The Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) has added a new one to the firsts it has achieved. The first of the MÜSİAD Industry and Technology Summit MUST was held with the participation of Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih KACIR and the leading names of the industry and technology sectors.

The opening speeches at the summit were delivered by MÜSİAD Board Member and MUST 2023 Executive Board Chairman Dr. Abdullah ERİŞ, MÜSİAD President Mahmut ASMALI and Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih KACIR. MUST came to an end with the speech of MUST Speaker, Togg CEO Mehmet Gürcan KARAKAŞ, following 2 Deliberation Sessions and 4 MUST Window Talks.


THIS AGE IS OUR AGE

In his opening speech, MÜSİAD Board Member and MUST 2023 Executive Board Chairman Dr. Abdullah ERİŞ said: “It is the coming together of Türkiye’s various industrialists on a platform of dialogue under the roof of MÜSİAD for what is newer and better, more beautiful and more correct. Starting from this year, God willing, MUST will be a new and special ground for dialogue for our industry and technology sectors every year with the motto “Industry that works for people”.”

Also touching upon the human tragedy in Gaza in his opening speech, MÜSİAD President Mahmut Asmalı said: “As MÜSİAD we emphasize domestic production. Because in this way our country will grow stronger, will become a political actor both in its region and in the world, and will have a greater say. That is why at MUST 23 we say industry that works for people. That is why, as MÜSİAD, we work to increase the welfare of humanity.” Following these statements he announced the MÜSİAD Industry and Technology Manifesto. In the manifesto he used the following expressions: “As we enter the new century of our Republic, we continue to embrace an understanding of production and economy based on righteousness and high morality. Contributing, with industry and technology that work for people, to the Türkiye Economy Model and the National Technology Initiative, which operate on the principles of production, investment, employment and exports, is our common will as MÜSİAD. We believe with all our being that this age is our age.”

WE HAVE ADDED ANOTHER TÜRKİYE ON TOP OF TÜRKİYE

Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih KACIR made a presentation on Türkiye’s industry and technology vision, the work being carried out and its target activities. He stated that Türkiye’s focus is the National Technology Initiative and that this reinforces Türkiye’s full independence and a prosperous Türkiye. KACIR said: “The locomotive of our exports is our manufacturing industry. If Türkiye exports USD 255 billion annually today, we owe this to our producers and our industry. Within these exports the share of the manufacturing industry is USD 240 billion. Over the last 20 years we have raised our share of world trade from 5 per thousand to over 1 percent. In other words, we have virtually added another Türkiye on top of Türkiye.”

Underlining our high technology brands such as UAVs and TOGG, KACIR said: “All over the world we are placing the adjective smart in front of all sectors. In the coming period Türkiye has to come to the fore in all smart sectors. We have to create national brands and initiatives in all sectors such as smart transport, smart agriculture and high-speed internet infrastructures. In this goal we will join hands as the public and the private sector.”

Following the opening speeches, a Framework Protocol was signed between MÜSİAD and TÜBİTAK. After the signing, TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan MANDAL stated that they had determined a road map with MÜSİAD not only in words but also in deeds, and that by forming their commissions they had carried their processes to the point of implementation with this protocol.

ALİ ÜLKER: “THE ONLY WAY TO STAND UP TO GLOBAL COMPETITION IS TO CONSTANTLY UPDATE YOURSELF”

The first MUST Window Talk within the scope of MUST 2023 was delivered by Yıldız Holding Chairman of the Board Ali Ülker. Emphasizing the technological development of Ülker and Yıldız Holding over the years, Ali Ülker said: “The only way to stand up to global competition is to constantly update yourself. Our competitors in the world are not stopping. We need to integrate smart systems into Turkish industry with our new technological breakthroughs. As Yıldız Holding we strive to get ahead of everyone on a global scale.” Later in his speech, explaining that formal life had become more flexible with the effect of the pandemic as well and that Yıldız Holding had put hybrid structuring into practice in its companies through digital transformation work, he said: “Artificial intelligence is designing a different world. Let us use artificial intelligence and technology wisely. Let us create value from technology, but let us not become the slaves of technology.”

OUR MODEL IN PRODUCTION MUST BE SUSTAINABILITY AND EFFICIENCY

The Deliberation Session on Reproduction and Competition in Production, moderated by TVNet Economy Chief Semra Güney KARABAŞ, was held with the participation of Tosyalı Holding Chairman of the Board Fuat TOSYALI and Biosys Holding Chairman of the Board Cemal ERDOĞAN.

Touching upon the global reflections of production in the new period, TOSYALI said: “With the breaking of the supply chain during the pandemic and the process that followed it, the perspective of globalization in production has now turned into localization. In the world, sustainability must take the place of the concept of growth. There is excess capacity in many sectors in Türkiye. We need to place efficiency and sustainability at the centre of our business strategies. Instead of producing more, we need to make efficient and sustainable production and investments. We must ourselves produce the products we import the most and the products we need in production. Apart from this we should also determine strategic products.”

Following his remarks, TOSYALI, emphasizing that iron and steel production, which exists in all areas of production, would be one of the main pillars of Türkiye’s development if it is sustainable, used the following expressions: “The food issue that has emerged with climate change must not be neglected. Investments must be made in food and agriculture without neglect. We need to find ways of increasing efficiency by using technology and smart technology. Türkiye is carrying out work on these issues, but we need to go further still. Likewise, our state has serious investments and supports in renewable energy as well. We need to increase our production here. Every business that places efficiency and sustainability at its centre stands before us as an opportunity, and our country needs to do these things.”

Cemal ERDOĞAN, Chairman of the Board of Biosys Holding, which became a breath both for our country and for the world with the ventilator it produced during the pandemic, addressed the production of ventilators during the pandemic while evaluating production and implementation processes in the world in the presentation he made. He said: “The world’s largest companies took steps to produce ventilators. But they did not succeed. So how did we succeed? Fundamentally, a national spirit emerged here. Under the leadership of our Ministry of Industry we formed a team as Arçelik, ASELSAN, BAYKAR and Biyosys. As Biosys we handed over to the engineers of this team the R&D work we had been carrying out since 2012. We produced 25,000 ventilators in 4 months. While the whole world was seizing the medical supplies of one another, Türkiye exported ventilators and began to provide aid to countries with limited financial means.”

Underlining that Türkiye must turn to early-stage investments in order to be able to compete in the field of industry and technology in the coming period, ERDOĞAN said: “Technology offers new opportunities every 10 years. In order to be able to make high value-added production, instead of turning to the production of the trend products of the past 10 years, we as a country need to determine where technology will head in the next 10-20 years and invest in those areas. For example, the technology trend of the 2010s was unmanned aerial vehicles and electric vehicles. Türkiye took the global leadership position with its early investment. It should direct its investments in the coming 2020-2030 periods as well.”

INVESTMENT IN PEOPLE IS REACHING THE FUTURE THAT IS DREAMED OF

The second MUST Window Speaker was Bülent ÖZCAN, Director General for Financial Cooperation and Project Implementation of the Directorate for EU Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In his presentation titled Green Transformation and Türkiye, ÖZCAN underlined that Türkiye is an important production country for the world, especially for Europe, and said: “Green transformation investments constitute an important opportunity for Türkiye within European Union funds. Our potential is very high; I invite all elements of Türkiye to cooperate in technology and green transformation.”

Hakan ALTINAY, Chairman of the Board of Altınay Technology, which developed Türkiye’s first industrial robot, shared his 30-year journey in his MUST Window talk with the motto “great dreams come true by raising people”. He began his speech with the words: “For a safe and strong Türkiye in this geography we must master national technology. We exist to serve this cause.” He completed his speech saying: “Our main aim was to raise people who can produce and manage knowledge. By determining forward-looking visions in the long term, we set industrial targets that are both efficient and suited to people. Raising people means mastering knowledge. Knowledge enables you to master technology and to produce innovative, industrial products in technology. If you raise people, you can produce anything, however difficult it may be. Türkiye needs this. Investment in people is reaching the future that is dreamed of.”

TÜRKİYE CAN PRODUCE EVERYTHING

In the Can-Do Capability and Production Ethics Deliberation Session, Ali Çağatay of EkoTürk TV took on the moderator’s role. TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan MANDAL, TUSAŞ Deputy General Manager for Engineering Özkan ALTAY and BMW Group Supply Audit Manager Dr. Muammer ÖZKUL delivered their speeches in the session.

Emphasizing that artificial intelligence is above all a tool produced by the human being, and that when the human being is at its centre it is the human being who can determine whether it will be a threat or an opportunity, MANDAL said: “Rather than the question of what artificial intelligence is and why it is developed, it is more important to ask how it is developed. As TÜBİTAK we have an artificial intelligence ecosystem call. There is a special need both in the private sector and in the public sector. We are trying to build its production with different models.” For our capabilities in production to improve together with artificial intelligence, he also used the following expressions: “With investment in people and solutions focused on basic sciences, we can be the designer and developer of knowledge, not its follower.”

Stating that artificial intelligence has today reached a critical threshold, ALTAY said: “It will continue to rise on top of the knowledge that the human being has accumulated until now. We have to take artificial intelligence alongside us and show capability in using it. Our first target at TUSAŞ is to integrate our products correctly into our products. The second is to be able to benefit from artificial intelligence in our way of doing business in design and production. Technology must be developed, but the real success is your capability to bring different technologies together under a single roof and to be able to create a new field. It can make a difference for Türkiye in this way.”

ÖZKUR, expressing that with artificial intelligence we have the opportunity to gather all human accumulation in a single pool, said: “Our main aim is to be able to use in all fields the information we gather in artificial intelligence by coding it. To use all data correctly and to establish the control mechanism. If we use artificial intelligence in line with this aim, we can benefit from it. Türkiye can produce everything. But what is important is to carry out high value-added production. At this point we need to open the way for our young people and give them direction. We need to attach special importance not only to the production side but also to the research and marketing fields.”

LEADERSHIP ADVICE FROM BALTAŞ TO TÜRKİYE’S INDUSTRY PIONEERS

In his MUST Window talk titled Doing Justice to Leadership and Change of Mindset in Management, Dr. Acar Baltaş underlined what kind of management approach should be adopted in the 21st century. BALTAŞ said: “A person can adapt to everything in life. But what is important is to feel a sense of belonging. Today the human being still prefers to walk new roads in old shoes. We have to remain students throughout life, if we want to survive. We need to adopt an understanding of managing by individualizing rather than generalizing. Leadership is a mindset that brings out the goodness within people. You, our producers, our leaders, please remind our young people of our debt to these lands. Support them in bringing out the goodness within them.”

MORE THAN A CAR: Togg

The last speech of MUST 2023 was delivered by the Summit’s MUST Speaker, Togg CEO Mehmet Gürcan KARAKAŞ. In his speech titled Journey to a New League, KARAKAŞ explained that the world is becoming smart in every respect, that it is evolving into a world of smart living spaces connected to one another seamlessly through smart devices, and that the automotive sector has fallen behind in this respect.

“When they see Togg they say, “This is a car.” And we say, “Yes, that is true, you can also use it as a car. But with Tru.Store we are building “more than a car” that users can personalize completely. In terms of user experience we have essentially created a digital experience platform that can work with all smart devices. We have integrated blockchain, cyber security, artificial intelligence and all their derivatives into the same vehicle. None of these exist in any automotive sector. We are including in our ecosystem the start-ups that can do all of this for Togg.”

Stating that Togg’s production also differentiates itself from its competitors with a domestic content rate of %51, KARAKAŞ explained its importance with these words: “If the intellectual property of the product you produce does not belong to you, your domestic content is limited; someone abroad determines it at their centre in your place. Togg’s intellectual and industrial property rights belong entirely to Türkiye. We determine our decisions independently and freely ourselves at our centre. As a smart car, Togg, with its investors who are among the world’s leaders in their own fields, carries the feature of being the only car that can produce all of its materials in-house. We hold the intellectual property and the production of our manufacturing, from raw material to battery.”

KARAKAŞ, who said that you can create innovation when you bring existing technologies together and implement them in a different application, said: “If you are doing an extraordinary job, you need extraordinary employees. We have 3,500 employees who are among the world’s best in their fields. We have 5 companies under Togg. Our main aim is technology development, production and developing our portfolio.” He announced that Togg’s targets are to enter the European market in 2025 and to continue on the road with carbon-neutral Toggs by 2035.

MUST 2023 came to an end with the family photo shoot of the participants and the members of the MÜSİAD Board of Directors.