The opening of BUTEXCOMP – Composite Material and Technical Textile Prototype Production and Application Center, which was implemented to increase the competitiveness of companies through technological transformation, was held with the participation of the Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır.
Composite Material and Technical Textile Prototype Production and Application Center, which was implemented under the umbrella of Bursa Technology Coordination and R&D Center (BUTEKOM) under the leadership of Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO), will increase the prototyping, design and modeling capabilities of SMEs operating in the sector. The center, established with an investment of 200 million TL within the scope of the Competitive Sectors Program carried out within the framework of the financial cooperation between the European Union and Turkey, also aims to create a fully integrated cluster and an effective supply chain for the technical textile and composite material sectors.
More than 60 Macro Projects in the Last 10 Years
BTSO Chairman İbrahim Burkay, in his speech at the opening ceremony of BUTEXCOMP, said that the global economy is in a great change and transformation. “Existing in a world where new generation raw materials, innovative production solutions, carbon neutrality targets and circularity are at the center now requires leaving familiar paradigms aside.” İbrahim Burkay underlined that Turkish industry should compete with added value, not with price. Mayor Burkay stated that, as BTSO, they are building the future with this perspective and made the following evaluation: “With the support of our Ministry of Industry and Technology, Governorship and Metropolitan Municipality, we have determined a strong vision for a Bursa that wins under all circumstances. In the last 10 years, Bursa has gained a strong infrastructure with more than 60 projects at the macro level such as TEKNOSAB, GUHEM, Bursa Model Factory, BUTEKOM, MESYEB and Bursa Business School. Today, Bursa has become one of the cities that has successfully transformed itself in line with its high-tech and value-added production targets, and has also ensured its integration with world markets at the highest level. Our exports per kilogram increased to 4.5 dollars. Our exports exceeded 17 billion dollars. “I would like to thank our Minister on behalf of our business world for his support to our projects, which are among the most important building blocks of our country’s national technology move.”
“We Aim to Transform Academic Knowledge into Commercial Value”
İbrahim Burkay said that using information in production with a mind that will create added value is the basic condition for competitiveness in the new economy. Stating that developed economies have developed accelerating and integrating models in the transformation of academic knowledge into commercial value by establishing institutes that serve as interfaces within this framework, President Burkay said, “Korea Textile Development Institute (KTDI) and Fraunhofer in Germany are among the most successful examples in the world in this sense. In order to create this business model that is valid in the world, we established BUTEKOM as a research unit within the Uludağ Textile Exporters Association in 2008. “Since 2013, when we took office at BTSO, we have transformed this center into a strong structure that includes centers of excellence, with the support of our Ministry.” said.
“BUTEKOM Created a Unique Innovation Ecosystem”
Stating that the center, which was implemented with the aim of transforming the textile industry, is developing towards different sectors day by day, President Burkay continued his speech as follows: “BUTEKOM has turned into a unique ecosystem where thousands of our companies, hundreds of academics, doctoral students, R&D centers work together under the same roof. The work we carried out here, starting from basic research, has developed to prototyping competence with the projects supported by our Ministry. To date, we have carried out many joint projects with our private sector within this structure. We have provided support to hundreds of companies in the development, writing and execution of project ideas. We carried out two large guided projects and an IPA project with the support of our Ministry. “With these projects, we have made significant contributions to both our sectors and BUTEKOM’s infrastructure in terms of catching up with the latest technology.”
“We Aim to Establish an Innovation Center with Green and Digital Transformation”
Stating that hundreds of companies have benefited from diagnostic analysis, determination of transformation parameters, design, consultancy and training services with the BUTEXCOMP project, İbrahim Burkay emphasized that the clusters in the technical textile and composite sectors created within the scope of the project have reached the stage of gaining legal entity status. Burkay said that the BUTEXCOMP Green Product Program was greatly appreciated by all stakeholders following the project and noted that they wanted to carry out larger projects with the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the European Union to disseminate the program. Burkay said, “We expect the support of our Ministry in establishing a Green and Digital Transformation and Innovation Center that will support the compliance of sectors with regulations.” said.
“Science and Technology are the Key to Global Competition”
Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır emphasized that science and technology are among the factors that make countries stand out in global competition. Noting that a well-functioning R&D, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem must be established to produce technology, Minister Kacır said, “We have built a strong ecosystem with investments in technology and science in the last 22 years. With more than 1,600 R&D and design centers, 208 universities, more than 272 thousand R&D personnel, and more than 10 thousand technology initiatives in the 101 Technoparks we established, we have enabled our country to reach a globally competitive position in the field of technology and innovation. We increased our R&D expenditures, which were only 1.2 billion dollars in 2002, by 10 times. We prioritized added value and high technology production in our investment incentive system. 44 percent of the incentive certificates we have issued in the last 5 years are medium-high and high-technology investments. It is not a coincidence that our number of Turcorns has reached 7 in just 4 years. We know what our people can do when given the opportunity, when the obstacles in front of them are removed, and when resources are allocated.” said.
“The Spirit of Clustering and the Culture of Doing Business Together will Develop at the Center”
Stating that the Composite Materials and Technical Textile Prototype Production and Application Center will further strengthen Bursa’s leading city role in high technology investments, Minister Kacır said: “Established for SMEs that have an idea, strive to turn an idea into a product, and try to commercialize their products. “Both the spirit of clustering and the culture of doing business together will develop in the centre.” said. Minister Kacır stated that the doors of the center will be open to everyone who wants to test their ideas in their own production sites, who aspires to produce prototypes and who aims to commercialize the prototype they produce, and said, “This project with a budget of 200 million lira, which we implemented with the competitive sectors program, consists of two components: machinery equipment infrastructure and technical assistance. is formed. Within the scope of the project, state-of-the-art machines and devices are ready to meet the testing and prototype development needs of our industrialists, SMEs and entrepreneurs. As of today, testing and analysis services have started to be offered to more than 50 SMEs in this modern and powerful infrastructure. Support is provided to 6 companies within the scope of the green product development program. While supply chain matching is created in this center, role model consultancy and mentoring services are offered. We will support more than 50 SMEs in the implementation of their innovative project ideas at the center, with modeling and prototype production services that will continue until the end of the project. Thanks to this center, we will accelerate the production of high value-added products based on composite materials and technical textiles. I would like to thank our Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which pioneered the project, and the EU for their support. “I hope to carry out many beautiful projects in Bursa in the future.”
“Bursa Plays a Leading Role in the National Technology Move”
Bursa Governor Mahmut Demirtaş emphasized that Bursa is one of the cities that makes the strongest contribution to Turkey’s domestic and national technology targets. Governor Demirtaş stated that Bursa is the locomotive region in R&D and innovation activities in Turkey with its strategic location, universities, technology development zones, R&D centers, OIZs, NGOs, local governments and all its institutions. The Composite Material and Technical Textile Prototype Production and Application Center, which was implemented by our Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the support of our Ministry of Industry and Technology, is an important center that guides our companies with its research infrastructure for new technologies. “I believe that Bursa will play an even more active role in the process of national technology development and strong industrial move with the work carried out at the center.” said.
“Türkiye Has Achieved Significant Achievements in Science and Technology”
Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Alinur Aktaş pointed out that Turkey has achieved very important successes in science and technology with the horizon and vision of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Expressing that it is a great privilege for Bursa to host the local and national automobile Togg, Aktaş thanked BTSO, which pioneered the Composite Material and Technical Textile Prototype Production and Application Center project, and the institutions and organizations that contributed to the project.
At the ceremony attended by industrialists and business people, Minister Kacır examined the Composite Material and Technical Textile Prototype Production and Application Center after the opening speeches.
