Europe’s largest white goods manufacturer BSH Group is planning to make EUR300 million worth of investments in Turkey in 5 years and the company realized the first EUR50 million portion of this investment package with the participation of Nihat Ergün, Minister of Industry and Trade. Establishing a new R&D center in Çerkezköy and increasing its large home appliances production capacity from 4 million to 5.5 million with its two new production lines, BSH Türkiye will also start manufacturing small home appliances with an annual capacity of 2 million. 70% of the production will be exported.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nihat Ergün: “We asked companies why they are carrying their company headquarters from London to Istanbul; they replied that London is the capital of the past whereas Istanbul is that of the future”

In the speech he delivered in the ceremony, Mr. Ergün stated that they have high opinions of BSH’s ongoing investments in logistics, storage, R&D center and small home appliances production facilities.

Johannes Narger, BSH Group’s Executive Committee Member and BSH Türkiye’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, also expressed that Turkey has a strategic importance for BSH Group which is one of the world’s largest white goods manufacturer with its 60 companies in 40 countries. Stating that Turkey comes 3^rd after Germany and China among the countries where they are planning to invest more, Mr. Narger told that the Group possessed its largest manufacturing area and a constantly developing R&D center in Çerkezköy as a sign of this strategy and the trust felt towards Turkey. Narger also noted: “These new production lines we are opening here today are important steps in our long term investment plans. In our new production lines, we will manufacture high-tech refrigerators and dishwashing machines which carry importance for our group and which will be distributed all over the world. Another significant issue is that BSH, as a community aware of efficient home appliances, makes its investments in super-efficient technologies. BSH generated half of its income in 2010 from super-efficient home appliances and from these two production lines established in Çerkezköy, our company will continue offering technologies that contribute added value to the nature.”

Turkey has a very significant logistics advantage

Johannes Narger shared his evaluation: “Turkey also possesses a very significant logistical advantage. Transporting a large home appliance from China costs 25 to 30 dollars. In Turkey, on the other hand, we can have advantages up to 70%. Raw material prices are the same everywhere. Infrastructure projects realized by the government such as airports and railways contributed greatly in terms of logistics.”

BSH Türkiye’s CEO Norbert Kleinstated that as a sign of the trust the company feels towards Turkey, they made a total investment of TL135 million in their Çerkezköy factory, where they constantly invest in, with an increase of 103% compared to the previous year. Klein told that as BSH they have always approached Turkey with long-term plans and made their investments accordingly, and added: “We are planning to make EUR300 million worth of investments and the opening of our dishwashing machine and refrigerator production lines, which constitutes the first of such projects in this context, carries great importance for us. We are proud of adding new products to those which we develop and manufacture in Turkey and export to the whole world. In the coming term, we will continue our works swiftly for the construction of a new logistics warehouse, R&D Center building, management building and the factory where we will start to manufacture small house appliances.”