Overview of the project
The province of Kocaeli is host to 13% of Turkey’s manufacturing industry and is among Turkey’s most rapidly developing industrial regions. Industrial investment in Kocaeli has increased through the years, recently attracting new and advanced technology to the region. Over the last two years, it became obvious for the Kocaeli Chamber of Industry (KCI) that the business community, made essentially of industrial companies, required particular assistance to better meet their specific needs.
As a result of a broad consultation among their member companies, the KCI launched, on 21st December 2005, a Solution Center for SMEs with the aim of providing fast and effective services on CE marking, patent & branding assistance, environment solutions (certifications and consultancy) and quality standards.

This new center is a joint initiative of the Kocaeli Chamber of Industry and four well known professional
and accredited companies in their sectors, namely:

Bureau Veritas, a multinational company with expertise in CE marking and quality certification;
TUV SUD, a multinational company specialist in CE marking certification;
RINA, a multinational company specialized in CE certification in yachting certification
Academy Consultancy ltd. which provides patent and branding consultancy.

Our Solution Partners

Today 6 full-time and 7 part-time employees, Chamber staff and experts from the partner companies, work in the Center and assist the SMEs of the Kocaeli region with very precise services including:
CE marking;
Consultancy and certification for manufacturing industry, automotive sector and marine sector
directives;
Management Systems Certification Service (ISO);
Assistance for getting a patent and/or registering a brand;
How to apply to EU funds and project proposals;
EU legislation;
Seminars and workshops.
The Solution Center is open to all companies. However the KCI member companies benefit from a discount price for the services given.

Profit to business
The partnership between the KCI and the four well-known companies is built on the pooling of the means and competences. The Solution Center can therefore deliver high quality services and offer diversified solutions according to the needs of the SMEs.
CE marking, environmental standards and quality certifications are key issues for the SMEs in the province of Kocaeli. The Solution Center offers them a one-stop shop where they can have an easy and rapid access to accurate information and guidance about these subjects and then ensure a smooth development of their activities.

Strategy
The Kocaeli Chamber of Industry plans to extend in the future the range of services on offer according to the needs of their member companies in order to become “a center of reference” for industrial companies looking for rational solutions for their developments and problems.

Contact
Contact person: Mr.Onur Ergüney and Mr. Egemen Mert
Position: Foreign Trade and International Relations Department Chief
Address: Kocaeli Chamber of Industry, Fuariçi 41040 Kocaeli / TURKEY
E-mail: oerguney@kosano.org.tr
Tel: +90 262 315 80 51+90 262 315 80 51
Chamber website: http://www.kosano.org.tr