Denizli Chamber of Commerce announced the productivity roadmap for industrialists.

Denizli Chamber of Commerce (DSO) shared the results report of the Productivity Workshop, which was an exemplary work conducted across the country with the representation of 18 different professional groups throughout the day, in recent months. The reports and roadmap prepared from the productivity workshop were shared with the public and the Denizli industry. In the meeting held, Selim Kasapoğlu, the President of Denizli Chamber of Commerce (DSO), announced that they witnessed a historic day for Denizli industry with this study, establishing a path and route for Denizli industry, and that Turkey’s 11th Model Factory was established in Denizli, which will be opened in the first quarter of 2025, stating, “We are witnessing a historic day for Denizli and Denizli industry. As the Denizli Chamber of Commerce, we have brought productivity to our agenda, and I believe that with this work we have initiated, we have determined a path and a route for Denizli industry. From now on, productivity will always be our main agenda item. Our industrialists are struggling to produce, control their costs, and compete with the outside during this challenging process caused by economic factors. If we, as industrialists and exporters, want to maintain our competitiveness in the future, we need to reassess our productivity. Therefore, we believe that productivity is one of the most important agenda items of the country during this challenging period. I believe it is valuable that we fight for the values and jobs we believe in. Today, this is valid not just for chambers or companies but for all of us. These challenging days will pass one way or another. The country will create new motivation for itself, and in this motivation, we industrialists will be the ones carrying the flag in the front. Therefore, I believe that the productivity studies conducted today will illuminate and guide us in the future.”

The closing meeting of the Productivity Workshop, which was an exemplary work of the Denizli Chamber of Commerce (DSO) and held on June 11, 2024, with the representation of 18 different professional groups throughout the day, was held with intense participation. The project shaped under the leadership of the DSO Productivity Commission, with contributions from Pamukkale University (PAÜ) Faculty Members of Industrial Engineering, resulted in a report created by evaluating the data obtained after the workshop. Both this report and the prepared roadmap were shared with the public and the Denizli industry.

The closing meeting was attended by DSO Board Chairman Selim Kasapoğlu, Vice Presidents Osman Uğurlu, Mehmet Serter, representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Technology, officials from Kayseri Model Factory, guests from Manisa TSO, Board Members, Council Members, members of the Productivity Commission, NGO Presidents and representatives, and many participants.

“We are witnessing a historic day for Denizli Industry”
In his opening speech, Denizli Chamber of Commerce President Selim Kasapoğlu stated, “We are witnessing a historic day for Denizli and Denizli industry. As the Denizli Chamber of Commerce, we have brought productivity to our agenda. And I believe that with this work we have initiated, we have determined a path and a route for Denizli industry. From now on, productivity will always be our main agenda item. Our industrialists are struggling to produce, control their costs, and compete with the outside during this challenging process caused by economic factors. If we, as industrialists and exporters, want to maintain our competitiveness in the future, we need to reassess our productivity. Therefore, we believe that productivity is one of the most important agenda items of the country during this challenging period. I believe it is valuable that we fight for the values and jobs we believe in. Today, this is valid not just for chambers or companies but for all of us. These challenging days will pass one way or another. The country will create new motivation for itself, and in this motivation, we industrialists will be the ones carrying the flag in the front. Therefore, I believe that the productivity studies conducted today will illuminate and guide us in the future.”

“Turkey’s 11th Model Factory is established in Denizli”
President Kasapoğlu emphasized that the Denizli Model Factory, which is led by the Denizli Chamber of Commerce, will provide significant contributions to industrialists in the areas of productivity and lean production. He stated that they aim for the Model Factory to become operational in the first quarter of 2025, saying, “Today may seem like a closing meeting, but it is actually the beginning of our work. With the Model Factory, we will start to serve the Denizli industry. The Model Factory will be our training center that guides industrialists and producers in the areas of productivity and lean production. We are bringing the 11th Model Factory in Turkey to our city. We have hung our sign. We have completed a large part of our construction. With the support of our ministry, the machines and equipment will hopefully be completed in a short time. We plan to open the Model Factory to our industrialists in the first quarter of 2025. With these efforts, we aim to contribute to the sustainable prosperity of the country,” he said.

Expressing his gratitude to all stakeholders who contributed to the workshop process and stating that the Chamber of Commerce is always ready for the increase of productivity in the Denizli industry, Kasapoğlu said, “I would like to once again thank our valuable academicians who contributed to the workshop process, our productivity commission, all the institutions that contributed to the work, and the Denizli Chamber of Commerce team that successfully managed the project in front of you. I also thank our 150 managers and professionals who did not leave us alone in this project, and our industrial friends who supported us by providing information on productivity, helping us take Denizli’s productivity X-ray.”

“The Denizli Chamber of Commerce has a very good and strong team”
Dr. Yücel Özkara, Head of the Efficiency Applications Department of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, expressed that they were excited when they received the invitation to the program and were happy to see the high participation. He said, “As a General Directorate, we were very excited when we received the invitation to this program. Generally, our institutions hold these workshops and then communicate the results to us via official letters, after which we evaluate and, if appropriate, take necessary actions. However, we were pleased to see a broad participation today in addressing the workshop results and making a significant launch. It makes us proud to see stakeholders in Denizli who care about productivity and have high awareness because unfortunately, we do not see this everywhere. Our industry certainly has problems; all businesses will write their problems down in detail. It is important to add productivity to this list and prioritize it. The Denizli Chamber of Commerce has a very good and strong team. We see the synergy that stakeholders have achieved. I believe that the report and roadmap to be presented here will be a good model for Denizli’s initiative if there are similar problems in our other provinces, sharing the same solutions and taking their opinions.”

“We are starting the establishment works of the Denizli Model Factory”
Dr. Özkara stated that the establishment works of the Model Factory, a significant initiative of the Denizli Chamber of Commerce, have begun. He said, “In our next process, we are starting the establishment works of the Denizli Model Factory under the mentorship of the Konya Model Factory. This is how we actually establish model factories. That is, by determining our model factories that we can define as a master-apprentice relationship, which successfully apply lean production techniques with experienced and highly knowledgeable individuals in the past, and adding them to new establishments. After establishing a director and a full-time trainer system, we will procure our machines and equipment, and then the core structure of the model factory will form. This will actually be a stage where all the know-how of productivity-increasing techniques is transferred. If all goes well, by the middle of 2025, the Denizli Model Factory will have become a structure that can operate independently and will spread productivity and productivity increase to Denizli and neighboring provinces,” he said.

“We aim to achieve a transformation that will provide added value to our industrialists”
Ayhan Doğrar, the Chairman of the Productivity Commission of the Denizli Chamber of Commerce, stated that the workshop held was a beautiful work and that their main goal was to produce solutions that would increase the competitiveness of Denizli industrialists. He said, “With your support and the support of all our stakeholders, we conducted a successful workshop. As a Commission, we believe that what comes next is more important. What is important for us is our common ideas and what we will bring to the Denizli industry with these ideas, the impact we will have on increasing productivity. With the roadmap we will announce today, we will lay the foundation and the first step of this vision. As a Commission, we aim to achieve a transformation that will provide added value to our industrialists and our region. Our goal is to facilitate the access of our industrialists to the newest technologies globally, to make their business processes more efficient, and to strongly support innovation in the industry. We aim to produce solutions that will increase the competitiveness of Denizli industrialists at every step.”

After the opening speeches, Prof. Dr. Aşkıner Güngör, a Faculty Member of Industrial Engineering at PAÜ, presented the results report of the Productivity Workshop. Noting that a total of 477 pages of a report was prepared with the contributions of Prof. Dr. Olcay Polat and Dr. Instructor Ozan Çapraz, Güngör stated that they would share some key issues. He focused on four headings: productivity perception and practices, transparency and cooperation, continuous improvement, and the model factory project, stating, “The key to productivity is people. The training, participation, and motivation of employees are of great importance. Establishing a culture of transparency and cooperation in companies plays a critical role in increasing productivity. Productivity is a continuous improvement process. Companies must continually improve themselves to adapt to changing conditions and increase their competitiveness. The model factory to be established in Denizli will provide an important resource for industrialists on productivity.”

During the workshop, it was revealed that firms had different perceptions regarding productivity and had deficiencies in some fundamental concepts. Particularly, deficiencies were identified in areas such as time and method studies, 5S management, and continuous improvement. It was determined that the majority of firms did not regularly measure productivity or used insufficient measurement indicators. While focusing on labor productivity, it was noted that other important indicators, such as overall equipment effectiveness, were overlooked. İbrahim Onur Yıldırım, a member of the Denizli Chamber of Commerce Productivity Commission, detailed the productivity roadmap created after the comprehensive workshop held. Yıldırım stated that the roadmap consists of four main headings: education, model factory, activities, and support-consultation.

In this context, various training programs such as manager development programs, sectoral trainings, productivity-focused training modules, and technical personnel training will be organized. The model factory established in Denizli will provide exemplary applications in the fields of lean production and digital transformation and will provide training for industrialists. National and international technical trips, productivity seminars, kaizen sharing events, and productivity fairs will be organized. Mentorship programs, the establishment of a pool of expert consultants, and productivity consultancy services will be provided. The roadmap includes short, medium, and long-term goals. In the short term, activities such as productivity seminars, activating the model factory, and establishing a digital library will be carried out. In the medium and long term, more comprehensive projects such as mentorship programs, digitalization, and Industry 4.0 solutions will be implemented. It is aimed to train technical personnel in cooperation with the Provincial Directorate of National Education. A digital library that is accessible to all industrialists will be created, serving as a center where lean production and digital transformation are practiced. It was stated that cooperation between industrialists, academia, and public institutions will be strengthened.

After the presentation by Salih Yalçın, General Manager of Kayseri Model Factory, which included sharing good practice examples and methods used to increase productivity, our meeting concluded with the panel titled “Productivity Increasing Applications and Future Steps in Different Sectors.” Salih Yalçın, General Manager of Kayseri Model Factory, Mehmet Turan Tahtasakal, Vice Chairman of the Board of M Group A.Ş., and Gülşah Aynekin, Founder of Expert Support Consultancy, shared information and presented good practice examples.