DAMISE General Manager & Co-Founder Yasemin OK
Aerospace, space, defense, and maritime industries are rapidly growing sectors that contribute significantly to national and international economies. It is our responsibility to ensure the development of these industries and enable our companies and stakeholders to adhere to national and international standards, making them corporate global brands. To get detailed information about DAMISE, which we believe will provide maximum benefit to the sector, we are here with Yasemin OK, the General Manager of DAMISE.
Defence Turkey: Before delving into DAMISE, your comprehensive platform that you believe will bring great value to the sector, could you introduce Yasemin OK to us?
Yasemin OK: After conducting various works in corporate, financial, and finance departments across different sectors, I have been serving as the Co-Founder and General Manager of Voytes Financial Solutions since 2010. As part of Turkey's Development Plans, I have been involved in critical placement projects, investment feasibility studies, investment incentives, grants, and cluster strategies, developing infrastructures and managing cluster projects. During this process, I have been involved in project planning, needs analysis, and reporting for clustering in various areas such as construction equipment, manufacturing, fabricated products, healthcare technologies, defense, aerospace, satellite, and space activities.
Based on extensive research over many years and relying on sectoral analysis reports, we were able to identify the micro-scale needs of the aerospace space, defense, and maritime industries. Within the framework of these needs, our idea of DAMISE emerged, which includes the necessary instruments for the industries to be globally competitive, and our journey began in 2017. In 2022, DAMISE was officially established, and I continue to work as its Co-Founder and General Manager.
Defence Turkey: Could you tell us about the vision you have created to enhance the communication between local brands in Turkey's aerospace, space, defense, and maritime industries with global firms and the contributions DAMISE brings to the sector?
Yasemin OK: Local companies providing products and services in our sectors face difficulties in effectively communicating with global firms through existing digital channels. The overall rate of our companies' ability to do business in the international market is less than 10% due to factors such as compliance with international standards, financial infrastructure, qualified human resources, and lack of corporate vision. Most of the companies within this rate are corporate firms.
DAMISE is an innovative platform that produces unique solutions with a strong technological infrastructure to enable local companies to access the global market, form international collaborations, and connect OEMs with global suppliers.
Defence Turkey: One of the most significant issues in our sector is the challenges faced by major OEMs when entering the global supply chain. What aspects does DAMISE highlight regarding this matter?
Yasemin OK:The difficulties in communicating with suppliers conducting work on the products and services required by the sector also bring challenges in the supply chain. When healthy connections are established with local manufacturers producing products in the right standards, leading brands in the sector can obtain products from local manufacturers. With DAMISE's Ecosystem feature, companies with effective products and solutions in the sector emphasize key points while introducing their products to local and global companies. Companies can include product images, descriptions, areas of application, codes if available, technical specifications, and product-related certifications in their profiles. This way, both local and global DAMISE users can discover and view Turkish products in detail and perform searches.
Even if production is in line with international standards, there are different national regulations between countries. This situation can create difficulties for companies in meeting different regulations between countries. DAMISE ensures that companies focus on continuous education and development, collaborate with industry experts, and keep track of up-to-date information regarding international standards. For example, in the Aerospace sector, global companies seeking suppliers can publish supplier criteria sets. With these sets, companies interested in becoming suppliers can analyze themselves and identify any deficiencies in their readiness to become suppliers. As a result, our supplier companies undertaking works that comply with the criteria sought by international companies will be able to open up to the global market.
Defence Turkey: We can say that Turkey's domestic brands in various sectors make intense efforts to collaborate with global companies. DAMISE appears to be an effective digital platform with significant potential, bringing together local and global players in the aerospace, space, defense, and maritime industries. So, what is DAMISE?
Yasemin OK:DAMISE, which has become prominent and made a name for itself in recent times, is the meeting point for national and international stakeholders in Turkey's aerospace, space, defense, and maritime industries. It is a digital platform that aims to contribute to the global development and noticeable advancement of the sector by providing reliable data in its operational fields. With our next-generation digital platform DAMISE, we focus on bringing stakeholders together and working on Ecosystem, Academy, Inovalite, Supplier System, and DAMISE Club to offer effective solutions to the sector's current challenges in the long run.
Defence Turkey: Starting with DAMISE's ECOSYSTEM feature, it allows companies to create their own profiles and showcase their products and services. This interaction-oriented structure enables companies with different capabilities and potentials in the sector to exhibit an unlimited range of products and directly communicate with brands. What role does it take in supporting digital structuring, and what benefits does it offer to sector stakeholders?
Yasemin OK: The next-generation digital platform DAMISE provides national and international companies with the opportunity to create their own profiles through its Ecosystem feature, allowing them to showcase their products and services. Companies can add verified content that introduces themselves, such as industry, human resources, certifications, corporate capacity, and references, to their profile pages within the DAMISE ECOSYSTEM.
It is observed that companies face challenges in maintaining their corporate memory, such as supplier management. With DAMISE's digital infrastructure, companies will ensure the preservation and traceability of corporate data by creating records visible only to themselves on the platform.
Defence Turkey: Let's talk about DAMISE ACADEMY and the role it plays in enhancing the qualifications of professionals working in the sector while aiming to provide comprehensive training programs tailored to sectoral needs. How do you contribute to increasing the qualification of professionals working in this field, and how do the trainings offered by industry institutions, expert professionals, and mentors contribute to sectoral development?
Yasemin OK: We consider the access to accurate information from a single point critical in order to enhance the quality of domestic production and improve the qualifications of the workforce in the sector. With this idea in mind, we enable national and international professionals in the aerospace, space, defense, and maritime industries to access the training programs conducted by DAMISE ACADEMY online.
The training content varies from awareness sessions to specialized courses, covering a wide range of topics. In addition to the training programs, we also provide consulting and mentoring support tailored to the needs of all industry professionals, especially entrepreneurs, through our self-developed LMS (Learning Management System).
To ensure the sustainability of institutional memory, all training programs attended by corporate employees will be recorded under the name of both the company and the individual in DAMISE ACADEMY.
Defence Turkey: One of the important topics in the industry is innovation-driven projects and sectoral investments. Can you explain exactly what DAMISE INOVALITE is and talk about your activities in this area?
Yasemin OK:With DAMISE INOVALITE, we aim to promote and bring together innovation-focused projects and innovative ideas in the aerospace, space, defense industry, and maritime sectors using appropriate methodologies, specifically tailored to each sector. Our goal is to introduce these projects to investors and enable their implementation in the industry. INOVALITE provides opportunities for the feasibility assessment of innovation-driven projects and innovative ideas intended for the sector, and addresses the challenges faced in commercializing them by consolidating feedback received from the field.
Defence Turkey: What will entrepreneurs, developers, investors, and global manufacturers looking to make significant advancements in the aerospace, space, defense industry, and maritime sectors find in INOVALITE?
Yasemin OK: For entrepreneurs, INOVALITE serves as a meeting point with national and international institutions and organizations looking to invest in projects that add value to the industry. Entrepreneurs who publish their projects on DAMISE INOVALITE with details about their contributions to sustainability, benefits to the sector, usage areas, and advantages, get the opportunity to present their projects to industry professionals, investors, and global manufacturers.
As for developers, INOVALITE provides them with the opportunity to explore sector-specific gaps and areas for improvement in products and services. For example, by receiving feedback on their showcased products and services on the DAMISE ECOSYSTEM or identifying areas for development that are not currently available on the platform but are needed by the industry, developers can contribute to the further enhancement of products.
National and international investors can discover innovative solutions for the sector's future through DAMISE INOVALITE. By viewing product details, costs, target markets, and other relevant information presented by entrepreneurs and developers on Innovalite, investors can make informed decisions regarding their investments.
Global manufacturers, on the other hand, can explore products and services that contribute to the sector provided by Turkish entrepreneurs and developers. They can access product details, examine offerings, and interact with relevant individuals by asking questions through the INOVALITE page on our platform. Additionally, they have the opportunity to invest in projects they deem valuable or consider incorporating them into their operations. This way, "Made in Turkey," the nation's local and national products, can be evaluated by global companies.
Defence Turkey: Can you explain how the process of determining the criteria in the sectoral checklists offered with the DAMISE SUPPLIER SYSTEM works? In addition, can you explain how the brand will be able to view the listed criteria for the sector they are interested in and how to analyze the competencies of the suppliers?
Yasemin OK:Global brands operating in the sector guide the topics that sector suppliers should focus on in the global supply system when developing their products and services. In the DAMISE SUPPLIER SYSTEM, where national and international sectoral criteria are listed in accordance with international standards, regulations, and agreements for the developed products and services, companies can view criteria related to their respective sectors such as management capabilities, production facilities and capacity, technological capabilities, financial status, experience, geographical location, cost, delivery, etc., and analyze their products and services.
The SUPPLIER SYSTEM will analyze the company's products and services according to global standards and provide a situation assessment. By identifying areas that need improvement, it will guide companies in the development of their products, processes, and technological infrastructure. Companies will also receive necessary training and consulting support for compliance with global standards through the DAMISE platform, making them ready for global collaborations.
Defence Turkey: How does DAMISE CLUB, a community of professionals operating in the aerospace, space, defense industry, and maritime sectors, aim to contribute to the industry?
Yasemin OK: DAMISE CLUB, a sectoral community where professionals stand out with their ideas, visions, and efforts in the aerospace, space, defense, and maritime industries, lays the foundation to contribute to the industry's development and transformation. As DAMISE CLUB, we aim to conduct activities that will have a positive impact on the national and international growth of the sector through the participation of our member professionals. For instance, one of the well-known significant challenges in the industry is related to global supply chain issues. We intend to address these problems from different perspectives by organizing events involving global and local companies and suppliers. We want to evaluate the solutions to these challenges, identify necessary implementations, and discuss the roles of each stakeholder in the sector.
In order to contribute to the future development of the industry, we plan to organize webinars, sectoral meetings, forums, and workshops where active bureaucrats and relevant parties from the sector participate. We aim to support the realization of solutions that will positively impact the sector's development.
Defence Turkey: What profiles will be included among DAMISE CLUB members, and how will these members contribute to the sectoral development and transformation processes?
Yasemin OK:The CLUB, where we will actively work on effective methods to promote sectoral activities to the world, will consist of expert, manager, director, consultant, and executive members, who can be considered as the intellectual capital of the industry. Most importantly, DAMISE CLUB members who are professionals active in the sector will become influential players in the transformation of our organizations. The CLUB will contribute to the sector through workshops focusing on issues and solutions in sectoral business processes, launch meetings for products and services, socially responsible projects designed with a future vision, and comprehensive reports from organizations that propel the industry forward, among other initiatives.
Defence Turkey: DAMISE, serving with its new generation digital platform; While providing services with its fields of activity consisting of Ecosystem, Academy, Inovation, Index, Supplier System and Club, what kind of journey does it offer to sector entrepreneurs that provide membership?
Yasemin OK: When you embark on your DAMISE journey as a product developer, service provider, R&D expert, entrepreneur, or investor, you are ready to explore a world of opportunities. With the possibilities offered by Inovalite, you can seize the chance to meet investors and evaluate your potential to become a supplier in the aerospace, space, defense, and maritime industries. Through the Supplier System, you can ensure control over your efforts to meet the production standards required by local and global companies with whom you aim to collaborate.
If you identify any areas where you feel you might fall short, the Academy offers educational resources to fill any knowledge gaps in the sector. Armed with this knowledge, you can commercialize your developed products and services through the Ecosystem, increasing your earnings and brand recognition. Moreover, by expanding your local and global business network with DAMISE, your impactful steps in the industry can be evaluated and showcased on the Index, based on global standards.
As you reach the end of your journey, as a DAMISE Club member, you become a potential part of the influential players in the industry, aiming to offer effective solutions and becoming one of Turkey's leading communities in the sector.
Defence Turkey: With DAMISE's comprehensive structure, how is the journey of the main OEMs and suppliers to develop their products and services on a global scale and increase their sales?
Yasemin OK:This time, the journey starts with DAMISE Ecosystem. You can showcase your product and service with all its details to national and international companies looking for suppliers within the Ekosistem. Next, using the Supplier System, you can ensure whether you meet the standards set by local and global companies you wish to collaborate with for the products and services you supply. Based on the data obtained, you can analyze any information you may lack. At this stage, to fill in any knowledge gaps, you can benefit from sector-specific online courses offered by Academy, prepared by global players in the aerospace, space, defense, and maritime industries.
The next step, Inovalite, allows your product and service to meet with a global network of investors. With the support received from investments, you can enhance your production network and seize the opportunity to become a strong global supplier in the aerospace, space, defense, and maritime sectors. Furthermore, by increasing your local and global collaborations with DAMISE, you contribute to expanding your business network while showcasing your impactful contributions to the sector through Index, which evaluates your actions within global standards.
As your journey concludes, being one of the esteemed DAMISE Club members, each known for their distinctive contributions and effective solutions, you can emphasize your position among Turkey's significant players in the aerospace, space, defense, and maritime industries, and become a valuable stakeholder adding value to the sector
