11.05.2015 Ankara
Speaking at the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE) General Assembly, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that standards are necessary for trade, “Quality and standards must be of a strong nature in order to ensure the creation of a strong industry. A new global rule states that a strong country is one with standards and one which defines standards. Defining standards means setting the rules of trade. That is why the TSE must take on a vital role. TSE should be among the standard defining institutions in the world.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that the world’s economy is undergoing
fluctuations and stated that the global trade volume has lost its vitality.
Reporting a rise in protective legislation in especially developed countries,
the TOBB president said, “On the other hand, we are living in a world of very
few borders and rules. Production volume used to be low enough that whatever
you produced would sell. This is not the case anymore. Consumers research for
and seek certain levels of standards in the products they will buy. Not just
consumers, but industrialists will seek out intermediary goods of certain
standards. You must have standards if you want to conduct business. That is the
rule.”
- TSE must gain brand value
Stating that they expect a strong economy, strong industry and strong
TSE, Hisarcıklıoğlu went on:
“We believe that the TSE logo will become a well-known and important
brand domestically and internationally.
Internationally valid documents for products are a green passport in
global trade. This cuts down on time and money wasted at customs gates.
Likewise, domestically, citizens are reassured in that the government has
conducted the necessary research into a product.
This means that the domestic market is kept active as well engendering a
view of dependable government. That is why, as the industrialists of our
country, we have always supported and will continue to support increasing the
institutional capacity of the TSE and its private sector focused operation. I
believe that having the Minister of Industry with us today is an important
opportunity.
The Minister has always stood by us, listened to our troubles and
searched for solutions with us. He took a revolutionary step towards the
domestic production incentive we’ve been asking for years. Public government
tenders will provide a 15% price advantage for goods for domestically produced
goods.
He has ensured 5th region incentives are granted nationwide
in order to incentivize high technology focused investments aiming to assist
with the transition of our industry to high technology. He has also pioneered
the way for a public investment enterprise to bring natural gas to OIZs in
provinces which are experiencing difficulty with natural gas distribution.
We are greatly pleased to have a Minister of Industry with a vision
focused on the development and strengthening of industry; I would like to
present our thanks for his endeavors once again. It is my hope that under his
leadership, TSE will focus on the private sector in the future and develop
cooperation with our Chambers in all provinces.
An important problem for our industrialists is the service costs of the
TSE. TSE has taken an important step forward to state that it will not be
increasing its prices for lab work and documentation in 2015. We hope that the
scope of this step will be extended.”
- Documents and reports compiled
by TSE
Stating that it is necessary to increase the international validity of
documents and reports compiled by TSE in the international arena,
Hisarcıklıoğlu stressed the need to have TSE more actively pursue this goal.
“We hope that TSE will take on a consultative role for the Turkish
industrialists, to provide guidance and direction. I am sure that TSE will
increase its role in not just Turkey but also in the region, becoming a leader
in its field.”
- Science, Industry and
Technology Minister Fikri Işık
Science, Industry and Technology Minister Fikri Işık stated that as the
world is heading towards a single document, single standard in standardization,
documentation, testing and inspections; this will add to the importance and
influence of TSE.
Stating that standardization and documentation are major components of
global competition, quality as well as market power and activity, Işık said,
“We want to increase the number of high quality and reliable products made by
our country all over the world. The way to achieve this is through the
production of goods and services compliant with global standards.”
Minister Işık stated that they want to increase the activity and power
of TSE in Turkey as well as increasing its competitive power in the world.
Providing information in regards to the TSE, Işık reported that the
International Conformity Assessment Service Inc. (ICAS) has been established in
order to earn a larger share of the international conformity assessment market
200 billion USD market.