The ESBAS Industrial Park is developed and operated by ESBAS, an American based Company. Some 360 people work at ESBAS’ miscellaneous departments. ESBAS holds a number of ISO certificates namely, ISO 9001, 14001, 18001 and HACCP. ESBAS is the only Industrial Park in the world, besides having the advantages of being a free zone, holding all these certificates.

Current Status at ESBAS

Companies continue proceeding with their investment plans at the ESBAS Industrial Park despite the global financial turmoil. One of the world’s leading companies in the automotive supply industry, Gates (an American based company), decided to build a plant in ESBAS after having looked into investment opportunities in other countries. Gates will launch its manufacturing activities in 2010 in a 25,000 sq. meters facility. Furthermore, in the past year alone, nine companies have decided to expand their existing facilities in ESBAS and by so doing added a total investment of 144,000 Euros and will provide an additional employment of nearly 3000 people.

Turkey’s Number One Foreign Direct Investment Recipient: ESBAS

The ESBAS Industrial Park, also enjoying free zone advantages, attracts the majority of foreign direct investment among all free zones in Turkey. The ESBAS Industrial Park alone accounts for one third of the total employment and investment of the 20 free zones in Turkey.

ESBAS attracts what are called “Greenfield” investments which are of a permanent and sustainable nature. Some of the world’s most important companies are operating in ESBAS. These include : Hugo Boss (Germany), Delphi Automotive (USA), Delphi Diesel (USA), Mahle (Germany), Aero (Germany), Stork Fokker Elmo (Netherlands), Lisi (France), Eldor Electronics (Italy), PFW Aviation(Germany), and Safe Spice (United Kingdom), among others.

ESBAS’ Food and Health Services & Sports and Art Facilities
Companies meet the dining needs of their employees through the ESBAS Industrial Kitchen capable of serving 17,000 meals per day. Two cafeterias and a restaurant, also operated by ESBAS, are available for employees in the Park.

The day care and preschool needs of employees’ children are provided by the Child Care Center with a capacity of up to 150 children. Employees are able to engage in all kinds of sports activities in ESBAS’ open and enclosed sports areas.

ESBAS also operates a medical clinic in the Park providing emergency medical service, medical tests and similar services to qualified employees in the Park. The medical clinic with three general practitioner medics and two specialist doctors and four nurses, is able to provide government provided prescriptions through the social security system for anyone working in the Park.

An antique automobile museum displays some 20 cars going back to the 1920’s. A sculpture garden displays sculptures made of scraps metal from the factories, by local artists.

Space Camp Turkey

Space Camp Turkey, an ESBAS enterprise, is a major attraction center for young people between the ages of 9-15 from many countries around the world as well as from Turkey. Since its opening in 2000, Space Camp Turkey has hosted over 80,000 young people from 45 countries including the USA, China, Greece, Germany, Israel, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Jordan, Georgia, and the United Kingdom. ESBAS also provides scholarships for financially disadvantaged children to attend the six-day summer camp sessions.

New Initiatives from ESBAS: “Sustainable Science Bridges” and “Aerospace Cluster”

ESBAS is working with TASSA-Turkish American Scientists and Scholars Association to initiate “Sustainable Science Bridge” project with the aim of developing relations between the Turkish scientists in the United States of America and those in Turkey, thus bringing new technologies to Turkey, as well as cultivating cooperation between universities and industries in both countries.

Now, a member of AeroPortal-Internet Portal for Aeronautics SMEs in Europe, ESBAS aims to contribute to the start-up and development of collaboration between European SMEs and Turkish companies via the Izmir Aerospace Cluster project.

ESBAS aims to help set up and develop an “Aerospace Cluster” in Izmir in order to increase the competitive power of the companies within the cluster. Know-how transfers as well as the exchange of information leading to the manufacturing of innovative products by using the most developed technologies will make the Park more attractive for foreign direct investors in the Aerospace sector.
Some of the Most Important Advantages of the ESBAS Industrial Park and Aegean Free Zone:

• Manufacturing companies are exempt from corporate tax, those that export the majority of their products are also exempt from income tax for their employees,
• Turk Eximbank provides financial support for exporters,
• No VAT is applied on Turkish goods and services for companies in the Park,
• Earnings and revenues are transferred free of charge,
• Operating licenses for up to 49 years may be issued to manufacturing companies,
• Bureaucracy is minimized.