The 4th Industrial Cooperation Days in Defense and Aerospace (ICDDA), to be held between October 23-25, 2018, under the auspices of the Undersecretariat of Defense Industry (SSM) and with the support of the Ministry of Economy, and organized by the OSTİM Defense and Aerospace Cluster (OSSA), was introduced at a press conference.
The meeting, held on Thursday, April 5th at the Sheraton Ankara Hotel, was attended by the Deputy Undersecretary of Defence Industry Dr. Celal Sami Tüfekçi, Ankara Deputy Governor Süleyman Hürrem Aksoy, TUBITAK Vice President Orkun Hasekioğlu, Ankara Chamber of Commerce Board Member Ziya Kemal Gazioğlu, OSTIM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın, OSSA Board Chairman Mithat Ertuğ, Member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly National Defence Commission Dr. Suat Önal, Ankara Provincial Director of Science, Industry and Technology Vehbi Konarılı, representatives from the General Directorate of Security, the General Command of the Gendarmerie, the Naval Forces Command, the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey, DHMI, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, TAI, Aselsan, Otokar, Roketsan, FNSS, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, as well as military attachés from numerous countries, sector representatives, and cluster member companies, once again demonstrating their support for and appreciation of OSSA and the event.
Full Support for the ICDDA Event
Deputy Undersecretary of SSM, Dr. Celal Sami Tüfekçi, stated at a press conference held at the Sheraton Ankara Hotel that they were pleased to support ICDDA, which will be held in Ankara, the center of the defense and aerospace industry.
Tüfekçi stated that in the previous 3 events organized by OSSA, more than 5400 bilateral business meetings were held with the participation of over 250 companies from approximately 34 countries.
Pointing out that the event, which creates a business-oriented platform for local and international suppliers and manufacturers and also offers opportunities for future collaborations, will make a big difference in the Turkish defense sector, Tüfekçi said, "I believe that Turkish defense and aerospace companies, which are the focus of attention at this organization to be held at Hacettepe University Beytepe Congress and Culture Center on October 23-25, will turn this interest into an opportunity and gain maximum benefit from the synergy that will be created in the organization."
Stating that the state, as the sole buyer, directs the sector with its supply projects and therefore the state's role in the sector is very important, Tüfekçi said the following:
"This role has gained even greater importance in terms of regulating, determining strategies, and guiding the sector, following the transfer of our Undersecretariat to the Presidency with the Decree Law No. 696 published on December 24, 2017. With the Industrial Competence Assessment and Support Program (EYDEP), which we launched in 2016 and introduced on March 22, we have created a system where the capabilities, products, and solutions of companies that have not had the opportunity to express themselves and find specific support in the areas they need can be identified and supported on-site."
Orhan Aydın, Chairman of the Board of Directors of OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone, also stated that they were happy to be the founders of such a cluster as OSTİM, and expressed that SSM's support for the defense industry was very important and beneficial for the actors in the sector.
Aydın emphasized that OSSA has made significant progress in a short time, stating, "Through clustering, we are working to enable our SMEs to cooperate and for our companies to create synergy by coming together. Within the scope of this event, we attach great importance to bringing suppliers from around the world to Ankara and collaborating with our SMEs."
Mithat Ertuğ, Chairman of the Board of Directors of OSTİM Defense and Aerospace Cluster (OSSA), also stated that major defense industry companies would participate in the event and that over 5,000 meetings would be held. Ertuğ noted that the organization instilled confidence in SMEs and contributed to the growth of these businesses.
Our third event, held in October 2016, saw participation from over 200 companies from 33 countries, resulting in 5400 registered bilateral business meetings. In addition to numerous major international companies such as AIRBUS DEFENSE AND SPACE, AIRBUS GROUP, AIRBUS HELICOPTER, THE BOEING COMPANY, DASSAULT SYSTEMS, LEONARDO GROUP, LOCKHEED MARTIN, MBDA, NAVANTIA, ROLLS ROYCE, SIKORSKY, and THALES, major Turkish industrial companies like ASELSAN, HAVELSAN, FNNS, ISTANBUL SHIPYARD, MKEK, OTOKAR, ROKETSAN, TAI, TEI, and THY TEKNİK, along with many other Turkish industrialists, also attended the event.
