Mehmet Hakan Atalay
Başkent Plastic Industrialists and Business People (BAPSİD)
Chairman of the Board
The plastics sector, which draws attention with its innovative solutions, adds great value to the Turkish economy. With an annual export potential of 10 billion dollars, the plastics sector continues its growth every year. For our sector, which continuously increases its share in exports, to grow further, it primarily needs to focus on high value-added products and needs not to lower its unit costs. Our sector, which has the characteristic of appealing to many sectors, also leads in lowering costs with its wide product range.
Plastic and plastic product ranges have been expanding rapidly in recent years. The sector's contribution to the Turkish economy is growing steadily each year, increasing exponentially. The Turkish plastics sector ranks sixth in the world and second in Europe. The plastics and plastic products sector draws attention with its 10 billion dollar export potential. A growth of around 2-2.5 percent is projected for the sector each year.
For our sector, which continuously increases its share in exports, to grow further, it primarily needs to focus on high value-added products and needs not to lower its unit costs. The Turkish plastics industry needs to take the necessary steps to produce all the plastics it needs within its own borders. It is essential that the necessary infrastructure for the production of high value-added products is rapidly and urgently brought to the forefront. Thus, high-quality products can be manufactured much more cheaply in production.
Our developing and producing sector unfortunately has to source raw materials from abroad. This increases raw material input costs. Despite this, low labor costs are seen as an obstacle, discouraging companies from importing. In recent years, the increase in labor costs and the continuously rising trend of other inputs also lead to a decline in production.
Ways to escape the inflation dilemma are being sought
While our sector follows such a successful course, it is also seeking ways to escape the inflation dilemma that has emerged in recent years. For some time, our large and small-scale companies have been experiencing difficulties with financing. Our industrialists are working with all their might to combat difficulties in accessing finance. Especially in the last three months, accessing finance has become quite difficult. As a result, some businesses have had to take new and undesirable measures and undergo restructuring in their operations.
While domestic production has fallen to almost below 50 percent, employment has also shrunk by the same rate. Companies are now quite apprehensive about growth and making new investments. They even had to postpone their investments for a certain period.
As in every sector, in our sector too, necessary steps must be taken regarding trained personnel, and personnel must be trained in industrial vocational high schools. For this, we believe a radical reform is essential.
Plastic is very valuable for our country and offers innovative solutions. Plastic, offering a range of products and product lines in a class of chemical substances open to innovation for centuries, draws all attention. Although a negative public opinion is formed by some regarding plastic being a bad material, plastic is not just a product like a bottle or nylon. This is such an invention that it is a range of products that appeals to every sector. Serving the medical, aerospace industry, automotive and sub-industry, furniture, electrical home appliances, and construction sectors, plastic has made progress by renewing itself over the years. Plastic has succeeded in bringing down the production costs of these sectors.
Life goes on, and life with plastic also goes on. If we use it well and manage its recycling effectively, plastic will continue to be a part of our lives.
This content has been translated using artificial intelligence technology.