The Business and Construction Machinery Cluster (İŞİM) held its 3rd Ordinary General Assembly Meeting. The meeting, attended by representatives from both the public and private sectors, saw the renewal of the board of directors and supervisory board members. Among the companies elected to the board of directors are Pi Makine, SANKO, Meka, and Hidrolift, all significant players in the sector.
İŞİM contributes to the development of its members through its competitiveness and export projects. Since its establishment as a cluster organization, which held its 3rd Ordinary General Assembly, it has been a representative of the sector both nationally and internationally through its activities.
The meeting, which attracted interest from high-level representatives of public and private sector organizations, was attended by Yenimahalle Mayor Fethi Yaşar, İller Bankası General Manager Mehmet Turgut Dedeoğlu, State Supply Office (DMO) Marketing Department Head İsmet Keskin, Hidromek Board Chairman Hasan Basri Bozkurt, Construction Machinery Engineers Association Board Chairman Duran Karaçay, Ostim Industrialists and Businessmen Association (OSIAD) Board Chairman Ahmet Kurt, and representatives of cluster member companies. At the beginning of the program, Cluster Coordinator Fevzi GÖKALP presented the activities carried out by the cluster over the past 3 years to the participants.
Clustering is the backbone of industrialization.
Prof. Dr. Ziya Burhanettin Güvenç, Chairman of the Board of Directors of İŞİM, gave a presentation titled "Clustering: The Most Rational Development Model." Güvenç explained the importance of clustering by asking questions such as, "What is a cluster?" and "What is happening in the world?" He emphasized that clustering is a concept that should continue for generations, stating, "Clustering forms the main backbone of a country's industrialization. The main reason behind the high level of industrialization and technology of the countries that are among the top 10 economically in the world today is clustering policy."
Güvenç, who described groups that do not consider the country's industrialization and the reduction of the current account deficit as a mass, shared his view that "We call the groups that think about how to eliminate the current account deficit a cluster." Stating that the contribution of the public sector and universities is insufficient, Güvenç conveyed the message that "If the state wants to produce high value-added products, the only place this can come from is a cluster. Products that come from a cluster cannot be copied. Product diversity also comes from clusters."
The legislation must be explored.
OSTİM Chairman Orhan Aydın stated that the cluster initiatives carried out in the region develop companies and provide solutions to their problems. Expressing that OSTİM works to solve the problems of Ankara, Turkey, and the world, Aydın said, “With the idea that we can find solutions to our problems when we come together, we bring our companies together and introduce them to each other. This journey started this way. At OSTİM, we are not only involved in construction machinery. We are carrying out these activities in many areas, including defense and aerospace, medical, energy, rubber, and rail systems.”
Aydın argued that in Turkey, the public sector faces artificial limitations in prioritizing domestic production due to regulations such as the World Trade Organization, the European Union, and the Competition Law. Noting that many countries around the world circumvent these regulations by using free trade laws to prioritize their own products, Aydın commented, “We need to sit down and study, to discover the obstacles that those who designed the world have placed before us. We cannot solve these problems individually, therefore we must come together in clusters.”
All sectors should be clustered together.
Yenimahalle Mayor Fethi Yaşar touched upon the importance of production. Emphasizing that sales are as important as production, Yaşar warned, "Even if you produce in the best way possible, if you can't sell that product, that sector has no chance of survival."
Yaşar emphasized that Ankara has long held a very important position in the construction and industrial machinery sector. Stating that OSTİM provides services in sales and production, Yaşar said, “I wholeheartedly suggest that this clustering will not only benefit you all but will also make a very important contribution to the development of our country, increasing employment and national income. All sectors need to be clustered.”
The power to drive industry comes from the public sector and universities.
Duran Karaçay, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Construction Machinery Engineers Association, claimed that they have not received the necessary support from the public sector and universities. Stating that the public sector and universities should be involved in and support the sector, Karaçay shared the following view: “Turkish industry is just starting out. It needs a boost to move forward! This boost will come from the public sector and universities.”
Domestic producers are welcome
Ismet Keskin, Head of Marketing at DMO (State Supply Office), informed the participants about the purchasing processes and supplies carried out by the institution. Keskin explained that in meeting public needs, they act in accordance with the principles of public benefit, effective and efficient use of resources, ensuring maximum standards and quality, transparency, competition, and accountability.
Keskin shared the information that DMO purchased 1970 construction machines in 2015. Keskin stated, "Our doors are wide open to our domestic manufacturers. We are always ready to cooperate. We would be happy to cooperate with you regarding regulatory restrictions."
“It is our duty to provide support”
Mehmet Turgut Dedeoğlu, General Manager of İller Bankası (Provinces Bank), stated that they provide loans to local governments to meet their needs. He added that, in line with a request from the Minister of Science, Industry and Technology, Fikri Işık, they are working on a project to encourage municipalities to use domestically produced goods, but explained that due to competition laws, they cannot directly incentivize domestic production.
Dedeoğlu, criticizing municipalities for not preferring imported products, said, “When a municipality makes a request to us, our offer is for domestic products. However, we cannot influence the municipalities' preferences. Excellent work is being done in construction machinery in OSTİM; we need to promote this. Your products should be in the DMO catalogs; it is our duty to support you.”
“We value long-term business relationships”
Hasan Basri Bozkurt, Chairman of the Board of Hidromek, who was invited to the general assembly as a visionary for the sector, explained the key points of competitiveness to İŞİM members. Stating that "starting my own business was my childhood dream," Bozkurt mentioned that he opened his own workplace in 1977 and produced the first domestically designed construction machine in 1989.
Bozkurt stated that they decided to expand abroad in 1999, and emphasized that in 2013 they decided to produce graders and started production by purchasing a grader factory in Thailand.
Bozkurt, a veteran of the construction machinery sector, listed the key points of competitiveness as follows: “The product must be high-performing, high-quality, durable, and ergonomic. It must be competitive in terms of price, delivery time, after-sales services, and compliance with national and international standards.”
Emphasizing that they have adopted business ethics principles, Bozkurt said, “We attach importance to long-term business relationships. We have invested in education. Our cooperation with universities has continued for 17 years.”
Following the speeches, the general assembly commenced. The presiding committee consisted of Adem Arıcı, Mehmet Akif Irkılata, and Kenan Döker. Fevzi Gökalp, the coordinator of the İŞİM Cluster, read the activity and audit committee reports. After the approval of the activities of the board of directors and the audit committee, elections were held for the new board of directors and audit committee members for the upcoming term.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Prof. Dr. Ziya Burhanettin Güvenç, Necati Dayı (Pi Makine), Raşit Özgül (SANKO), Orhan Aydın (OSTİM), Mehmet Kaybal (MEKA), Mehmet Arslan (Hidrolift), Yıldıray Erzurum (Karke), Halide Rasim (Rasim Makine), Esra Elmadağlı Yaşar (Seçkin Makine), Burcu Erdoğan Kaya (Er Makine), Osman Başayar (Başayar Makine), İbrahim Demirtaş (Pınar İş Makineleri), Ayşe Beltan (SET-A Makine), Ömer Faruk Yılmaz (Paragon)
SUPERVISORY BOARD: Hüseyin Kıral (Alimar Makine), Yeliz Özkaraoğlu (Özkara Hidrolik), Suat Çiftçi (Teknikon)
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