Major Aerospace and Defence Sub-Industry Firms Gathered in Ankara

Industrial Cooperation Days in Defence and Aerospace event that was organized and hosted by OSSA OSTİM Cluster for Defence and Aerospace and BCI took place in March 6-8, 2013 in Ankara under the auspices of the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM). Foreign original equipment manufacturers, suppliers, small and medium sized enterprises (SME) and parent industry firms of the defence industry had the opportunity to exchange information and increase their capabilities through various conferences and bilateral discussions in the event that lasted for three days and was attended by approximately 100 international corporations. 

In the Opening Speech of the event, Mr. Stephane Castet, Chief Executive Officer of the BCI Aerospace expressed that Turkey was one of the leading countries in defence industry and underlined Turkey’s strategic importance regarding the future developments. Castet emphasized that these factors were considered while choosing OSSA as the partner in the organization of the event and informed the participants that Turkey assumed a role as a strategic bridge between Europe and the Middle East. Castet said that more than 2000 bilateral discussions will be made within the scope of the event and added that positive results were expected from these dialogues.

Murad Bayar: ‘‘Turkey’s industry turnover increased fourfold during the last 10 years.’’

Murad Bayar, Undersecretary for Defence Industries mentioned in his speech at the opening ceremony that they rely on Ankara’s industry and sub-industry firms and SME’s on defence and aerospace and claimed that nearly 100 firms attending the event are the indicators of this trust and added that firms have to comply with the international standards of the defence and aerospace industry. Bayar said: “Regarding the defence and aerospace sector, Turkey’s industry turnover increased fourfold during the last ten years, total amount of exports increased 5 times and sector’s investments in R&D rose ten times”. Bayar stressed on Turkey’s advantage in human resources in the defence and aerospace industry and mentioned that the engineers and technicians’ knowledge and skills are in line with the international standards. Bayar stated the importance of sub-industry in the sector and said: “We could manufacture a plane but if we are talking about a real sector then we have to produce the composite material over the plane as well as the carbon fibre inside it”.

Bayar, underlined the fact that the sub-industry firms do not only serve a single sector and added that these firms use the technology they gained in defence and aerospace industry in other fields they worked and claimed that this increases the added value of Ankara and Turkey’s industry. Bayar emphasized that the infrastructural studies would continue and referred to the efforts in Kazan. He told the participants that a great organized industrial site for aviation was established in Kazan and that it shall operate during the next year.

Bayar:  We will open a Space and Integration Centre within TAI.

Bayar said that their efforts related to TAI continued and stated that they established a space satellite integration centre in TAI and added: ‘’We will open the Space Satellite Integration Centre this year and thus we will have a modern facility in Turkey where we could make all sorts of observations and the production integration tests of the communication satellite”. Bayar reminded the audience of their investment on radar technologies at Gölbaşı and stated that a significant unit of Aselsan will be positioned in this place.

 Stating that Turkey will become a competent country in aerospace, Bayar also mentioned that Turkey reached a higher level in automotive manufacturing so this goal could be achieved in aviation sector as well. Bayar added that the international aviation companies were in search of firms that reached the quality standards having professional management for cooperation.

Muharrem Dörtkaşlı, TAI General Manager announced that they increased the 50 thousand hours of service in 2006 to over 1 million hours by the end of the last year as a result of the strategic agreements they made. Dörtkaşlı said that they shared significant part of their workload with the sub-industry and that they would continue to increase this cooperation. Dörtkaşlı mentioned that they would have a great workload in the future as a result of the increase in the orders due to the developments in Turkish civilian aviation and their achievements and told that they would share this workload with the sub-industry.

Dörtkaşlı stated that TAI was a company that has world-class production and a global power of competition and as a firm they were pleased to cooperate with the sub-industry and advised the foreign investors to cooperate with these sub-industry firms as well.

Nurettin Özdebir, Head of Ankara Chamber of Industry said that having 8 organized industrial sites, Ankara was a city open to developments with a friendly atmosphere. Özdebir expressed that Ankara was accustomed to aviation reminding that the very first aircraft factories were established in this city. Özdebir claimed that Ankara deserved to become the centre of the defence and aviation industry with her current facilities and capabilities and mentioned that the city’s potential in these areas was increasing every day. Özdebir recalled that Ankara was selected as the most competitive city in Turkey telling that this level of competitive skills was not only owed to the economic infrastructure and the universities, but the potential the city has, was one of the factors that affected this selection. Özdebir emphasized that Ankara was the centre of the innovative investments bearing high technology and added: “Ankara has 6 excellent techno-parks and 16 universities and the number of the technology firms are increasing each day”. Özdebir stressed Ankara’s achievement in software area and stated that the techno-parks in the city accomplished such projects that only a few companies in the world could deal with and that he is proud of the techno-parks for their success. 

Orhan Aydın, OSTİM Chairman of Board expressed that they were acquainted with this organization in Mexico last year and they then brought the event to Ankara. Aydın claimed that the defence industry cluster in Ankara was the driving force of the event’s moving to Ankara and added that he expected fruitful results from the organization. 

Mithat Ertuğ, Head of OSTİM Defence and Aviation Cluster mentioned that the event aimed to build cooperation by displaying the firms the opportunities and facilities in the bilateral discussions. Inviting the participants to a future event in October 2014, Ertuğ said that the cooperation stemming from the dialogues shall bring favourable outcomes.