BMC, Turkish SMEs cooperate to strengthen domestic defense industry

By Goksel Yildirim

IZMIR, Türkiye (AA) - Türkiye’s commercial and military vehicle manufacturer BMC is set to further benefit from the power of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) thanks to a new collaboration.

Turkiye's Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization (KOSGEB) and BMC signed a cooperation agreement on supplier development Thursday at TEKNOFEST, which is taking place in Izmir province.

Speaking to Anadolu following the signing ceremony, the head of KOSGEB, Hasan Basri Kurt, said the Supplier Enhancement Program had been launched more than a year ago.

Kurt said that as part of the project, they are working to enable Türkiye’s large, well-known companies to work in closer cooperation with SMEs, strengthen their new supply networks, and spread these networks to Anatolia.

“I would like to thank BMC, one of Türkiye’s leading companies,” he said. “KOSGEB will also contribute to this company's efforts to expand its supplier network and strengthen its domestic supply network.”

Murat Yalcintas, a member of BMC’s executive board, said that 99% of the enterprises in Türkiye are SMEs and that strategies to strengthen them are of utmost importance.

Pointing out that the development, progress, competitiveness and opening up to foreign markets of SMEs depend on their integration with the key industry, Yalcintas said: “The cooperation agreement we have signed is an agreement aimed at advancing the integration between SMEs and the key industry…and developing the capabilities of SMEs.”