On May 10th, Boeing and the Ministry of Trade collaborated to hold a conference in Ankara titled Developing Supply Chains and Exportation with the participation of more than 100 suppliers. Manufacturers were given information about the Global Supply Chain Support Program of the Ministry of Trade at the conference. The firm Gür Metal, which received support from the Ministry of Trade under this program and developed cooperation with Boeing shared their experiences with the participants.

The Minister of Trade Ruhsar Pekcan and Managing Director of Boeing Turkey Ayşem Sargın delivered the keynote speeches at the conference which discussed the steps that need to be taken to support the rise of Turkey in aviation as a global player and in order to increase the export volume of the Turkish aviation industry. At the conference, talks were also held between Boeing Supply Chain personnel and firms which receive Global Supply Chain Assistance from the Ministry of Trade on building cooperation.

Prior to the conference, Boeing Supply Chain technical staff held a three-day long training course for Turkish manufacturers on the processes involved in joining Boeing’s supply chain, bidding stages, competitiveness in aviation, cost and quality optimization, efficiency and innovation. The training course was the second in a series of courses that Boeing will conduct in order to increase the share of the Turkish aviation industry in its supply chain as part of the Boeing Turkey National Aviation Plan.

Noting that Global Supply Chain Support (project-based support mechanism) was established to increase the volume of commodity exports from Turkey, the Minister of Trade Ruhsar Pekcan said: “Turkey has already taken significant steps in the aviation industry. It needs to be improved further. We’ve passed the infancy stage and the aviation industry has confidently advanced forward on the right path. Now we have to ascend with the support of key global players in the aviation sector as well as the Ministry. We need to increase our exports of high-tech products, particularly in the aviation sector. Currently, only three companies take advantage of Global Supply Chain Support in the aviation sector. We reach out toward many companies to utilize this support. We, as the Ministry, are sponsors of 75% of the consultancy services that are received and to procure all kinds of certificates that will enable companies to become exporters, with UR-GE projects in aviation, especially for AS 9100 certification. If you receive your certificate, we grant 50% of the cost, as part of our support for market entry documents. Our goal is to enhance your export of high-tech products in global supply chains, and our existing target and policy is to regulate our support mechanism according to your requests in production and supply processes when you become a reliable member of the global supply chain.”

Boeing Turkey Managing Director and Country Representative Ayşem Sargın said: “Turkey is among the countries where Boeing seeks strategic growth. We have already carried out significant investments and cooperation under our Boeing Turkey National Aviation Plan, which establishes the framework for our strategic partnership with Turkey. One of the most important elements of this plan is our Program for Developing the Aviation Industry. The Global Supply Chain Assistance provided to manufacturers in Turkey by the Ministry of Trade is very significant for firms which want to produce and export in this sector. At present Boeing’s total trade volume with Turkish industry has reached US$1.8 billion and Boeing’s annual purchases are worth over US$ 200 million. To raise these figures higher, we are cooperating with all relevant state organizations. Our aim is to enable Turkey to secure a larger segment of Boeing’s global manufacturing activity and in turn increase Turkey’s exports via profitable contributions in the aviation industry.”