Industrial Cooperation Days in Defense and Aerospace 2022 Opens Its Doors
The Industrial Cooperation Days in Defense and Aerospace (ICDDA) event, which has been held every two years since 2013 and will be held for the fifth time this year, will be organized by the OSTIM Defense and Aviation Cluster (OSSA) at the ATO Congresium in Ankara between October 12-14, 2022, with the support of the Turkish Defense Industry Agency (SSB) and the Ministry of Trade.
On the first day of the two-day event, seminars will be held on "The Future of Global Aviation and Aerospace Supply Chains" and "Defense Industry Value Chain from a Quality Perspective", where representatives from Türkiye’s and the world's leading defense companies will address their suppliers with various presentations, including TUSAŞ, TEI, Boeing, Thales, ROMAERO S.A., Aselsan, MKE, Roketsan, Havelsan, FNSS, and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. The presentations are expected to focus on the procurement procedures of the main industry companies performing activities in the aerospace and defense industry, the quality and certification requirements they expect from their suppliers, the challenges encountered in product development and serial production processes, the deficiencies and necessary remedial actions, and the creation of a strategy for the collaboration between the main industry, SMEs, and sub-industry, and what needs to be done to establish a common ecosystem.
Over a thousand participants, including military, defense, and trade attachés, government officials, end users, and representatives of both local and foreign businesses, are anticipated to attend the event. Throughout the event, panels will also be held in addition to B2B bilateral business meetings and seminars to enlighten the attendees on the procurement procedures of the procuring delegations and companies who will participate in the event from overseas.
ICDDA, which continues to grow stronger with the synergy and added value that emerges after each organization with its feature of being an event organized to search for new markets, seize business opportunities, and form business partnerships for the main industry companies and SMEs operating in the fields of military and civil defense, aviation and aerospace, is regarded as an efficient platform for supply chain-oriented cooperation and business opportunities thanks to the pre-planned bilateral business meetings between manufacturers and service providers and procurement and supply chain officials. The event also plays an important role in the development of the ecosystem in terms of providing the opportunity for participating companies, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers to meet with relevant institutions and present their capabilities.
Satisfaction level of ICDDA Participants is Around 90%
Due to the pandemic, the event could not be organized in 2020 and the 4th and last event was held in Ankara between October 23 and 25, 2018. With the participation of 260 companies and institutions from 60 countries, 5,700 bilateral business meetings (B2B) were held in total. The event was also recognized twice with the "Defense Industry Promotion Special Award" by the Turkish Defense Industry Agency.
The event committee, which attaches considerable importance to the outcomes of the events, arranges a satisfaction survey for the participating companies on the efficiency of the panels and bilateral business meetings, as well as the level of expertise of the companies interviewed, in order to further improve the organization, and shares the results with the participants following the event. The results of the surveys conducted in the previous four events are given below:
ICDDA participants reported a 96% satisfaction rate about the expertise of the companies they interviewed.
75% of the companies that held bilateral business meetings (B2B) stated that the meetings were fruitful and that they could take new steps towards future partnerships and collaborations.
90% of the participating companies noted to have successfully completed the pre-arranged bilateral business meetings and expressed their satisfaction.
The conference held on the event's first day as well as the panels organized on the second and third days on the supply procedures and collaboration potential of domestic and foreign companies were deemed to be highly successful by 92% of the participating companies.
This year's event will Host Over 90 Foreign Businesses
Over 90 foreign businesses from more than 50 countries are expected to participate in this year's event: Adil Enterprises, ADR Alcen, Agencija ALAN d.o.o., Agregat Industrial Association, Airbus, Libya Applied Research and Development Organization, Armed Forces of Senegal, ATEQ, ATI Materials, Aucotec AG, Austal, Avia-Agregat Plant LLC, Aviatechleasing, Aviation MRO Pvt Ltd, Aviet MRO, Boeing, Componex Inc., CTRM Sdn Bhd, DIT Midlands Engine, Digital Communication System Bangladesh, Esseti Circuiti Stampati Srl, Federation Of Security and Defense Industries of Latvia, Focus Technology (Pvt) Ltd, Fundilusa lda., Global Resources, Hyundai Rotem, Ivchenko-Progress SE, JSC TAM Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing, Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Ltd., Kazakhstan Engineering, Korea Aerospace Industries, Kuiper Ventures, L3 Harris – Calzoni, Leonardo Aircraft, Leonardo Electronics, Leonardo Helicopters, Magics Technologies NV, MDIA Azerbaijan, Mechanical Factory Plopeni, Micronor, Ministry of Defense of Oman, Ministry of Emergency Situation of Azerbaijan Republic, Ministry of Defense Industry of Azerbaijan Republic, Ministry of Defense of Iraq, Ministry of Defense of Jordan, Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan, Motor Sich, NaqCoDE Technologies Pvt Ltd, National Company ROMARM, NOVA Power Solutions, OJSC TNC "Dastan", OPTOKON, Orao JSC Bijeljina, OXO Network Corporation Srl, Proforce Defense, Qatar Free Zones Authority, RCCI Defense Committee, Rheinmetall Air Defense – Italy, Rheinmetall Weapons and Ammunition – Germany, ROMAERO S.A., Royal Aircraft Maintenance Company, RUAG Space, S. Uzina Automecanica Moreni, Samel 90 PLC, Seabury Securities, Senegalese Air Forces, Sharg Industrial Association, Siemens Digital Industries, Societatea Uzina Mecanica Cugir S.A., SoluNox Pvt Ltd, Special Communication and Information Security State Service of Azerbaijan Republic, State Enterprise "Bishkek stamping plant", State Enterprise "Kyrgyzkural" under the Ministry of Defense of the Kyrgyz Republic, STC Delta, Stirling Dynamics, Strategic Logistic Services (Private) Limited (SLS), Supreme Technocrafts Aviation Services, Telespazio Spa, THALES, UAS Group, Ufuq Industrial Association, Zambia Air Force ve Z Lab S.r.l.
In addition to domestic main industry companies such as ASFAT, FNSS, TUSAŞ, TEI, HAVELSAN, KALE ARGE, MKE, ROKETSAN, STM, many institutions and organizations such as ASFAT, Ankara Development Agency, ASO, ATO, KOSGEB, SaSaD, TÜBİTAK BİLGEM, TÜBİTAK SAGE, TÜBİTAK UZAY, TR TEST, TR MOTOR, SSTEK, as well as many SMEs operating in the fields of defense and aerospace are expected to participate in the event with their stands.
The OSSA Cluster Continues to Grow with More Than 10k Employees and 290 Member Companies
The OSSA was founded on July 1, 2008, under the leadership of OSTIM, as a clustering model that unites SMEs producing goods or services in the defense and aerospace industry. These SMEs stand out with their high competitiveness as a result of the competition analysis conducted by OSTIM Organized Industrial Zone Management for the region's main sectors. The OSSA cooperates, continuously improves, develops itself and provides leadership to the industrialists within the industry. The OSSA continues its activities to contribute to the ecosystem by creating synergy with the clusters such as Heavy and Construction Machinery, Renewable Energy, Anatolian Rail Transportation Systems, Communication Technologies, the Medical Industry, and Rubber Technologies under the roof of OSTIM. It has more than 261 member companies from Ankara, Balıkesir, Bursa, İstanbul, İzmir, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Manisa, Mersin, and nearly 10,000 employees and over 50 areas of activity. For land, air, and naval platforms, our members' capabilities and competencies include R&D/design, software, composite manufacturing, electronics, electromechanics, harness, machining, sheet metal forming, surface development, test / calibration, coating / painting, optical systems, hydraulic systems, manufacturing of machinery and equipment, unmanned systems, as well as many final products and the production of subsystems.
The OSSA cluster carries out activities to increase the competitiveness of its member companies and for the development of the Turkish Defense Industry ecosystem by conducting various seminars, events, and programs to encourage its member companies in the areas of R&D, innovation, discovering and opening to new markets, creating export channels, developing international cooperation, providing a competitive advantage, adapting to the latest technologies (digitalization), value creation (producing high value-added products), institutionalization and improvements in quality systems, specialization, road mapping, and domestic and national production.
In this regard, the OSSA focuses its efforts on the following key areas.
Developing strategies specific to member companies / SMEs
Organizing events to provide a competitive advantage in Türkiye and abroad
Organizing various delegation visits in Türkiye and abroad
Conducting marketing, representation, and promotion initiatives both domestically and abroad
Establishing media and public relations
Technology transfer and execution of joint projects within the framework of university-industry cooperation
In addition to these key areas, the OSSA is pioneering the establishment of clusters in several provinces as part of its commitment to developing the ecosystem of the Turkish Defense Industry.
The OSSA is in close cooperation with the Turkish Defense Industry Agency, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Industry and Technology, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Interior, Turkish Armed Forces Force Commands, Gendarmerie General Command, General Directorate of Security, Municipalities, General Directorate of State Airports Authority, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, ASFAT, Technoparks, Universities, TÜBİTAK, Ankara Development Agency, KOSGEB, DMO, Military Attaché Offices and main industry companies, and facilitates communication between the parties by conveying the problems and suggestions of its members to the relevant authorities.
OSSA Management also monitors the capabilities (products, machine park, R&D) of member companies and communicates these capacities with procurement authorities, and shares lists of requirements and demands with its members.
Recently, the OSSA hosted a series of seminars and supplier days, noted below, to connect its member companies with suppliers:
OSSA - ROKETSAN Supplier Workshop
Next Generation Light Armored Vehicles Workshop (Presidency of Defense Industries Department of Land Platforms, Aselsan, BMC, FNSS, Katmerciler, and Otokar)
TÜBİTAK SAGE - OSSA Cooperation Workshop
MKEK - OSSA Cooperation Workshop (General Managers of 12 factories of MKEK and related authorities)
ASELSAN - KOSGEB - OSSA Cooperation Workshop
OSSA - MoND General Directorate of Military Factories Strategic Cooperation Workshop
OSSA - MoND General Directorate of Shipyards Strategic Cooperation Workshop
OSSA - Nurol Makina Cooperation Workshop
OSSA - TR MOTOR - BMC POWER Cooperation Workshop
OSSA's Overseas Promotion, Representation, and Marketing Activities
The OSSA also attaches great importance to the promotion, representation, and marketing activities of its member companies abroad. Various protocols for collaboration have been implemented with foreign sectoral clusters in recent years. With these protocols, various activities are being carried out to explore cooperation opportunities with Mexico - FEMIA, Russia - Aerospace Cluster of the Samara Region, Pakistan - Supreme Technocrafts, Malaysia - MAIA, France - Aerospace Valley. On the other hand, within the framework of its memberships in the European Aerospace Cluster Partnership (EACP), the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) and the European Clusters Collaboration Platform (ECCP), it provides information flow to its members on various initiatives and demands abroad.
The OSSA Cluster participates in dozens of fairs and B2B organizations with its members in many countries such as the US, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Morocco, France, the UK, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, and Ukraine, and it also organizes pre-planned meetings and factory visits with official delegations.
OSSA Companies Institutionalize with the Cluster
The OSSA Cluster provides consultancy services for its member companies to acquire a corporate identity and carries out various activities on certification and quality management. Activities carried out in this context are as follows:
Establishment of ERP systems for the 35 member companies
Contributing to nearly 90 member companies obtaining AS9100 certification
Providing SEO, Commercial Intelligence consultancy
In addition, various training programs on topics such as monitoring and intelligence on foreign tenders, quality systems, risk management, intellectual and industrial rights, and patent processes are also offered to member companies.
OSSA Member Exports Increase through URGE Projects
When the results of the Ministry of Trade URGE projects (Supporting the Development of International Competitiveness) were evaluated by the OSSA, as per the results obtained from 30 project companies, the OSSA contributed to the award of sales contracts worth $92 million USD in 72 countries, an increase of 126 non-disclosure agreements in three years, and a 107% increase in the exports of the project companies. In addition, thanks to the increased capabilities of member companies, a 10% increase was achieved in the business package transfer of main industry companies to SMEs. Another project resulted in an increase of 866 employment overall, a 317% boost in the number of markets (exports to 63 additional countries), and a 77% increase in exports. When the average export figures of the three years before the project are compared with the average export figures of the five years during the project period, it is noted that an annual export increase of 15 million TL was achieved. Some companies signed non-disclosure agreements, and some started the bidding process with foreign businesses, even if they haven't yet begun exporting. With URGE projects, three companies -not previously engaged in exporting- started export activities.
The activities carried out as part of these projects have contributed to the national economy through the employment opportunities provided, and acceleration in exports. Significant progress has been made in contributing to domestic and national projects by limiting imports in the aviation sector with capacity improvements
