Digitalization Should Now be at The Center of Our Development Strategy

21.03.2019

Chairman of Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ICI) Erdal Bahçıvan who continues to contribute to the digital transformation of Turkish industry has said, “The new view on industrialization based on digital revolution should be at the center of our development strategy. It is inevitable for us to be producers in technology as well. Within this context, we invite our domestic technology companies operating in digital transformation and industrial application fields to become Technology Partners of ICI.”

Çalık Holding Chairman Ahmet Çalık has said, “We want to serve public and private sectors with Çalık Digital as “Digital Transformation Business Partner” in Turkey and in the region. Thanks to the partnership of Çalık Digital and ICI Digital teams, we will provide support for the industrial organizations that are members of ICI in determining of their digitalization roadmaps.”

Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ICI) continued its productive and efficient contribution to the digital transformation of Turkish industry with the panel “Launch of the ICI Digital Transformation Office and Milestones in Digital Transformation in Industry”.

Hosted by Erdal Bahçıvan, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of ICI, the event was organized through the contributions of Istanbul Development Agency (IDA), and attended by Barış Yeniçeri, General Manager of Development Agencies, as well as representatives of several industrial enterprises. Ahmet Çalık, Chairman of Çalık Holding; Canan Özsoy, President & CEO of GE Turkey and Dr. Faruk Sarı, Assembly Member of ICI and Board Member of CTECH Bilişim Teknolojileri San. ve Tic. A.Ş. shared their opinions under the moderatorship of Oğuzhan Aygören, Assistant Professor at Bogazici University.

ICI Chairman, Erdal Bahçıvan made the opening speech of the panel, emphasizing that they are doing a lot of effective work to be ready for the new industrial age and to raise awareness among the industrialists and added, “Within the scope of the services provided for the digitization of industrial companies, we are also working to determine domestic suppliers providing products and services in this field and we are hoping establish cooperation with these companies. For this purpose, we invite our technology companies operating in the fields of industrial applications of digital transformation to become ICI's Technology Partners. Within the frame of all these developments and our projects, it is necessary to clearly express that the new industrialization perspective based on the digital revolution should be at the center of our development strategy. It is inevitable for us to be a producer in technology rather than merely a consumer. We must never forget that a country cannot develop while it is dependent on technologies developed by others”.

Digitalization includes not only production but also all business processes

Bahçıvan has expressed that digitalization changes all production methods of industries and it redefines production systems. He also added, “This change should not be reduced only to the production lines of the industry. When we say digitalization in industry, we should consider the digitalization of all business processes of a company. This new age promises self-operating autonomous production systems. Just as mobile phones are becoming increasingly intelligent, factories that are the focus of this development are becoming smarter. While we see the first examples in our country, the rapidly expanding concept of "Smart Factory" in developed countries, has taken place in the literature. On the other hand, artificial intelligence and deep learning are one of the most important areas of competition in the world of the future. The point we have to underline here is the new production ecosystem perspective created by digitalization. In this context, it means that Turkey needs to adopt this new industrial concept and prepare for the transformation”. Barış Yeniçeri, General Director of Development Agencies, has said that “We are aware that the most important requirement for digital technology suppliers and manufacturers is financing. As IDA, we are supporters of these issues. Data communication is the infrastructure of digitalization. We will take important steps in digital communication, which is the prerequisite for digitalization. The Digital Transformation Office will offer a road map for industrialists on digitalization”.

Çalık: “We will support the digital transformation of ICI member industrial organizations”

Çalık Holding Chairman Ahmet Çalık, speaking at the Milestones of the Digital Transformation in the Industry panel moderated by Oğuzhan Aygören, Assistant Professor at Bogazici University, has said, “Digitalization is one of the most important issues that companies should focus on in this era. It is a necessity for companies, not an optional one. We want to serve public and private sectors with Çalık Digital as “Digital Transformation Business Partner” in Turkey and in the region. Thanks to the partnership of Çalık Digital and ICI Digital teams, we will provide support for the industrial organizations that are members of ISO in determining of digitalization roadmaps. I would also like to thank the Chairman of ICI, Mr. Bahçıvan. They launched a visionary project, and we are happy to be a part of it”.

GE Turkey President & CEO Canan Özsoy has reminded that the biggest plane engine manufacturer in the world, GE is also the biggest engine supplier for Turkish Airlines and added that, “We are working on the rapid production of airplane engines with layered manufacturing at the labs we have opened with 10 million dollar investment. We will come to the point where we can reduce eight thousand pieces that are used in the production of aircraft engines to perhaps one thousand. Manufacturing plane engines on the own fields of every airline might not be a dream in the future”.

Assembly Member of ICI and Board Member of CTECH Bilişim Teknolojileri San. ve Tic. A.Ş. Dr. Faruk Sarı has said, “There is significant competition in the world we live in. Unfortunately, this transformation will affect industry the most. This is because being automatic means unemployment. It is admirable for ICI to take on responsibility in terms of digital transformation adaptation of industry with this foresight”.

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