“Accomplishing the year 2015 with records, our industry continues to improve its place in the global market and the EU,” Kudret Onen, head of the OSD
Speaking at the general meeting of Turkish Automotive Manufacturers’ Association (OSD), Kudret Onen, chairman of the OSD, said; “The capacity utilization of Turkish automotive industry has reached the number of 1 million 750 thousand with investments made in 2014 and 2015. The new investments and reviving in the European market helped coherent growth of the automotive sector. In 2015, the sector production that reached by 1 million 359 thousand units, in other word it means a new record and in the exports 992 thousand units.” Stating that now Turkish automotive industry has been one of the biggest global players in the sector Onen said, “Our industry on the way posing as a global player reading having raised two steps ahead and took place at the 15th line, by ranking 18th in the world automobile manufacturing, 8th in the commercial vehicle manufacturing in 2015. In this honorable scene, of course our industry’s product, production and employment quality place frankly is great. Being enlarged its competitiveness through the precautions taken by our government in recent years, our industry has advanced greatly on the way being a production and engineering center.”
“We continue to grow in a fierce competition condition”
Reminding the Turkish automotive industry’s total capacity utilization had reached 1,75 million units with additional investments Onen continued, “Thanks to power of our industry in competition investments are continuing despite extra capacity utilization in the global automotive industry. In 2016, our industry aims to raise the capacity utilization by 1,85 million units. In a condition competition increases, efforts should be made more to attract investments to our country and we should make our industry sustainable. In this direction our domestic market which has reached a certain level should access to sustainable market growth trend. On the other hand, we expect maintaining export focused production growth our industry to achieve new records in 2016. In the production that we foresee to reach the number of 1,4 – 1,5 million units as for the exports increasing in the level of 10 percentages to reach by 1,05 – 1,1 million units.”
“Dynamic and variable business condition continues to rise competition”
Marking a dynamic and variable business condition had occurred with urbanization, demographic change,
geographic change in purchasing power, climate change, limited resources and their usage, technological developments and changing of consumer expectations, Onen said, “The trends in the automotive industry make difficult the competition conditions. Especially, in the framework of emerging markets the production is shifting to the developing countries it is also seen that these countries have been in great competition in terms of attracting investments. But on the other side, the trend ‘manufacture in your own country’ is raising in the developed countries. Depending on this, from now on the conditions are being happened where fierce competitions are being experienced between producers and consumers.” Onen also highlighted the new generation trade agreements have changed the structure of trade, regarding the world citizens steadily being more sensible, safety and environment issues have revealed to the forefront, in this framework the new technologies have been integrated into vehicle and production systems.
“Automotive leading industrial branch of R & D”
Pointing out customer expectations had developed and changed quickly paralleling to this the regulations had also changed and become often, Onen said, “The value-added structure in the production is changing, as for the points mostly emerge to the forefront here is use of engineering, R & D, electronic and new components and new technology. As for reflection of this change is continuously increased R & D and engineering expenditures.” Onen highlighted 71 ones of 243 R & D centers in Turkey would serve to the automotive industry. “The qualified labor force in the R & D centers of the OSD members has reached 4,088 units as of 2015. Last year, the number of patent application was 479. In short, we, as the Turkish automotive industry, are continuing to support development of our country,” he concluded.
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