Minister Kacır: ‘TSE has strengthened the brand value of the ‘Made in Turkey’ stamp’

Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır stated, ‘TSE has strengthened the brand value of the ‘Made in Turkey’ stamp.’ The Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) held its 63rd Ordinary General Assembly Meeting. The meeting, held at the TSE General Assembly Hall, was attended by Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Çetin Ali Dönmez, TSE President Mahmut Sami Şahin, and many delegates. Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır sent a video message to the meeting. Emphasizing that in a world where global supply chains are reshaping and cross-border trade is gaining new dimensions every day, standardization is an indispensable element for the sustainability and competitiveness of the unique, innovative, and competitive production infrastructure painstakingly built over 22 years, Kacır highlighted that ‘It is the key to bringing our citizens together with reliable and quality products and services. With certification, inspection, surveillance, verification, testing, calibration, and training services, the Turkish Standards Institute, with the standards it has developed, is always a supporter of our citizens, industrialists, and entrepreneurs.’ Kacır further stated, ‘It prepared more than 240,000 documents and reports in the field of conformity assessment. It conducted inspections of 150,000 products within the scope of import controls. It also carried out procedures for over 38,000 standards in force. It facilitated the meeting of our entrepreneurs and citizens with safe and environmentally friendly products meeting world standards. It stood against unfair competition and strengthened the brand value of the ‘Made in Turkey’ stamp.’ TSE President Mahmut Sami Şahin, delivering the opening speech of the meeting, said, ‘Standards are one of the main pillars of the global economic system, which is undergoing changes and transformation pains worldwide. In this new era that brings digitalization of production methods, technical regulations are also being reshaped in line with sustainability goals. In this regard, we are making intensive efforts for our Institute and our industrialists to work in coordination and to increase active participation in international technical committee works where standards are determined.’ Emphasizing the need to increase participation in international standardization efforts to increase the share of high value-added and advanced technology products in production, Şahin stated that they have initiated necessary efforts for the ISO General Assembly Meeting to be held in Istanbul in 2027 with the participation of 165 member countries. Referring to the work carried out by the Institute in 2023, Şahin mentioned, ‘As an Institute, we continue our activities under three main headings, mainly standardization, conformity assessment, and training. We issued 2,548 certificates in the fields of product, system, halal, and other certifications. With the services we provided as an ‘approved material establishment’ in the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant Project, we supplied 21.3 billion Turkish lira worth of domestic materials from our industrialists for use. Within the scope of the TOKİ construction sites sample collection and surveillance service, we collected samples from approximately 600 sites reported by TOKİ, especially in earthquake zones, and conducted reduced tests before implementation.’ Mentioning that they inspected 141,677 products included in 45,942 applications, Şahin stated that they did not allow the import of 4,093 products due to carrying negativity. Şahin stated that they have fulfilled their responsibilities in green transformation with the Water Efficiency Management System and Data Center Certification models initiated in 2023, saying, ‘We have started the Green Industrial Zone Certification to increase the efficiency, environmental sustainability, and competitiveness of industrial zones. Within the scope of the Green Industrial Zone Certification, applications of 23 Organized Industrial Zones were found suitable in terms of preliminary criteria by our Ministry of Industry and Technology and sent to our Institute. As a result of the inspections conducted, the certification process of 9 industrial zones was completed. We will expand Energy Management System and measurement-verification trainings assigned to our Institute within the framework of the Energy Efficiency 2030 Strategy and the 2nd National Energy Efficiency Action Plan by 2024. We will ensure the certification of energy efficiency investments in the voluntary carbon market to be established for reducing carbon emissions.’ Mentioning that with the commissioning of the TSE Ankara Quality Campus under construction in Temelli, they will start serving with 7 different laboratories, Şahin said, ‘Our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, consisting of 7 objectives and 23 targets prepared in line with our Ministry’s mission of ‘A Turkey that leads with its technology and is strong with its industry’ and National Technology Move vision, will be the institutional roadmap for the next 5 years of our Institute. Within the framework of our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, we aim to grow in the conformity assessment sector with the goals of increasing the services provided in the field of sustainability and combating climate change, and directing towards high value-added and qualified niche areas parallel to industrial transformation.’