Hüseyin Duygu, one of the skilled craftsmen who have dedicated their lives to OSTİM, has been serving the industry with iron products for 50 years. Providing repair, maintenance, and parts production for everything from construction machinery to armored vehicles, Hüseyin Duygu illustrated the importance of production with an example from his own experience.
Duygu said, “Those who said, ‘Don’t do this; we’ll give it to you from America, it’s not worth the expense and effort you’re putting in,’ didn’t want our country to develop in order to hold it back. What we want is to follow in Atatürk’s footsteps, as he said, ‘Make your own weapons, your own planes!’”
Can we get to know you?
I was at the State Water Works in 1964; I left in 1966 and started working at Ata Sanayi. I would set up the welding machine on a tiny workbench in front of the door and do welding. We were neighbors with the late Cevat Dündar; he was also in the Demirciler Site, and we used to see each other constantly. Then OSTİM started to be established, and they made us members.
Cevat Dündar, with great foresight, said, "One shop won't be enough for you. You will do great things in the future." When I asked, "I can't find materials or work for just one shop; there are huge shops. Where will you find them there?" he replied, "You'll see." Since that day, the world has changed, Türkiye has changed. Many products have emerged…
When did you come to OSTİM?
We came in 1980. We've been here ever since.
“TO BENEFIT THE COUNTRY, WE NEED TO GROW”
What is your field of activity?
We repair and maintain construction machinery, damaged construction equipment, construction tower cranes, and armored vehicles. The workshops in OSTİM were very large back then. Now they're not enough... Businesses that are expanding are moving out of OSTİM and becoming factories.
To benefit the country, it's essential to establish a business and grow. Following that, you need personnel to produce and operate these products. And that's a shortage, which is one of the biggest problems.
In the past, you probably ran this business with apprentices. Where did these apprentices come from?
When I was at Ata Sanayi, we could employ apprentices. Their parents would bring them saying, "Let the flesh be yours, the bones be mine. Take this child and raise him. Let him learn a trade, let him learn something, let him not stay in the village." Depending on the child's intelligence and skills, if he could learn quickly, he learned; if not, he would simply say, "I can't do this job," and leave. Now it's not like that; there are schools, technical training, books, drawing, computers, everything. Anyone who wants to learn can learn.
How would you compare the old OSTİM with the new OSTİM?
We can't compare OSTİM with the present at all. Times have changed so much; the products, the machines, even the workers have changed. Now workers want ready-made machines; they just want to press a button and the machine will work…
“I DID WHAT THEY SAID WAS IMPOSSIBLE; I GAVE IT AS A GIFT”
How would you respond if someone asked you, "What can you produce for Türkiye?"
My claim is about armored vehicles. We can build an armored vehicle from scratch… The military's are Russian, the police's are American. When the vehicles got damaged, the Americans kept reporting, "This is unacceptable, throw it away and we'll give you a new one." The police chief was also inviting us to our region, saying, "Come to OSTİM, take a look around."
Wherever they went, they heard the phrase, "Duygu Makine makes it." Finally, the Americans came to me… I wanted to see the machine… I went and examined it. In 1994, we didn't have sheet metal… I said, "We don't have gas wire or gas cylinders to weld this. We need mixed gas… These are all special. If you can provide me with these, I will get your vehicles back on track." The American, Bob, insisted, "No…" Because they didn't have repair shops; they threw away what was broken and made new ones.
They provided the materials; I made it… When asked about the debt, I replied, “I don’t want money. Let it be my gift, and a lesson to the Americans. I don’t want it.”
Weapons manufacturing used to take place at the Machine and Chemical Industry, but it stopped. Production has only recently started again. We are very far behind in that area. Those who told previous administrations, "Don't do this; we'll give it to you from America, it's not worth the expense and effort," didn't want our country to develop in order to hold it back. What we want is to follow Atatürk's path, as he said, "Make your own weapons, your own planes!"
“I’M POSTING AN ADVERTISEMENT BUT NO ONE IS APPLYING”
What are your thoughts on the issue of skilled labor?
For OSTİM to progress further, the children graduating from school, the mechanical engineers, need to be much more knowledgeable. They are not being raised with this level of awareness. An apprenticeship school was opened here, but how many of us can the children graduating from it suffice? Even if you gave five to each of us today, it still wouldn't be enough. Just as in Europe, children are educated in subjects that pique their interest from a young age, our children should be guided towards vocational careers. If a person isn't going to work until the age of 20; let's say until 18, they won't learn anything because they'll be going to the army in two years. And when they return, that child won't become an apprentice.
A completely new system, a completely new law, must be implemented to take precautions. Children should be guided towards whatever profession they are interested in. If it's a carpenter, then a carpenter; if it's a tailor, then a tailor; if it's a barber, then a barber... Today, no matter which establishment you go to, there are no apprentices; everyone is fed up. They're either trying to close their shops or are being forced to work.
I used to employ 30 people; now I only have 2. I have advertisements in the newspaper, advertisements with the OSTİM administration, but not a single soul has come to apply saying, "You're looking for welders, lathe operators, computer-aided designers, mechanical engineers."
We need to be closely involved with the government and the ministries. The ministries will come and listen to the concerns of the tradespeople in OSTİM. We will do whatever needs to be done together.
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