following this pistol's incredible success in the American market, we decided to invest in the USA in 2010 and established CANiK USA joint venture with Century Arms. As of 2021, we are the third largest exporter of firearms to the American market.
In a short period, like 10 years, CANiK’s brand awareness in the USA has gone off the charts. Our first polymer-frame pistols, which we named the TP series, have won the best handgun of the Year award in the Industry Choice Awards (ICA), known as the Oscars of the pistol world, in 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2022. This last award CANiK received in 2022 was with SFx RIVAL, netting the brand its 4th award in 6 years.
CANiK commenced its 2023 fair schedule with SHOT Show 2023. What awaits CANiK for the rest of the year?
Didem ARAL: We can list the fairs and events CANiK, UNIDEF, and UNIROBOTICS will attend as IDEX, ENFORCE TAC, IWA, NRA, HuntEX, IDEF, CANiK Summer Fest 2023, MSPO, DSEI, AUSA, Defence & Security.
