Prof. Dr. Emre Alkin
Moderator
In these meetings we hold in our Organized Industrial Zones across the country, it's usually always us men. This leaves us somewhat lacking; we don't benefit from the richness that women can bring to the meeting. But as you know, the Republic of Turkey is a modernization project where women and men walk side by side, equally. Indeed, OSTIM proves this. We know OSTIM will exist, but OSTIM will, of course, exist by utilizing the latest technological possibilities and, if possible, 5G, enabling automation to the best of its ability.
Orhan Aydın
Chairman of the Board of Directors of OSTİM
It's important not to perceive the OSTİM region, which we're discussing under the heading of "OSTİM," simply as an organized industrial zone, like other regions. As managers here, we focused on the development and progress of the region, and we tried to implement certain structures and prototype models in our region that weren't present in other areas.
While considering what we should do to help SMEs increase their competitiveness, enhance regional competitiveness, surpass other regions, and compete globally, the concept of "clustering" emerged.
The categories we identified were defense and aerospace, medical, and industrial and construction machinery. Renewable energy wasn't among them initially, but we later added it ourselves as a category for the future. Similarly, a cluster related to rubber technologies was formed inspired by these studies. Later, other structures emerged aimed at solving Turkey's problems.
We intervened when the Ankara metro tender was being held. However, we were completely blocked; no one listened to us. We stubbornly insisted, saying, "It can be done, it's possible, there are examples in the world..." Ultimately, we managed to get a 51% domestic content requirement included in the Ankara metro tender. After this requirement, our rail systems cluster was formed. It turned out that there were many companies in Turkey involved in this work, and if these companies came together, they could build light rail, metro, and high-speed rail, but we weren't aware of any of this. We realized that we were all like the Phoenix, the Simurg, without even knowing it. Then, as a result of the work done with this cluster, the Ministry of Transportation, and the Prime Ministry, we finally managed to get the paragraph "Light rail, metro, and high-speed rail will be built entirely domestically and nationally" included in the 11th Development Plan.
A similar event occurred with 5G. During the 4.5G tender, a 45% domestic content requirement was set. We brought together all the communications companies in Turkey, and it turned out there were many more "Simurg" (a reference to a Turkish telecommunications company) in that area as well. We all looked at each other and said, "Can we develop 5G on a turnkey basis, end-to-end, entirely domestically and nationally? Yes, we can." That's how we found ourselves involved in communications technology. Actually, there aren't many companies related to communications in OSTİM (a Turkish telecommunications company), so we had to establish and oversee the communications technologies cluster ourselves.
We are making intensive efforts through clusters to improve the foreign trade of our companies. We are constantly engaged in training, consultancy, and mobilization. At the same time, we are trying to establish all the components that will meet the needs of the region in terms of vocational education, such as apprenticeship training, industrial vocational high schools, vocational colleges, and universities.
We test ourselves from time to time. Is there an equivalent of this in the world? In this regard, we compare our clusters with those in Europe.
We established our university to address the most frequent complaint from companies regarding applied training, and we are trying to implement it this year. We tell the professors there, "Professor, your job isn't just to teach the students here; you will also knock on the doors of all the companies in OSTİM. These companies will survive, compete, and remain standing alongside companies worldwide. They will develop and grow. They will reach Industry 4.0. You are responsible for all of this."
Much emphasis has been placed on reading the future. This means there are those who design the future, and we are trying to understand it. So, reading the future means following behind. Who is designing the future? For example, who designed Industry 4.0? I'm constantly thinking about what to do in response to Industry 4.0. What is the person who designed Industry 4.0 thinking? We are always focusing on what we should do, rather than what the other side is doing, and we are constantly forced to expend effort on reactive solutions.
Coşkun Gökçe
Halkbank Ankara 3rd Region Coordinator
OSTİM is the apple of our country's eye. I've been working here for a year and a half. I previously worked at the general management level, but seeing the realities of OSTİM in the field, being close to the companies, and witnessing firsthand what's being done here is much more important. I've felt the importance of this very closely during my time working here. In that sense, our companies in OSTİM are doing very good work, great work.
Sıtkı Öztuna
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Supply Technical Inc.
Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone
I own a company that I've been running for 53 years, and I'm the second generation; İkmal Tek. San. Tic. A.Ş. We've had a very good relationship with Halkbank for many years. As a company that uses their credit, we also support Halkbank through the interest payments we make. I'm not a manufacturer; I sell hardware, hand tools, and machinery in the industrial food market. I don't manufacture anything myself. I don't work with government institutions. Following my father's will, I only sell to the private sector.
Mehmet Alkan
General Manager of Alkan Machinery Industry
Member of the OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone Supervisory Board
After working in the private sector for two years, I founded my own company. During that process, we received the greatest support from Halkbank. As you know, we had no capital, no resources; we started with just one lathe. As industrialists, we have a problem with banks: mortgages are renewed every year. Or rather, mortgage appraisals. I always work with state-owned banks. We can't do without banks because we can't invest without credit, we can't grow without investment, so credit is essential for us. It's indispensable. I attach great importance to university-industry collaboration. As an industrialist, I want to cooperate with universities.
Nihat Güçlü
Eptim Electric Company Manager
Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of OSTİM ENERJİK
We don't receive any support from the state, and we don't receive any in the first place. We can only manage our business with the help of banks. We don't stop; as a company, we do R&D, we work for the defense industry, we try to produce a product that is not manufactured in Turkey, and we strive to get support from TÜBİTAK and KOSGEB. We get stuck at a certain point.
OSTİM is constantly growing and expanding, and its population is increasing. Currently, there are approximately 70,000 people living in OSTİM. When we first arrived, there was nobody here; we were only a thousand people. Therefore, inevitably, there are problems with the infrastructure. Of course, I also think there are many things we need to do.
Gülnaz Karaosmanoğlu
Director of OSTİM Foundation
Our companies, without exception, face all the problems that companies of all sizes experience across Turkey, and perhaps even globally. Furthermore, we are experiencing the fate of our own geography, specific to our region. OSTİM, beyond its own political geography, has expanded its sphere of influence to the cluster geography, particularly through planned cluster initiatives implemented over the last 10 years. That is, it has expanded into the sphere of influence of clusters. Yes, physically, we face problems within our own political borders, but our sphere of influence is very large. For example, in the planning of public procurement and its connection to SMEs and domestic production, OSTİM has become a key player, a spokesperson for sectors and industrial policies.
We need minds and knowledge that can foresee the future. Otherwise, everything we discuss remains within the rules of the old game, but someone else is setting up a different game elsewhere. This is a completely different technology; it doesn't seem like an ordinary technological development. If we can create an ecosystem within the boundaries of this industrial zone that communicates with each other and shares resources by transitioning to automation, it could be an interesting situation for both us and Turkey. I see this as an opportunity. But we absolutely need to be able to foresee the future of technology, especially in the areas where we are strong: machinery and machining.
Kemal Önder Kefoğlu
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Inovasis Elektronik
The companies in OSTİM are generally small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). I think this is a very good thing because there is a point on which all developed countries agree: innovation and novelty in the world are born from small firms. Large firms become increasingly cumbersome, things take too long there, and innovations usually come from small firms. Therefore, all countries want to protect SMEs. Look, I'll mention a law in the US; the Small Business Act. At the beginning, it says, "Our economic growth will be driven by small companies"; therefore, "It is essential for the government to support small and medium-sized enterprises," and they passed such a law.
OSTİM's structure consists of small and medium-sized enterprises. We even say there are many commercial businesses. This is generally an industrial zone that produces intermediate goods, not final goods. The companies that produce final goods are the ones that make the real money. Final goods producers pressure intermediate goods producers to lower their prices. As a result, these intermediate goods producers are forced to disappear.
I believe that companies in OSTİM need to specialize. Specialization and improved quality are crucial. A company might be very small, but if it specializes in a particular area, it can sell its products anywhere in the world.
Dr. Begüm Şahin, Assistant Professor
Head of International Trade and Finance Department, Director of Entrepreneurship and Leadership Center at OSTiMTECH
In terms of university-industry collaboration, our government has had a system in place since around 2014 through technology transfer offices. This is actually a functioning system, and in many of our universities, it has transformed into a structure that brings together TÜBİTAK and KOSGEB programs, EU projects, as well as investment, patent, and entrepreneurship processes under one umbrella. We have also established such a center at our university. We also have an entrepreneurship center. We work closely with both sides. We have a project office, and we are always ready regarding the issues mentioned by our esteemed chairpersons.
We want to conduct a study involving OSTİM companies, focusing on topics such as impact analysis, export performance, and innovation capabilities. We also aim to revitalize social entrepreneurship. We are a higher education institution located within the industry, a concept known in the literature as an "Industrial University," and there are examples of this around the world. This is what sets us apart and what sets us apart.
Ömer Serdar Marasalı
OSTİM Foundation Finance Coordinator
Access to financing is a major problem for all companies. Especially in the last two years, with a financing burden of 30-35%, loans that were worth 100 lira then are now worth 170-180 lira. Therefore, the fact that interest rates have fallen to 12-13% these days is irrelevant at that point. A giant snowball is standing there. The possibility of rolling over this at 12% is quite difficult because it's stalled. There is a liquidity shortage. Assets have decreased, expenses have increased. As a result, rolling over debts and getting rid of the financing burden has become difficult. Of course, part of this problem stems from the companies themselves. For example, when there is a currency crisis, instead of thinking about cutting back and bearing the cost to continue their business, they think, "It will come every 5-10 years anyway, let's continue until that comes." Companies have difficulty protecting themselves. In an environment where all inputs are in foreign currency, it is certain that there will be a need for foreign currency. So what needs to be done? You have to work with banks and financial institutions, and bear the cost to continue your business.
Abdullah Çörtü
General Manager of OSTİM Investment Inc.
Our company's greatest distinguishing feature is its operation as a system integrator in OSTİM. What sets OSTİM apart from other Organized Industrial Zones is precisely these types of umbrella organizations. These organizations increase OSTİM's added value, competitiveness, and brand value. Some are social in nature, some represent a shared will, such as clusters. Some are educational, such as universities. All these organizations enhance OSTİM's strength.
We are also a commercial system integrator. What do we do? Firstly, we develop and manage real estate and business centers that will increase the value of OSTİM. Secondly, there are companies in OSTİM with strong assets but weak liabilities. As you know, banks are institutions with very strict regulations. Even if they wanted to, they cannot normally show certain flexibilities. We try to bring large projects to OSTİM by forming project partnerships and consortia with companies that are experts in their fields and have very good business capabilities.
One of OSTİM's most important characteristics is that it consists of micro-enterprises. There's no depth here, only breadth. OSTİM's biggest advantage is that it's an entrepreneurial incubation center. In large factories, workers perform a specific task at a particular point on the production line, but that's all they do. It's not like that in OSTİM. Because production in OSTİM is more on a custom order basis, the workers here become proficient in the entire production process and, over time, develop the ambition to say, "I can start my own business." This might be disadvantageous from a micro perspective; the current employer might actually be uncomfortable with it, but from a macro perspective, it's a significant asset. In short, OSTİM constantly produces entrepreneurs. It has such an infrastructure, such a habitat.
Veli Murat Çelik
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Extunda Inc.
HTK Board Member
In Turkey, there is indeed knowledge and people in the telecommunications field, but there is no tangible product. Unfortunately, Turkey has always been focused on services, on providing services related to advanced technology. Now, looking at it this way, what is OSTİM, what does it do? As I said, we are an individual entity, but when we came to OSTİM, we saw this: OSTİM is a model area! Our sector didn't push OSTİM forward saying, "We need such a unifying entity"; interestingly, when OSTİM said, "I can unite, come on in," many people came here. OSTİM is transferring its own culture and experience to our sector.
Let's say you want to build a tank; if no one gives you a part for that tank, you can't build it. We were also hardware-dependent. There were no hardware manufacturers in Turkey, meaning we couldn't assemble the processors or that advanced technology hardware ourselves. Therefore, we couldn't enter that field in the past. But now, you pay $5,000, buy a server, install some things on it, and suddenly you have a value of $50,000.
The fundamental element, the main capital, and the main expense of the electronic communications sector is people and knowledge. If you're working with advanced technology like we do, you can't just sit down today and do it tomorrow. These are long-term projects, and in our field, simply having a university degree isn't enough, nor is having a master's degree; it requires a level of in-depth knowledge equivalent to a doctorate.
Akman Karakülah
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Babacan Rubber
Chairman of the Board of Directors of OSTİM Rubber Technologies Cluster
There are probably 12-13 Organized Industrial Zones in Ankara now, but we still haven't been able to establish OSTIM 2. My chairman tried very hard. When we couldn't establish it, we started spreading out to other Organized Industrial Zones. The Second Organized Industrial Zone was established, Anadolu was established, Başkent, Hasanoğlan, etc., others were established. Now, the aerospace specialized zone is being established and it's progressing rapidly; I'm closely following its work. If we had been able to establish OSTIM 2, we would have moved the growing industrialists from OSTIM to OSTIM 2, and they would have continued their relationships there.
We're fed up with bureaucracy. Therefore, our lives have been spent, and still are, following the trail of metal and rubber in industry; we're still working on it. This country is ours; we have nowhere else to go. We will keep running around as long as we live and as long as we have the strength.
If you get a loan you can repay, you grow. Everything I've acquired, I've acquired with the bank. We bought businesses with the bank, we built factories with the bank. So banks are indispensable, but of course, banks' interest rates fluctuate from time to time. When interest rates rise, you can't invest, and when they fall, it becomes difficult to get a loan. So there are problems on both sides.
Halide Rasim
General Manager of Rasim Makina
Chairman of the Board of Directors of İŞİM
We began to attach even more importance to becoming a national cluster when we saw that the 11th Development Plan referred to a national machinery cluster.
We have historical export figures for our cluster members that are measurable. A very clear improvement of over 120% has been recorded, especially in the companies participating in the UR-GE program, both in finding new export markets and in increasing export figures.
I've started to see the fact that 99% of the businesses here are SMEs, especially with so many shallow, horizontal businesses in this region, as more of a disadvantage than an advantage. The quality of the entrepreneurs here, the proper monitoring and supervision of the market, the accurate identification of OSTİM industrialists, and perhaps the establishment of a productivity center or an assessment center with the support of a university are very important. We are working towards this. We believe that entrepreneurs should be classified by these centers. OSTİM can do this.
I don't think state support in our country is insufficient; I just think it's not distributed correctly. Giving a failing company 50,000 lira will only allow it to operate for a maximum of two more months, essentially increasing its debt to the region. You'll be performing CPR for two more months, but the crisis will worsen.
There's another point: cooperation in exports! This means that we need to go together to a business where each of us is a supplier and make a joint agreement. I'm talking about joint sales and after-sales service. Selling machinery in a market where we can't provide after-sales service doesn't make our exports sustainable.
Adem Arıcı
OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone Regional Manager
As a Regional Directorate, we are an organization that provides customer-focused services, handling all business and transactions of companies in the region with a one-stop office approach. We serve these companies by facilitating their operations and providing support. We strive to work with a customer-centric approach and continuously measure the quality of the services we provide. Accordingly, we make the necessary improvements and move forward.
OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone has now become an area within the city. Therefore, 14-15 years ago, we initiated a project to change the surroundings, physical infrastructure, and appearance of OSTİM. We dedicated significant effort to this project for approximately 10 years. We have already begun the transformation and modernization efforts. Although the zoning amnesty has somewhat hindered our work, we will accelerate this transformation even further.
Our vision is this: In OSTİM, we want technology-focused companies, larger-scale producers, those producing with higher added value, and those producing through R&D to remain here. Beyond that, we have an OSTİM Employment Office Center that works in coordination with İŞKUR (Turkish Employment Agency) to find and connect our industrialists with qualified personnel. This center brings together job seekers and employers, acting as a shared human resources department for companies in our region. Furthermore, we have very high expectations from our OSTİM Technical University in the region. We strongly believe in this project and have no doubt that it will meet the need for qualified personnel for our industrialists here. However, we had previously initiated a project that serves as a model for this OSTİM Technical University. We have a 3-semester applied vocational school that we run in collaboration with Gazi University. This school trains not just mid-level employees, but highly sought-after employees. It graduates 500-600 students annually, and all graduates are employed by companies in the region. I believe this is a prime example of a project that addresses the shortage of skilled workers, particularly engineers, and that it's a successful model that can be replicated in other regions.
Yasar Ozelge
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Atisan Industrial Site
Member of the Board of Directors of OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone
I founded my company in 1975, and that's when I first had contact with banks. We were working with two private banks, and one day the Halkbank manager visited us and invited us to work with them, so we went. I'll describe the branch; there was a group of middle-aged and older employees, wearing those old-fashioned armbands. There was an employee signing for the authorized person, the authorized person signing for the supervisor, the supervisor signing for the manager… Five signatures in total. I said to the manager, "Sir, it's impossible to work here. These five signatures take half an hour to an hour, but we do this much faster at a private bank. So you need to change the system." Fortunately, the system changed with Pamukbank's merger with Halkbank. Mr. Hüseyin Aydın brought a great boost to the company, and that's when we started working there.
I was the vice president of a cooperative, and we built 155 workshops, each measuring 1,000 square meters. During that process, Halkbank provided us with a 20 trillion lira loan based on entitlements. We completed that project, and it turned out very well; we thanked Halkbank because we were able to accomplish such a project. Secondly, and I'm speaking from a more recent perspective, there's hardly anyone in the industry who hasn't had dealings with Halkbank.
Ahmet Mithat Ertuğ
Founding Partner of EMGE Inc.
OSSA Board Chairman
Member of the Board of Directors of OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone
I've been a manufacturer for 55 years. I've been in OSTİM for 40 years, and this year marks my 40th anniversary. Back then, there were only 10 companies in OSTİM. Today, OSTİM, along with its institutions, has become a very large organized industrial zone, gaining value in everything from communication to transportation.
One of the most important pillars of our cluster is the public sector. Without the public sector, we wouldn't be able to run some of these operations. Of course, money and finance are paramount.
Our counterparts abroad want to see a guarantor company, and we wanted to grow our SMEs tenfold here. But we couldn't achieve this goal, especially in the Organized Industrial Zone in this HAB region. Our aim was both to demonstrate strong subcontracting behind TAI and to grow the SMEs tenfold. Because the other side needed to see you as strong. We tried to explain this persistently. We said, "When you say tenfold SME growth, you mean tenfold employment, and tenfold employment means tenfold added value." At that time, 400 million lira was needed for infrastructure, and we said, "You will amortize that 400 million lira in two years through value-added tax," but we couldn't get anyone to understand this.
Industry 4.0, digitalization, artificial intelligence, etc… Actually, these are technologies already being used in Turkey according to demand. We talk about Industry 4.0, but in which sector? We need to think about that first. What will Industry 4.0 bring and take away? In terms of competition, if you have very high-volume manufacturing, Industry 4.0 is inevitable. Those involved in mass production, from car manufacturers to appliance manufacturers, are all already scrutinizing their production processes in real-time, down to the second. These are things that already exist, but for some reason, they've been highlighted in the last 4-5 years.
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