16.05.2016 Ankara
TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, during his speech at the 55th General Assembly of the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE), stated that the TSE is one of Turkey’s most important institutions for the private sector.
Stating that the importance of standards for an economy is well known,
Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “If we are unable to maintain production quality and
standards we will have no chance to compete against our international trade
rivals. I would like to relay to you an experience I’ve had. I was in
Kyrgyzstan a month ago. In my meetings with the Kyrgyz President Atambayev and
representatives of the private sector, the one thing they emphasized was the
view in Kyrgyzstan that Turkish goods mean quality, ‘There is no haggling when
purchasing Turkish products, because they know they are buying first class
goods when buying Turkish products.’ This is just one example. I know that the
rest of the region has the same view as I’ve visited each several times.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that they were able to achieve this only
because of entrepreneurs, with the hand of the private sector, stating that the
TSE stamp which is the proof of quality for Turkish goods contributes greatly
to this.
Drawing attention to three of TSE’s endeavors which they put great
importance on, the TOBB President said, “The first is TSE’s cooperation with
its global and regional counterparts. We wholly support this. The global trade
volume in 2000 was 6 trillion USD. Today, it is 19 trillion USD. Turkey’s
prosperity depends on its share of this wealth. That is why we must not only
produce goods to a certain standard; we must be the ones setting standards. TSE
has leapt forward in this field recently. TSE has entered into a series of
partnerships in Islamic countries, EU countries, Asia and Africa. We think this
is very important.
The second matter is TSE’s foray into cyber security. This is a very
important subject. This age of information which we find ourselves in is both a
great opportunity and a great threat to economies. Many analysts agree that the
largest crises in the future will stem from information security lapses. This
issue is very important for both our country and our companies.
Third, TSE’s endeavors to develop capacity in important sectors of our
country such as automobiles, energy and logistics: This endeavor is very
important for both lowering costs for our industrialists and R&D efforts.
We must increase the number and quality of these attempts. The business
community is still dependent on foreign sources for various certifications. It
is very important that TSE determines these deficiencies and mobilizes to
invest in them.”
Pointing out the increasing role of the private sector in TSE’s works,
Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Cooperation is paramount, especially in the field of
standardization. TSE, with its mirror committees, must meet with the business
community in order to determine their needs and grievances. We believe that but
improving cooperation with the private sector will contribute to the formation
of standards on a national and international platform. As the TOBB Board we are
working to integrate our chambers and exchanges into the standard preparation
procedure. I believe that with common purpose and cooperation, we can make
Turkey a standard setter and make this an institution.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the private sector has needed a new
industrial revolution for years and spoke on the matter of transitioning to
high technology production, “The Minister has set Turkey on this path. The
domestic product certification has been introduced to incentivize them in
tenders. Most importantly, he always consults with the private sector before
committing to a new step in the economic plan. He has always made sure to
include us who are putting ourselves at risk. In this regard, our cooperation
with one of the most important institutions in Turkey, TSE has increased. I
would like to extend our gratitude to Minister Işık for his approach on behalf
of the Turkish private sector.”
- Minister Işık
Science, Industry and Technology Minister Fikri Işık stated that TSE
serves as the kitchen, logistics center and infrastructure of industrial
production.
Pointing out that TSE acts as a key for industrialists to enter into
various markets worldwide, Işık stated that the institute has three primary
functions in conducting standardization, ensuring the product and service
security of the consumers and providing the testing-inspection-certification needed
by the business community domestically and internationally. Işık went on to
provide information in regards to the scope, scale and extent of TSE’s
endeavors in these three functions.
Işık stated that for companies to compete on a global scale, they must
provide goods and services conforming to international standards. Işık also
drew attention to the fact that standards serve to lower costs, increase
quality, institutional properties and branding for companies.
Işık said, “TSE ensures that goods and services in Turkey conform to
international standards. However this isn’t enough for our country. Turkey must
be active in the setting of standards as well. Countries involved in
determining standards and technical regulations also direct global trade.”