The Synergy Meeting organized by the OSTİM Defense and Aerospace Cluster (OSSA) brought together key players in the sector. The program, which included representatives from the business and bureaucratic worlds, highlighted the cluster's contributions to defense and aerospace across the country.
Dr. Celal Sami Tüfekçi, Deputy Undersecretary of the Undersecretariat of Defense Industry (SSM), stated that small businesses are important and that SSM is a "thinking institution," adding, "Instead of small businesses taking standard work from large companies, we are trying to create mechanisms that will enable them to produce more innovative technologies in Turkey. We expect you to play a role as technology-oriented companies. I would like to reiterate here that we are open to all kinds of support."
OSSA organized a Synergy Meeting in Ankara to share the state of the sector and the cluster's role nationwide. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of National Defense, Dr. Celal Sami Tüfekçi; the President of the Ankara Chamber of Industry (ASO), Nurettin Özdebir; the Chairman of the Board of Directors of OSTİM, Orhan Aydın; the Head of the Industrialization Department of the Ministry of National Defense, Bilal Aktaş; the Founding Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering Sciences and Health Systems at Drexel University, USA, Prof. Dr. Banu Onaral; members of the OSTİM Board of Directors; and company representatives.
ICDDA to be held for the third time in 2016 In her opening speech, Cluster Coordinator Hilal Ünal, who provided information about OSSA's activities, stated that participation in international events will continue. Ünal said, “Under the auspices of SSM and with the support of the Turkish Ministry of Economy, we will be holding the International Industrial Cooperation Days in Defence and Aerospace (ICDDA) for the third time in Ankara in 2016. Large foreign companies in the sector have already registered to participate in the event. The requests from our companies are very important to us in our work. We thank the Turkish Ministry of Economy, the biggest supporter of the cluster, and we will continue with URGE projects.”
“Our Goal: Domestic Solutions”
Mithat Ertuğ, Chairman of the Board of OSSA, the host organization, stated that they held the meeting to increase synergy among members as a cluster, to create new collaborations, and to provide the Undersecretariat of Defense Industry with more detailed information about OSSA's activities. Ertuğ said, “OSSA is formed by bringing together NGOs, universities, and the public sector. OSSA is therefore more than just a cluster. It is a national and sectoral cluster. It has 160 members from Ankara, Istanbul, Kayseri, Izmir, and Bursa. Our goal is to implement domestic solutions in the defense and aerospace industry and to increase the exports of SMEs.”
“We achieved this together” OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın pointed out that OSSA has reached a very good point since its establishment. Aydın said: “The Undersecretariat of Defense Industry's control and interest in the sector has made a significant contribution to the formation and development of this cluster. We have an institution that owns the sector, owns the companies, and manages the technology in the defense industry. There is a team in Turkey that can accomplish the most impossible tasks. There is a strategy that knows where it is going. The Ankara Chamber of Industry also highly values our activities and has always stood by us. I think we have all come to a good point together.”
“I thank OSSA” ASO President Nurettin Özdebir began his speech by saying, “I am grateful and very grateful to OSSA, and especially to our state, our government, and the Undersecretariat of Defense Industry.” Highlighting the importance of the Undersecretariat of Defense Industry, Özdebir stated, “I wish that other sectors of Turkey’s growing industry were managed in the same way, with specialized personnel, both in their own work and in their relations with each other, as is the case at the Undersecretariat of Defense Industry.”
The ASO President underlined the following points: “In our country, truly significant work is being done in this field. Perhaps individual successes that you might not consider great, when combined, produce results that will affect global balances. Today, the engine for the largest aircraft, the A380, is manufactured in Eskişehir. All of this is thanks to your contributions. That's why I say, 'Thank you for being here.' The more you and the more organizations supporting you there are, the further we will advance as a country. As long as you, both as a cluster and as OSTİM, maintain this unity and solidarity, we will all reach much better places together.”
“We have the brainpower to reduce external dependence”
Professor Banu Onaral, Founding Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering Sciences and Health Systems at Drexel University in the USA, touched upon the global achievements of Turkish scientists. Onaral said, “Many people from various countries around the world come to America to learn science and technology. Among them, a person from anywhere in Turkey—the recent Nobel Prize being an example of this—always surpasses their peers.”
The experienced academic, explaining the incredible synergy between defense and healthcare, stated, “Generally, what comes from defense goes to healthcare. Both sectors have a sensitive design and production process. Beyond that, they must be safe and effective in use. We are 85-90% dependent on foreign sources for some high value-added products. We have the infrastructure, the human capacity, and the intellectual power we send to the world to reduce this. This intellectual power is ready to work with you at any time.”
“We cannot get anywhere without generating new ideas”
Deputy Undersecretary of the Undersecretariat of Defense Industries, Dr. Celal Sami Tüfekçi, stated that the defense industry has reached a very valuable position. Saying that the sector cannot advance further on its own without other industries, Tüfekçi added, “Because this country needs a collective strength in the industrial ecosystem. We are proud to be a pioneer in this field. But there is much work to be done. Just being proud is not enough; to be fully independent, we need to do good things in every area.”
Stating that small businesses are important and that the Undersecretariat of Defense Industry (SSM) is a "thinking institution," Tüfekçi concluded his speech as follows: "The mission of the Undersecretariat of Defense Industry is essentially to further strengthen industrialists like yourselves and increase their numbers. Instead of small businesses taking standard work from large companies, we are trying to create mechanisms that will enable them to produce more innovative technologies in Turkey. We believe that we cannot get anywhere without generating new ideas, both financially and mechanically. We expect you to play a role as technology-oriented companies. I would like to reiterate here that we are open to all kinds of support."
OSSA IN BRIEF
OSSA, which has defined its vision as "increasing the share of domestic production in meeting the needs of the defense and aerospace sectors," aims to make its member companies competitive in the international market. Founded in 2007, OSSA is an effective interface between SMEs and government institutions, a significant support mechanism for SMEs in consulting, business development and promotion, a platform that produces common solutions to the common problems of SMEs, the shortest way for original equipment manufacturers to reach more subcontractors, a gateway for SMEs working in the sector to enter international markets, a reliable partner for R&D projects of universities and research centers, and the most up-to-date sectoral database for government institutions and original equipment manufacturers. www.ostimsavunma.org
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