Yılmaz KÜÇÜKSEYHAN, the Deputy Secretary General and also the Chairman of the TOBB Defense Industry Sector Council, will serve as a board member on behalf of SaSaD.
Kaya Yazgan, Secretary General of SaSaD (Association of Defense Industry Suppliers), and Yılmaz Küçükseyhan, Deputy Secretary General, visited Ostim and received information about the Defense Industry Suppliers Cluster from Cluster Coordinator Barış Cihan Başer. Attending the meeting, which was also attended by Ostim Board Chairman Orhan Aydın, Cluster Executive Board Chairman Mithat Ertuğ, and Cluster Executive Board Member Nihat Özönder, the SaSaD executives praised the work accomplished and expressed their support for future endeavors.
Stating that SaSaD's acceptance to be part of the executive board in the defense sub-industry cluster formation initiated in Ostim boosted their morale, Ostim Board Chairman Aydın said, “We conducted a sector survey in our region. We carried out a competitive analysis of the sectors. And according to the results, we saw that clustering in the defense industry would be appropriate. We consider meeting the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces with domestic resources as a national duty. Our goal with the cluster formation is to strengthen the cooperation of SMEs producing in the defense industry with the main industry and to enable them to confidently enter the international market.”
Kaya Yazgan, Secretary General of SaSaD (Defense Industry Association), also provided information about the association's structure, purpose, and activities. Yazgan stated that they have over 100 members and assist sector manufacturers in their international representation, achieving required standards in manufacturing, and understanding financial and administrative procedures. He also mentioned that the production range in the defense industry is very broad, making exports challenging, saying, “The primary customer in the sector is well-defined. We prioritize sub-sector strategies. We monitor relevant domestic and international trade fairs, organize training programs, and create sector groups within various professional and public institutions.”
SaSaD executives later visited companies working in the defense industry sector in Ostim together with Ostim Board Chairman Aydın and gathered information.
