The program was attended by MKE General Manager Ahmet Taşkın, OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın, OSTİM Board Vice Chairman Sıtkı Öztuna, OSSA Board Chairman Mithat Ertuğ, purchasing officials from MKE's 12 factories, and nearly 50 OSSA members.
OSSA companies also had the opportunity to present their production capabilities to MKE executives through the program. The companies held nearly 200 bilateral meetings during the program.
“The sector offers significant opportunities for SMEs”
OSSA Chairman Mithat Ertuğ stated that bilateral business meetings are the most effective method of cooperation. Highlighting the current state of the defense and aerospace sector, Ertuğ said, “Turkey has now entered a period of maturity. The sector's size exceeds 3.5 billion dollars, and it creates more than 50,000 jobs. The sector also offers significant opportunities and possibilities for SMEs. The fact that 30% of the total turnover of the defense industry, defined as defense and aerospace, is provided by the sub-industry, mostly composed of SMEs, clearly demonstrates the importance of SMEs in this sector.”
“Small businesses are very valuable”
OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın stated that MKE is one of the most important institutions forming the defense and aerospace ecosystem in Ankara. Orhan Aydın emphasized that the presence of organizations such as Aselsan, TAI, FNSS, and Roketsan in Ankara has naturally created a sub-industry ecosystem that serves the main industry.
Aydın emphasized that major industrial firms serve as a school for small businesses, stating, “A group of firms capable of producing quality products, providing services to this sector, and maintaining quality and standards has been formed. We, as OSSA, have brought them together under one roof. Small businesses are very valuable. We must consider each one a gem. We have firms here that will cooperate with you in every way; we are at your service. You have made significant contributions to the formation, development, and improvement of the quality of these firms. Entrepreneurs who have graduated from your school have made a huge contribution here. They do the things that cannot be done. They solve the problems that cannot be solved.”
“OSSA is making a significant contribution”
MKE General Manager Ahmet Taşkın said, "For the good of our country, we want to share our burden with you." Taşkın noted that OSTİM and OSSA are valuable brands and that their members make significant contributions to the development and progress of our country.
Ahmet Taşkın stated that MKE works with main suppliers for 30-40% of its manufacturing operations, adding, “We have a goal to double this. In our 2018 budget plan, our revenue target for manufacturing is 2 billion TL. This means that the turnover in manufacturing will increase to 1.3-1.4 billion TL. We can succeed if we share the workload. However, quality and timely delivery are important in the defense industry. I believe that OSTİM and OSSA companies also hold an important position in price competitiveness.”
General Manager Taşkın stated that the institution has a museum at its Tandoğan campus, where the history of both Turkey's industrial and defense industries can be seen, and added, “We also have a photo museum. The photographs show workers producing and repairing ammunition and weapons in our factories during the War of Independence. The common point is this: Our women, grandmothers, and children are working. While those who could hold weapons were fighting on the front lines, those who remained united. In the current state of siege that Turkey is in, what we must do is to come together with all companies and be in this state of mind, as if we are fighting a second War of Independence.”
Photos
