The General Directorate of Shipyards of the Ministry of National Defence and the OSTİM Defence and Aerospace Cluster (OSSA) came together at a meeting held in OSTİM.
The meeting was attended by OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın, Acting General Manager of Shipyards Emre Dinçer, Deputy General Manager Rear Admiral Mehmet Sarı and department heads, OSSA Board Chairman Mithat Ertuğ and cluster members.
During the meeting, the expectations of the General Directorate of Shipyards from the companies were explained. OSSA members also provided the delegation with information about their production capabilities.
The guests were informed about the Industrial Cooperation Days in Defence and Aerospace (ICDDA), which will be organized for the fifth time by the cluster in 2020, and were invited to the event.
OSSA Chairman Mithat Ertuğ thanked the General Directorate of Shipyards executives who came to OSTİM to listen to the capabilities of its members. Ertuğ stated that they are always ready for collaborations.
There's nothing that can't be done with clusters.
OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın stated that it was very meaningful to see the General Directorate of Military Factories and Shipyards together with industrialists within the industry.
Aydın emphasized that OSSA is not limited to OSTİM alone; it is a defense and aerospace cluster that reaches all industrial sectors of Ankara and has many members from other cities in Anatolia.
Highlighting the structure of the cluster, Orhan Aydın continued: “It is not just made up of companies. It also includes public institutions, research centers, universities that support these companies, and serves as an important interface for public-industry collaboration.”
In addition to defense and aerospace, OSTİM is currently hosting seven clustering activities in the medical industry, renewable energy technologies, rubber technologies, rail systems, communication technologies, and construction machinery sectors.
This means it represents the power of all of Ankara and Turkish industry. When we bring these clusters together, when we combine this synergy, we don't accept anything that can't be done. We believe we can do anything.”
Underlining the importance they place on university-industry collaborations, Aydın pointed out that they are in contact with 22 universities in Ankara and explained that they established Ostim Technopark in partnership with 7 universities. Aydın said, "Here, by collaborating, joining forces, and combining our intellects, we are at your service 24 hours a day to meet the needs of our country, especially our defense industry, and to remove all obstacles in the way of our country's independence and future."
First meeting with OSSA
Emre Dinçer, Acting General Manager of Shipyards, stated that he had attended a light rail systems sector meeting in OSTİM three years ago. He added that he was in OSTİM today for a meeting concerning the defense and aerospace systems sector, and described OSTİM as a brand with a truly broad perspective.
Dinçer stated that OSTİM provides different, valuable, and precious support and contributions in every product range, and shared his opinion, saying, "This is also my first meeting as an individual. In this respect, it is very valuable for me personally."
“Our priority is to increase the share of domestic production”
Emre Dinçer, explaining the priorities of the General Directorate of Shipyards, provided the following information: “We have some very good work going on internally. The important thing is that our country's industry should be the only place where we can economically and quickly produce this product, which is sought after, expected, and truly indispensable in the international arena. This is one of our main goals.”
One of our top national priorities in naval defense systems and maintenance and repair activities is increasing the share of domestic production. In this area, one of our aims is to contribute to making our defense industry SMEs competitive and sought-after companies in national and international markets.
We are always open to all kinds of cooperation in every field. We are always ready to provide whatever contribution and support we can. The development of OSTİM and OSSA in this area will be achieved through the synergy of you and us. Especially in international markets, acting and serving as a single entity is among our priorities.”
“I know what OSTİM is capable of”
Rear Admiral Mehmet Sarı, Deputy General Manager of Shipyards, drew attention to the capabilities of the companies in OSTİM, saying, "We are among those who best know what OSTİM can do and what it has done. We have very capable and qualified companies here."
"We know you are the unsung heroes. We are following these things very closely, and we know very well what you can do quickly and at low cost to speed things up," he said.
“We want to have all of them produced domestically”
Rear Admiral Sarı stated that they wanted to meet their needs urgently, saying, "There are products that we have difficulty obtaining from abroad, products we have been unable to obtain. We want to have all of them produced domestically. We don't have a problem with continuing to buy from abroad for products where we don't have supply problems. We want to try to produce everything here."
"If we can also sell abroad, we will improve our quality. If we compete with others, we will see their capabilities and expertise. In the world, especially in the defense industry, if you don't have to be better than everyone else, you will face a survival problem," he said.
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