BEYSAD’s Board of Directors and Strategy Paper Support Group held a meeting on 11 September 2012 to give the document its final form. In addition to BEYSAD’s Board Members; officials from URAK and TRİA, our stakeholders in this process, also took part in the meeting held at Marriott Hotel Asia. The most significant support for the document came from the Support Group which was organized as an addition to the Board of Directors and the stakeholders. As we have informed you from time to time through our magazine and website, the Support Group is comprised of representatives from the four main industry companies, as well as the Board members and stakeholders. Organizing frequent meetings, this team of 20 played a vital role in the shaping of the Strategy Paper. Even though we have kept you up-to-date so far, we wanted to provide a general briefing with regard to the document’s creation on basis of this final meeting held on 11 September. 

During this process, within the context of KOSGEB’s (Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization, Turkey) Thematic Project Support, we obtained an incentive of TL137,000. We provided six Interim Activity Reports to KOSGEB with 3-month intervals for this incentive that we qualified as a result of an intensive exchange of information and paperwork. With a final Interim Activity Report to submit in October, we will have completed this process. Before these activity reports, we prepared our project with a wide scope and shared it with officials through a presentation made in Ankara KOSGEB and we have been able to come this far as a result of receiving positive opinions. 

This step has been achieved thanks to the efforts of many people. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all these valuable persons and institutions that will be mentioned in the Strategy Paper as well as all our members who have sincerely supported us. 

“The Strategy Paper of Turkey’s White Goods Supply Industry will be a living document which will contribute to sustainable growth”

“Turkey’s White Goods Supply Industry Strategy Paper” has been drafted to assess the current situation of Turkey’s White Goods Supply Industry that has been contributing significantly for closing the current account deficit through its high domestic input as well as to keep track of the sector’s development. For the first time in Turkey, sources of the purchases made by the supply sector in the White Goods Industry were analyzed on a material basis in this Strategy Paper which was drafted with a wide participation.

White Goods Suppliers Association (BEYSAD), incorporated by the establishments serving as supplier companies to white goods manufacturers, announced that the “Turkey’s White Goods Supply Industry Strategy Paper” has been drafted. Prepared as a culmination of one and a half year’s efforts, the aim is to keep track of the sector’s development and to contribute to sustainable growth. 

“Turkey’s White Goods Supply Industry Strategy Paper” has been prepared by TRİA International Research and Consultancy under the leadership of BEYSAD, the industry’s foremost NGO, as well as the cooperation of representatives from the main industry, public and private sector and universities. A participatory approach was taken in the drafting of “Turkey’s White Goods Supply Industry Strategy Paper”. Opinions were received from the public and private sector representatives as well as the thought leaders from the fields of economy, entrepreneurship, and private investment management. 

The dynamics of the sector, forecasts of the future, problems of the supply industry, proposed solutions and the industry’s expectations were analyzed in the studies conducted for “Turkey’s White Goods Supply Industry Strategy Paper”. Through the regulations which will be made effective following the publishing of this Strategy Paper, the aim is monitor the sector’s development as well as the sector’s turnover, purchasing volume, exports, imports, and employment. 

THE COLLECTION OF DATA FOR THE STRATEGY PAPER

Initially, the sector was analyzed and its current situation was determined to designate the White Goods Supply Industry’s strategy. These activities constitute the basis for the data included in the strategy paper in order to make long term and steady contributions to the White Goods Supply Industry and to increase its global competitiveness.

 The relevant data were collected by TRİA International Research and Consultancy via the following methods:

• Five support committee meetings, held with the participation of main industry representatives as well as BEYSAD-member supply industry representatives,
• A briefing and evaluation meeting which saw the participation of approximately 60 BEYSAD members,
• Five business dinners with the participation of main industry and supply industry representatives,
• One-to-one detailed meetings with representatives from five main industry companies and 13 supply industry representatives,
• A desk work of domestic and foreign documents, reports, researches and statistics,
• Online survey conducted with supplier industry representatives,
• A search conference which saw the participation of representatives from the white goods main industry and supply industry, officials from the private investment fund, officials from the Ministry of Industry, management consultants, TTGV and media representatives. 

The entirety of the data collected through these research methods were reviewed via regular committee meetings and the agreement of all stakeholders was ensured. For the first time in Turkey, the sources of the purchases made in the White Goods Sector’s supply industries were analyzed on a material basis. Thanks to this analysis, both the White Goods Supply Industry and the relevant supporting public institutions will find the opportunity to see their investment areas more clearly. 

BEYSAD aims to create a living strategy document. It is stipulated that a committee established under BEYSAD’s leadership shall review and revise the document at regular intervals. 

Once all preparations are complete, the document will be delivered to the relevant officials and it will be announced to the public with a widely-participated meeting which also features these relevant officials. 

THE INDUSTRY IS VITAL FOR CLOSING THE CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICIT

White Goods Supply Industry is an expansive and ever-growing industrial branch which encompasses many fields of production such as metals, plastics, rubber, wood, electrical goods, electronics, chemicals and glass, White Goods Supply Industry is showing continuous growth.

With a production capacity of approximately 25 million units and an actual production of 21 million units in 2011, the White Goods Industry of Turkey has become the largest white goods manufacturer of Europe and the Supply Industry of White Goods made significant contributions to this sustainable growth.

 When the sector is evaluated with the production and export figures it has achieved with its main and supply industries, it is seen that it has turned into one of the most important real sectors in the industrial branch of “electrical, electronics, machinery and information technologies”. 

Even though it was established later than its competitors and it was dependent on the main industry during its creation and development; the White Goods Supplier Industry of Turkey has become globally competitive thanks to the advances it achieved during the liberalization of overseas trade. Starting its exports by expanding to foreign markets in 1990s, the industry decided to take various steps so as to compete with its global competitors at its currently strong position. Making a move to contribute to Turkey’s target for 2023, the industry aims to become institutionalized, to ensure quality management, to manufacture goods with high technology and to create added value. 

BEYSAD Chairman Bahadır Balkırstated that an ideal unity has been achieved thanks to the fact that all parts of the industry came together to create a platform for dialogue. He added that they will ensure the continuity and persistency of the efforts made in the future towards the supply industry’s sustainable development as these ideal communication channels have now been opened, and he wished that this will reflect positively on every stakeholder. Emphasizing that this study was based on a serious research and all results were delivered after being integrated with each other, the President underlined that the study was modeled in a manner which would contribute the most to the sector with a sustainable monitoring system. 

BEYSAD Vice-Chairman Besim Oktayersaid since the purpose is to improve the industry; they carried out a long term study to be able to see the potentials and risks that both main and supply industries are facing, and significant steps have been taken to create a forward-facing vision which stipulates the strengthening of the cooperation between the main and supply industries. He emphasized that the sector is strategically important and when they are supported, the companies which can carry our country much farther would be prevented from encountering financial problems. Besim Oktayer expressed that in accordance with the priorities of this issue, the competitiveness of the White Goods Supply Industry would show significant increases if public and private institutions work in close cooperation. 

White Goods Industry of Turkey carries out 53% of its production with domestic input which corresponds to a high local part usage among the industrial sectors of our country. This level of local part usage is possible thanks to the existence of a White Goods Supply Industry that steadily increases its strength. As the White Goods Supply Industry prospers, the Main Industry becomes more competitive and dependency on imports decreases as the ratio of domestic sources increase in products. This, in turn, is vital for closing the current account deficit, one of the most prominent problems of our country’s economy.