The 6th International Composite Fair 'MEET4COMPOSITE', which brought together the global composite sector in Istanbul Congress Center, was held between October 10-12, 2024. The opening of the fair, attended by Ömer Karadeniz, President of the Plastics Industrialists Federation (PLASFED); Prof. Dr. İlker Murat Ar, General Manager of Industry at the Ministry of Industry and Technology; Şekib Avdagiç, President of ITO; Barış Pakiş, President of KSD; Roberto Frassine, President of the European Composites Industry Federation; Yavuz Eroğlu, President of TOBB Turkey Plastics, Rubber and Composites Industry Council; Dilek Soydan, Founding Partner of ED Fuarcılık, and many invited guests. Within the scope of the fair, which hosted nearly 10,000 domestic and international visitors from more than 100 companies and over 20 countries, the 'Composite Forum in Construction' and the 'Sustainability Seminar' were also organized.
Prof. Dr. İlker Murat Ar, General Manager of Industry at the Ministry of Industry and Technology, stated that the composite sector is a material shaping the future of industry, and that today's value-added competition understanding progresses on two basic principles: sustainability and innovation. Ar noted that producing lightweight, durable, flexible, environmentally friendly, and recyclable products has become important for businesses that want to be ahead in competition, and said, “Composite technologies are also among the guiding elements of the new competitive arena. The growth of the Turkish composite sector above the world average is actually a natural result of the developments. Considering these developments, significant opportunities await businesses investing in the composite industry in the future. As the Ministry of Industry and Technology, we attach great importance to this sector. We contribute to domestic production with support and incentive programs aimed at the growth of the sector. As the Ministry, we see the composite sector as a strategic area that will lead the future” he said.
Pakiş: “20 thousand people are employed”
Barış Pakiş, Chairman of the Board of the Composites Manufacturers Association, who made the opening speech of the fair, stated that the 6th International Composite Fair ‘MEET4COMPOSITE’, held at the Istanbul Congress Center, is Turkey's only fair in the composite field. Pakiş explained that in addition to international participants, international composite manufacturers and buyers, leading raw material producers of the sector took their place at the fair, and also noted that NGOs and many technology companies also came together at ‘MEET4COMPOSITE’.
Stating that the Composites Manufacturers Association is the umbrella organization of the composite sector, Pakiş said, “We continue our efforts with great momentum to grow our sector regarding composite materials, which are described as the material of the future worldwide” he said.
Pakiş noted that the composite sector finds a place in dozens of sectors, from aviation to defense industry, from transportation to infrastructure works, from automotive to maritime sector, from building-construction materials to energy sector, and reported that the Turkish composite sector takes a 1.5 percent share of world trade. Pakiş stated that the Turkish composite industry consists of between 800 and 1000 companies, including 180 medium and large-scale companies that partially deal with composites, and said, “These companies provide employment for approximately 20 thousand people and produce high value-added products. While the value of the Turkish composite market reached 3 billion dollars in 2023, its volume exceeded 340 thousand tons” he said.
Emphasizing that the composite industry in Turkey is growing rapidly by taking a share from the materials it replaces, just like globally, the President of the Composites Manufacturers Association continued his words as follows: “While the global composite market is expected to grow by 10.8 percent to reach 181.7 billion dollars in 2028 worldwide, as the Turkish composite sector, we are working with all our might to get a larger share from this market. In this context, we believe that our MEET4COMPOSITE International Composite Fair, which we organized with the aim of being an international meeting point for the composite industry, will be of great benefit in reaching our goals much faster.”
Avdagiç: “We can raise exports to 1 billion dollars”
Şekib Avdagiç, President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO), stating that MEET4COMPOSITE held in Istanbul is the most important composite fair after Europe, noted that Istanbul becoming the meeting point of the global composite sector is a very gratifying development. Avdagiç explained that the composite sector in Turkey also harbors great potential, and said, “Even though our exports have remained at around 800 million dollars for the last few years, we can raise this level above one billion dollars. Here, we must say that the effect of companies producing in Turkey going abroad also plays a role. Regardless, we can increase our exports. However, at this point, I hope that a correlation will soon emerge between inflation and the exchange rate. This would relieve manufacturers and exporters. The exchange rate problem has become one that makes exports difficult and imports easy. We expect support from our ministry in this regard” he said.
Composite sector is growing
Yavuz Eroğlu, President of the TOBB (Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey) Turkey Plastics, Rubber, and Composites Industry Council, noted that when it comes to added value, the composite sector shines like a jewel, and stated that the fair is the biggest indicator of the efforts made to make Turkey a center.
Roberto Frassine, President of the European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA), stated that the composite fair, which has become a tradition, is growing steadily, and especially this year, it has reached its highest level to date. Frassine noted that Turkey is one of the most important markets for the European composite industry and is among its stakeholders, and especially highlighted that Turkey is very good in terms of innovative products.
Dilek Soydan, Founding Partner of ED Fuarcılık, also pointed out that Istanbul is the meeting point of the global composite sector and said that they sincerely believe this fair will continue to strengthen in the coming years.
“The sector is at a very advanced point in technology”
Ömer Karadeniz, Chairman of the Board of the Plastics Industrialists Federation (PLASFED), stated that the composite and plastic sectors are progressing to very advanced points in technology, and noted that even long flights today can be made thanks to composite and plastic materials.
Karadeniz noted that there is a negative perception towards plastic in visual and written media, but this lack of information is slowly decreasing, and said, “Although there are sometimes some initiatives against composites and plastics, prejudices against plastic are being broken worldwide.”
Pointing out that there would be a loss of time and cost in the absence of composites and plastics worldwide, Karadeniz said, “As you know, Turkish Airlines opened a route to Sydney. Our planes flying there are shaped with composites and plastics. If these planes didn't exist, we would probably have to make four stops. We would face both a loss of time and a serious cost.”
This content has been translated using artificial intelligence technology.