The 6th Ordinary General Assembly of the Anatolian Rail Transportation Systems Cluster (ARUS), formed by Turkish companies producing in the rail systems sector under the leadership of OSTİM with the mission of "Rail systems are our national cause," was held in the OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone Conference Hall.
The General Assembly was attended by Dr. Yalçın Eyigün, General Director of Infrastructure Investments at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure; Seyit Ardıç, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ankara Chamber of Industry; Orhan Aydın, Chairman of the Board of Directors of OSTİM; Prof. Dr. Murat Yülek, Rector of OSTİM Technical University; İsmail Murtazaoğlu, Deputy General Manager of TCDD; Mustafa Özdöner, General Manager of TCDD Technical Engineering and Consulting Inc.; and cluster members.
The General Assembly, which began with a moment of silence and the recitation of the National Anthem, unanimously elected Orhan Aydın, Chairman of the OSTİM Board of Directors, as the Presiding Officer.
“We want to use our own products in our cities”
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Orhan Aydın recalled the efforts made in the establishment process of ARUS and commemorated the late Prof. Dr. Sedat Çelikdoğan with respect.
Aydın, drawing attention to ARUS's work in the localization process of rail systems, stated, "Our cluster is carrying out the necessary work for the development of domestic and national production through the sectoral reports it submits to the public."
Emphasizing the importance of domestic production, Aydın said, "We want to use our own products in our cities. This is vitally important. For this, we need an organized team. We are making efforts in the preparation of development plans. I would like to thank the Ministry of Transport, TCDD, and the relevant state institutions, and especially our main heroes, the Cluster members, for their contributions to our domestic production efforts."
TCDD Deputy General Manager İsmail Murtazaoğlu provided information regarding TCDD's localization efforts. Murtazaoğlu stated, "We believe that our ARUS members will make increasingly significant contributions to our railway projects, both in their construction and operation phases."
“Your mission empowers our country”
Seyit Ardıç, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ankara Chamber of Industry, drew attention to the importance of industry in Turkey's development goals. Ardıç said, "The strategic importance of the sector is great, and ARUS is very important in this sense. Your mission of producing domestic and national products from design to final product strengthens our country. I congratulate you on your success, crowned with national brands."
51% was a dream for domestic production, now the target is 80%
AYGM General Manager Dr. Yalçın Eyigün recalled ARUS's efforts to develop domestic production in rail systems. Eyigün stated, "We appreciate ARUS's efforts. I know about their work towards achieving 51% domestic content. Back then, 51% was a dream; now we're setting 60% as the standard, and we aim for 80% domestic content in new projects. Through the AYGM Domestic Content Commission, we have ensured an increase in domestic content rates. We are happy to see the sector succeeding as we pave the way for it. We will raise the domestic content requirement to 80%. I thank all the sector representatives who make up ARUS."
OSTİM Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Murat Yülek pointed out that domestic production should be included in public policies and plans for development. Yülek thanked the ARUS members who provide OSTİM Technical University students with the opportunity to receive practical training in workplaces.
ARUS Coordinator Dr. İlhami Pektaş read the activity report, income and expenditure accounts, and the Audit Committee Report for 2021 and 2022. Following discussions, the activity report, income and expenditure accounts, and audit committee report were separately approved by unanimous vote.
New Board of Directors Elected
In the voting held at the General Assembly, ARUS's new board of directors and supervisory board were determined. According to the election results, the following companies were elected to the ARUS Board of Directors: TCDD, OSTİM OSB, ASELSAN, Bozankaya, Durmazlar, Kardemir, TÜRASAŞ, Safkar, TÜBİTAK RUTE, FMC, Emre Ray, Albayrak, and YM İDİS. Medel, Enekom, and Aksa were elected to the Supervisory Board.
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