The foundation of the Turkish Textile Machinery and Accessories Industrialists Association dates back to 1998 and continues to promote the industry and meanwhile contribute to the development of the industry. Mr.Adil Nalbant has been the chairman of the association and shared his evaluations regarding the Turkish textile industry.
“Turkey Maintains its Rank as the 16th”
At his explanation, Nalbant informed that despite the fact that there was an economic crisis in 2018, they closed the year with pretty good figures and noted that the export figures of 2017 being 604 million dollars increased by 750 million dollars in 2018.
TEMSAD’s Chairman Mr.Adil Nalbant indicated that an increase of 10% has been experienced around the world and the textile machinery exports being 25 billion dollars in 2008 crisis became 30 billion dollars in 2018. Nalbant stated that Turkey also got its shares from these figures and “We have maintained our share in textile machinery by 2,5-3 %,” he said.
TEMSAD Chairman Mr. Adil Nalbant noted that Turkey still maintains its position in the 16th rank regarding the export figures and added that a decrease by 48 % was experienced in import.
Nalbant related this decrease due to the crisis experienced in Dollar currency in August and, “As you cannot stop the investments all of a sudden you cannot also speed up. The last year’s last 4 months were extremely difficult. This year the sector has recently started to normalize itself,” he said.
“In 2020, 850 Million Dollars Will be Achieved”
Nalbant indicated that they have increased their target for the year 2020, “This year we will achieve 850 million dollars. The exports figures received are pretty good. We have an increase over 10%. The flexibility in pricing on behalf of our exporters due to the increase in currency rates in a fundamental reason. On the other hand, working hard is also the reason. They are present all over the world in exhibitions in every geography and do the marketing with face to face customer relations and thus maintain their global market shares” he said.
“We can achieve more than our export figures”
“For instance, despite the decrease in the import rates, even despite the fact that some machineries used by the Turkish textile industrialists are sent to other countries as secondhand machineries, there was no recession in our textile exports. Check the figures today. It is around 29 billion dollars. This means that the Turkish textile industry has a strong machinery infrastructure and machinery line. In terms of modern textile, even if we struggle a little bit, we can achieve more than these export figures.”
“The Government should support its manufacturer”
TEMSAD Chairman Mr.Adil Nalbant stated that the textile machinery and textile industrialists do not adequately collaborate and the main reason is the government itself and noted that the government should support the local machinery manufacturers and guarantee the buyer.
Mr.Nalbant giving example from the Defense Industry, “The defense industry developed with guaranteed buying. Today, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, the latest smart Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles were supported and were used at proper places. In addition, their buyers were also predefined,” he said.
“I see that the supports are encouraged”
Mr.Adil Nalbant mentioned about the problems encountered by the machinery manufacturers during exports or production process and, “Our occupational problems have never changed. However, in 2019 I have seen that people are trying to enable some supports. Recently, a program named “Technology Focused Industry Attempt” in order to intensify the supports and subsidies towards medium-high and high technology sectors in Turkey to increase the production of value-added products. This program will enable the machineries brought to Turkey through imports as local machinery production in our country. There are 6 headlines for that. It is directly related with the textile machineries. Yarn machineries, knitting machineries, weaving looms are listed. We have manufacturers having applied for the subsidy package to manufacture knitting and yarn machineries. Applications for the production of weaving looms are about to be submitted. According to the subsidy model announced by our government, the limitation starts from 10 million liras,” he said.
“We expect more support”
Nalbant: “To whom will the machinery manufactured be sold? How will we go to the world’s countries and sell those machineries unless our government support us and have the most important word in the textile market?” he said in his explanation and noted that they expect more support from the government.
Mr.Adil Nalbant listed their expectations as textile machinery industrialists, “ Our government should always support the textile industrialists when they buy a local machinery. For example, the government should be able to say that we return half of the expenses, we provide tax ease and financial ease,” he said.
“If the Government Supports, We can sell those Machineries”
Nalbant noted that the main issue is not only manufacturing textile machineries, but it is also to encourage our own industrialists to use local machineries. He said that unless we succeed this, we cannot sell our machineries to the world.
TEMSAD’s Chairman Mr.Adil Nalbant, “ If the government supports, encourages the industrialist to buy local machinery, we can sell those machineries,” he said.
“One of the most important problems of the sector is the secondhand machinery imports”
One of the most important problems of the sector is the secondhand machinery imports which there are no limitations. Anyone paying 10 dollars per kilo can import any machinery to our country.
The situation is different in Europe and what I have witnessed is that an entrepreneur gets funds from the European Union and installs a plant and runs it. This plant costed him 50 million dollars. He chose on the leading brands in machinery but went bankrupt. The plant is auctioned for 10 million dollars. The government is there too and puts an annotation to that sales. You cannot sell this to European Union countries. Europe protects its manufacturer obviously and clearly. The situation is quite different in our country.
“Our costs are not low”
This is such a vulnerable point… Your machineries should be very productive and cost-efficient while adapting women employment mainly along with high technology and instant reaction. You are using the world’s most expensive energy. Your costs are not low.
“We wish to have positive discrimination”
Nalbant noted the necessary steps to be taken, “The world’s most technological machineries are used by the industrialists now. That means that as Trump has done, you need to show both the carrot and the bat… What does the industrialist need to do? I have a hundred machines but, I need to have at least 30-40 Turkish machines. That should be the idea. The government should apply such supports. We wish to have positive discrimination. Our industrialists are working really hard. They all need to sell these machines manufactured. No one would pay for a machine that they cannot operate or would not make profit. Manufacturing technology is not the problem,” he said.
“We conduct our activities on behalf of our sector”
TEMSAD’s Chairman Mr.Adil Nalbant made explanation regarding the activities conducted by the association, “We have been directly taking responsibilities in the Civil Society Organizations for around 12 years and as founder members, we are present at the board meetings to constantly conduct our activities on behalf of our sector. All our colleagues are doing their best to represent the sector at the highest level,” he said.
Adil Nalbant indicated that their aim is to lead the activities to be organized locally, to create awareness among Civil Society Organizations, to lead the machinery industry and organize workshop and exhibitions dedicated for the market.
TEMSAD’s Chairman Mr.Adil Nalbant continued as follows:
“The market evaluation institutions foresee a growth for Turkey. This is true. However, there is something else that I have observed. The 500-year-old history of that geography is being reset. I do not think that this is related with the USA-China or China-USA mobile phones competition. Another crucial issue that we also follow from the press. There is a project launched by Chinese in 2013 named as “A Generation a Path”. This is a project that they have been involved so as to increase their dominance in railways and sea ways, to be superior at maritime and also revive the seaways. Up to now, over 100 billion dollars have been transferred. Over 100 ports have been purchased. We do not cross the seas any longer. A train directly arrives and in 11 days a delivery is dispatched to EU. Along with great opportunities in this geography, I also see great threats as there is a production force of 3 billion in East. The GNP per capita in a country of 3 billion is compared with the consumption of 300 million people as 5 thousand dollars and 50 thousand dollars. When you multiply it, you see that it is 10 times. When the Silk Road will be connected, as the energy lines, we will regain our trade roads and strategical position we lost 500 years ago. Turkey can regain this position and has to. 2020 will be very good. There is a recession in the world. The problems we have will never end. There is always a crisis. This keeps you alive.”
