Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş, Ankara City Council President Halil İbrahim Yılmaz, and municipal officials visited OSTİM Technical University.
Mayor Yavaş held discussions with Orhan Aydın, Chairman of the OSTİM Board of Directors and Chairman of the OSTİM Technical University Board of Trustees, Prof. Dr. Murat Yülek, Rector of OSTİM Technical University, and Adem Arıcı, Regional Manager of OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone, regarding potential projects to be undertaken jointly with OSTİM.
During the remainder of his visit, Yavaş was briefed by faculty members on the training opportunities in the laboratories of OSTİM Technical University.
A local content requirement must definitely be included.
Yavaş stated that the municipality supports OSTİM, and pointed to the capabilities and competencies of the region's companies and clusters, saying, "We included a condition for local firms in the metro pre-qualification tender. The project will be prepared, and when it reaches the construction phase, we will definitely include a condition for local firms. Because OSTİM is a place that has the capacity to achieve this."
Highlighting the importance of Organized Industrial Zones (OIZs) for the city's economy, Mansur Yavaş stated that the municipality will continue to provide the services that OIZs need and that they work together with OIZs to meet employment demands.
There are companies that build the entire subway system.
Orhan Aydın, Chairman of the OSTİM Board of Directors and Chairman of the OSTİM Technical University Board of Trustees, explained that approximately 10 years ago, with a project spearheaded by the late Prof. Dr. Sedat Çelikdoğan, they localized the production of more than 200 parts for the Ankara metro.
Aydın, recalling that the repair and maintenance of the two metro wagons involved in the accident were also carried out in OSTİM, said, “We fought to make the Ankara metro domestically produced. Of course, a Chinese company got the job. Even so, a condition was set to make 51% of it domestically produced. Now this 51% has increased to 70-80%. We even have domestic and national brands that produce the entire metro.”
In terms of meeting the needs of municipalities, Orhan Aydın, drawing attention to Ankara's university, industry, and technopark ecosystem, stated, "There is incredible potential that can be utilized in Ankara. Turkey's most intellectual capacity is in Ankara. But there is a need for a mechanism to coordinate this."
“Be a pioneer in helping Ankara companies expand globally”
OSTİM Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Murat Yülek emphasized that Ankara is an industrial city. Yülek stated, “It is very important that you follow the local content requirement introduced as mayor. Because, God willing, you will be the pioneer in opening Ankara companies to the world. Ankara's industry needs to become a global industry under your leadership. This applies to every mayor.”
Murat Yülek, pointing out the contributions of choosing local products to the country's economy and their impact on social life, shared his view: "If a metro vehicle that our municipality will purchase with our taxes, and that we can produce here, is manufactured abroad, our children will be unemployed. 200,000 blue-collar and white-collar workers in this region can greatly benefit from these services provided by our municipality."
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