ÇKA Grants Support to TÜİOSB

The "Export-Oriented Digital Transformation Project" prepared by the Agricultural Product Processing Specialised Organized Industrial Zone (TÜİOSB) became the first project nationwide to receive support in 2021 under the "Manufacturing Cities" program executed by the Ministry of Industry and Technology. The 'Export-Oriented Digital Transformation Project' prepared by the Mersin-Tarsus Agricultural Product Processing Specialised Organized Industrial Zone, which is conducting multifaceted work to digitalize investor companies operating in the agricultural product processing and food sector, create a strong sustainable production infrastructure focused on the European Green Deal and Industry 4.0, qualified for grant support from the Çukurova Development Agency (ÇKA).

Contract signed for Digital Transformation Project

At a ceremony held at ÇKA General Secretariat, TÜİOSB Board Chairman Gül Akyürek Balta and ÇKA Deputy General Secretary Ahmet Rıfat Duran signed the contract for the support of the Export-Oriented Digital Transformation Project. "We will establish institutional structures for management and investor digital transformation" TÜİOSB Board Chairman Gül Akyürek Balta stated that they were delighted and excited that the Export-Oriented Digital Transformation Project they prepared under ÇKA's 2021 Manufacturing Cities program would receive support. Emphasizing that TÜİOSB, which is advancing toward becoming Turkey's first export-oriented, green and digital OIZ, would establish the institutional framework needed by its management and investors on digital transformation and would address technical knowledge gaps, Chairman Akyürek Balta stated: "With the Export-Oriented Digital Transformation Project, we aim to develop digital transformation infrastructure to ensure that enterprises located in TÜİOSB achieve standards such as productivity, optimization and traceability in production processes," he said.

"We are developing strategies to achieve our targets"

Stating that they are targeting USD 250 million in annual exports initially with 100 factories to be established with USD 500 million investment in TÜİOSB, which they have planned in the Kurbanlı location of Tarsus district, providing employment for 10,000 people, Chairman Akyürek Balta said, "As TÜİOSB, we believe that the only condition for sustainable exports to target markets is compliance with green transformation. We are aware that the first condition for compliance with green transformation is through control of resource use by enterprises within the OIZ, increased productivity and establishing a traceable system. We are developing strategies to achieve all these targets by ensuring digital transformation of enterprises. Through the Export-Oriented Digital Transformation Project we will implement, we will deliver TÜİOSB to our country as a structure compliant with the Green Deal in Turkey, with productivity at maximum levels, optimised resource use and factories that have completed their digital transformation. Following completion of our project, with the development of our corporate capacity and the establishment of the foundations of green transformation, we will have implemented a reference institutional structure for similar activities to be conducted at regional and national levels. At the same time, industrial enterprises operating in the Çukurova region and Organized Industrial Zone Administrations are also among the target audience of our project. With our centre having completed technical and IT infrastructure, training and services will be provided to industrial enterprises producing in different sectors in the region, contributing significantly to the digital transformation of firms operating in the Çukurova region," he said. "We will work on three main topics in cooperation with technology development organisations" Stating that the project will also contribute to the formation of the technical and human resources infrastructure of the Research and Development, Innovation and Digital Transformation Centre to be established within TÜİOSB,

Chairman Akyürek Balta said the following:

"The project we have prepared will form an important component of the Research and Development, Innovation and Digital Transformation Centre. As TÜİOSB, we want enterprises located within us to be at the same level in ensuring optimization of productivity and resource use, and to develop together. For this purpose, we are providing leadership by taking initiative for the digital transformation of companies. As a result of meetings we held with Turkey's leading technology development organisations, we decided to conduct three separate activities for TÜİOSB management and investors. Accordingly, we will conduct a Capability Development Program, Digital Maturity Assessment and Roadmap, and Digital Twin Factory Pilot Study. We express our gratitude to Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank and the managers of Çukurova Development Agency for the interest shown in our project and the support provided." ÇKA Deputy General Secretary Ahmet Rıfat Duran stated that the grant support provided by the Ministry of Industry and Technology would be a starting point for digitalisation for Mersin and Adana, and expressed that the gains to be achieved by TÜİOSB would create a model for other industrial bases in the region. Ahmet Rıfat Duran wished success to the stakeholders of the Export-Oriented Digital Transformation Project.   Source