Held under the leadership of the Presidency of Defence Industries and with the participation of numerous companies, the “Kocaeli Provincial Defence Industry Meeting” and Match4Industry B2B Meetings took place simultaneously at the new service building of the Kocaeli Chamber of Industry (KCI). The event welcomed Deputy President of the Presidency of Defence Industries Prof. Dr. İhsan Kaya and attracted strong interest from both domestic and international companies over two days.
Following the opening ceremony, the Kocaeli Provincial Defence Industry Meeting continued with high attendance throughout the afternoon and on the second day. Organized for the fourteenth time within the framework of the Enterprise Europe Network, the Match4Industry event also hosted participants for two days and continued to serve as a bridge for establishing commercial and technological partnerships between companies. A total of 181 Turkish and foreign companies took part in Match4Industry, where numerous bilateral business meetings were held.
OVER 4,500 BUSINESS MEETINGS
Hosted by KCI Chairman of the Board Ayhan Zeytinoğlu and Assembly Chairman Hasan Tahsin Tuğrul, the event welcomed Deputy President of the Presidency of Defence Industries Prof. Dr. İhsan Kaya. Kocaeli Governor İlhami Aktaş, members of the provincial protocol and representatives of defence industry foundation companies also showed strong interest. The program opened with a speech by Chairman Ayhan Zeytinoğlu.
“We consider the defence industry a strategic sector for Türkiye’s industrialization process and economic development,” Zeytinoğlu said. “With its high-technology-based production structure, this sector stands out as one of the areas with the highest innovation capacity and added value. As a chamber, we therefore carry out various programs, partnerships and projects to support our member companies in becoming suppliers to the defence industry. Through our activities, we have facilitated more than 4,580 business meetings and over 95 company visits to date.”
‘GOLDEN AGE OF LOCALIZATION AWARD’
Zeytinoğlu noted that KCI launched Defence Industry Consultancy Services in 2017 to coordinate the production of domestically developed weapons, devices and systems required by the Turkish Armed Forces. “Building on this experience, we established the Kocaeli Defence Industry Company in 2019 under the leadership and partnership of our chamber, together with 64 of our member companies, to manufacture equipment planned for localization,” he said.
As KSS, the company completed the production and military-standard qualification of the “Meteorological Observation and Global Positioning System,” which ASELSAN requested to be localized, and delivered it to the defence industry for use in 2022. Zeytinoğlu stated that this achievement earned the company ASELSAN’s Golden Age of Localization Award.
A SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITY FOR SUPPLIERS
Zeytinoğlu emphasized that the event brought together key institutions and companies, including the Presidency of Defence Industries, the Ministry of National Defence Inventory Control Center and Military Factories General Directorate, ASELSAN, HAVELSAN, ROKETSAN, TUSAŞ, STM, BMC, Machinery and Chemical Industry Corporation, TEI, TÜBİTAK SAGE, FNSS, Aspilsan and ASFAT.
“For companies aiming to become suppliers to the defence industry, this event offers a major opportunity,” he said. “Through bilateral business meetings, participants can explore cooperation possibilities for the local supply of defence products currently imported from abroad. Meetings will continue today after the opening and throughout tomorrow. I hope this event brings value to our companies, our region and our country.”
Following Zeytinoğlu, Deputy Mayor of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Hasan Soba took the floor and highlighted the importance of the progress achieved in the industrial sector in recent years.
KAYA SHARES SECTOR INSIGHTS
Deputy President of the Presidency of Defence Industries Prof. Dr. İhsan Kaya provided information on the activities of the Presidency and recent developments and innovations in the defence industry. Emphasizing the significance of the level Türkiye has reached in this field, Kaya stated that all stakeholders must act together to ensure sustainable success.
Kocaeli Governor İlhami Aktaş also stressed that aligning all defence industry stakeholders in the city around a common goal would position Kocaeli as one of Türkiye’s strategic production centers. He expressed his belief that Kocaeli’s contribution to Türkiye’s defence initiatives would grow significantly in the future.
INTENSIVE B2B MEETINGS ON THE SECOND DAY
On the first day, meetings continued with prime contractor foundation companies participating in the event. On the second day, prime contractors met with supplier companies that are members of KCI and held intensive bilateral business meetings. These meetings, hosted at KCI’s new service building, continued into the evening due to strong interest. A total of 583 meetings took place within the scope of the Kocaeli Provincial Defence Industry Meeting.
MATCH4INDUSTRY BRINGS COMPANIES TOGETHER
Held simultaneously with the Kocaeli Provincial Defence Industry Meeting, the Match4Industry B2B Meetings welcomed participants over two days. Organized for the fourteenth time within the Enterprise Europe Network, Match4Industry continued its role as a bridge for establishing commercial and technological partnerships while supporting companies in accessing international markets.
Turkish and foreign companies came together in Kocaeli to explore business opportunities, build new connections and follow the latest developments in industry. The event hosted 181 companies operating in sectors such as automotive supply, machinery, metal, automation, plastics, chemicals, construction materials, information and communication technologies, industrial services and consultancy.
2,500 PARTICIPANTS AND 8,000 B2B MEETINGS
Since 2012, the event has brought together 2,500 company representatives and facilitated more than 8,000 bilateral business meetings. This year, 574 B2B meetings were held with the participation of 116 Turkish and 52 foreign company representatives.
Participating countries included the United States, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Albania, Ukraine, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Czechia, Lithuania, Hungary and Romania.
