Made in Turkey Newspaper - May 2020 by istmag

Monthly Economic Newspaper

May - 2020

YOU CAN KEEP THE CORONAVIRUS AWAY FROM YOUR HOME BY PRODUCT PACKING!

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Adil Pelister, Chairman of IKMIB: “We will continue to support the supply of chemical products that our health sector needs.” As Covid 19 epidemic rages all over the world, Turkey continues the struggle against the virus at full speed. In this difficult period, IKMIB is one of the biggest supporters of the works carried out by the state. Istanbul Chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters’ Association (IKMIB) touches our lives, especially with its efforts to supply disinfectants and cleaning materials. Page 6

Packaging is the Priority Requirement for Providing Hygiene. Nowadays, when the coronavirus fears fear, we all resort to many measures to protect against the epidemic. We think in more detail and more detail. As the hygiene issue became the main role of our lives, it was one of our agenda items to deliver the product hygienically to the end consumer. Page 5

Quick recovery expected for local and export businesses in Turkey T

COVID-19: Boehringer Ingelheim steps up effort with global support program

Ruhsar Pekcan Turkish Trade Minister

he Turkish officials expect the Turkish economy to return to pre-coronavirus levels and local businesses to grow quickly as the country prepares to reopen the economy from June 1 after more than two months of coronavirus-induced lockdown, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said. She said the government is assisting more than 2 million craftspeople and artisans to cope with the economic fallout of the virus through the TL 260 billion ($38 billion) Economic Stability Shield package unveiled

Taiwan biotech companies showcase brilliant detection solutions against Covid-19 pandemic!

oehringer Ingelheim has significantly stepped up its support to the fight against Covid-19. A Global Support Program has been set up to bring more financial relief, protective materials and medicine donations to healthcare institutions and communities in need around the world. “As a pharmaceuticals company, we feel a strong commitment to offer our help to patients, and to those who help them”, said Hubertus von Baumbach, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors. Page 8

Plastic recycling sets 4.3 million ton goal by 2030

he Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) will work with 6 biotech companies and 1 research institute from Taiwan to demonstrate detection solutions for COVID-19 through an online product launch on April 27. This event is expected to attract nearly 200 potential buyers all over the world to create an effective cooperation platform for exploring solutions for COVID-19 pandemic. The

Turkey’s banks strong in terms of capital and liquidity ratios

amazing products highlight technologies of real-time PCR-based assay, antigen rapid test, antibody rapid test and analysis system to bring a comprehensive

solution on COVID-19 detection. The leading company KimForest focuses on genetic test and high accuracy PCRbased assay that would be able to provide the results within 50 minutes. KimForest is also known for working with Arbelos Genomics Inc. on Cancer Companion Diagnostics Panel. General Biologicals Corporation, developing both real-time RT-PCR assay and antibody rapid test, features both high level of precision and quick responding applications. Their RTPCR test kits were already sold to France and Southeast Asia. Page 9

he plastic recycling sector raises the bar in plastic recycling as recycling efforts gather pace in Turkey. Selçuk Gülsün, Chairman of the Plastics Industrialists’ Association (PAGDER) says the current total capacity of recyclers is at 850,000 tons and with steady growth, it will reach 4.3 million tons in 2030. The number of licensed recyclers stands at 1,039 and they employ more than 350,000 people, Gülsün told. He says the sector is vital for the Turkish economy and also boosts exports. “For every one unit of import, the plastic scrap sector exports even units,” he said. Last year, 436,000 tons of scrap plastics were imported for $116 million and a large portion of imports were converted into plastic raw material and products and exported, bringing in about $770 million in revenue. Page 8

England-Turkey talk starts after Brexit

urkey’s banks are one of its economic strengths, with the sector having good core capital ratios compared to those in the European Union, the chief executive officer of Spain’s second-largest bank, BBVA, said. “For a long time, banks in Turkey have been in a good place in terms of capital, liquidity and strength,” Onur Genç noted. Capital is the “blood of banks,” the head of the country’s second-largest private lender stressed, saying the core or total capital ratios of the Turkish banking sector are always above those in the EU and U.S. “When we look in terms of banks across the world, they were caught unprepared for the (coronavirus) pandemic to a general degree,” he said, noting the capital adequacy ratios (CARs) of U.S. and EU banks stood at around 12%-13% at the beginning of this year. The same ratio was around 7% for both the EU and U.S. when the global financial crisis began in 2008, he said. Page 11

in March. She noted that the pandemic reaffirmed the vital role tradespeople and craftsmen play in the daily economy and said protecting them from bankruptcy during the crisis is crucial to ensure the continuity of economic activity. Pekcan said the country had to employ twopronged strategies to fight both the medical and economic impacts of the pandemic and stated that it has performed well compared to other countries in the world. Page 3

egean exporters have been closely following the negotiations between Britain and the European Union which accounts for Turkey’s second largest exports market in 2019, and third largest market for Aegean Region exporters.

Aegean Exporters’ Union Coordinator Chairman Jak Eskinazi

Page9

The calendar works; there are three alternatives Aegean Exporters’ Union Coordinator Chairman Jak Eskinazi noted that the free trade agreement that covers zero customs duty and zero quota, or the realization of the Customs Union such as in the case of Turkey, are among the options Page 5

Turkey exports more than 1,000 mechanical ventilators to combat coronavirus pandemic

Hi-Tech equipment support from ARMA KONTROL for security necessity of Page7 Middle East

Turkish lira strengthens against dollar with new swap move with Qatar, more to come

urkey and Qatar’s central banks raised the currency swap limit to $15 billion from $5 billion, the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) announced, while Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said that Turkey will carry out swaps in local currencies more effectively in the coming period, noting that the country is set to make significant gains in all areas in the second half of the year. Page 4

May 2020

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Sakarya exports 85% of vehicles produced in January-April

orthwestern Turkey’s Sakarya province, home to manufacturers such as Toyota, Otokar and TürkTraktör, exported 85% of the 72,116 vehicles that were manufactured in the province in the January-April period despite the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, industry data showed. According to data compiled by the Automotive Industry Association (OSD), Sakarya, the seventh-largest export city after Istanbul, Kocaeli, Bursa, İzmir, Ankara and Gaziantep, exported a total of 61,156 vehicles to 137 countries in the first four months of 2020. The city’s total exports reached $1.35 billion (TL 9.22 billion) during the period with the automotive industry accounting for more than 90% of it, data showed. The factories in Sakarya also made up 21% of the 360,749 vehicles exported between January and April. Sakarya produced 64,003 automobiles, 44 pick-up trucks, 211 midibuses, 123 buses and 7,735 tractors, amounting to 72,116 vehicles. A total of 589 vehicles were produced in the city on a daily basis in the same period. In terms of company basis production numbers, Toyota maintained leadership, followed by TürkTraktör and Otokar. The facilities started gradually resuming operations on April 13, with all having reopened by May 11, at a lower capacity due to new safety measures to protect workers from contracting the coronavirus.

Public lenders extend new loan facilities to rejuvenate economy Turkey’s three largest state lenders announced that they will extend a new loan incentive scheme with reduced rates to invigorate transition to normalization and revive social life, as economic activity steps up following a slowdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ziraat Bank, VakıfBank and Halkbank will begin offering four new loan packages, including mortgages for new houses, loans for vehicle purchases, locally manufactured goods and holiday expenses at annual interest rates running below inflation. The move came as Turkey’s broadest easing of coronavirus restrictions, taken to contain the pandemic, came into effect. Flights and car travel resumed between Turkey’s big cities while cafes, restaurants and Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar reopened after two months, joining the many factories that restarted. The mortgages for new houses

will have up to 15 years maturity with interest rates as low as 0.64% and a grace period of up to 12 months, the banks said. Inflation in Turkey dropped to 10.94% year-on-year in April, down from 11.86% in March, according to official data. Similar loan opportunities will be introduced for individual and corporate customers who want to purchase new passenger vehicles, including motorcycles, or commercial vehicles from contracted companies that make them domestically. In addition to this, the banks will offer similar credit conditions for the social needs of individual customers under appropriate conditions. Agreements will be made with companies that have locally produced furniture, electronics, white goods, home textile, dowry and bicycle sectors and so on. “Four different financing packages were put into use by our public banks to meet the needs

of our citizens in a wide range and to support domestic production,” Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said. Turkey is set to enter a new period in which domestic production will be prioritized. Albayrak made it clear the government will implement its long-term, Turkish lira-based and low-cost financing programs more effectively along with the falling interest rates in the coming period. “We expect the latest package announced by state lenders to support growth in tourism, automotive and construction from the third quarter,” Onur Ilgen, an Istanbul-based treasury manager at MUFG Bank Turkey A.Ş. told Bloomberg. He said that in the absence of the second wave of coronavirus infections in Europe and Turkey “there is a chance that full-year economic growth turns positive.” According to the Bloomberg report, which cited the latest

official data, annual credit expansion exceeded 70% during the 13 weeks through May 20, the fastest pace since at least 2007. Commercial loans more than doubled and retail loans rose by about 45% during the same period. Turkey this March unveiled the Economic Stability Shield relief package to help companies cope with the economic fallout. The value of the relief package has reached TL 260 billion ($38 billion) so far, Albayrak said. The minister recalled that with the multiplier effect, the size of the bailout package had hit nearly TL 600 billion, equivalent to 10%-11% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Some TL 40 billion in financing has been so far provided to nearly 7 million citizens as part of individual basic need support introduced by the public banks within the scope of the relief package, the statement by the banks said.

A record level of personal loans was provided in the last two months with the said package. Turkey’s economy posted one of the fastest expansion rates among its peers in the first quarter of 2020, propelled by a surge in consumption that occurred just before a lockdown to stem the spread of the pandemic was put in place. The country’s GDP grew 4.5% year-on-year in the January-March period, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced, after the economy showed a growth rate of 6% in the last quarter and nearly 1% in 2019 as a whole. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2019, the economy expanded at a seasonally and calendar-adjusted 0.6%, TurkStat data showed.

‘World economy to contract in 2020 due to coronavirus’

The world economy is expected to contract by 0.5% in 2020 due to the negative impact of coronavirus, Moody’s, the U.S. based credit rating agency announced. The agency’s previous forecast (November 2019) for this year was 2.6%, it said in a press release. The financial services company, however, said it expected the global economy to grow by 3.2% in 2021. It said that although central banks had responded quickly, the “financial sector’s

volatility has exploded to levels last seen during the 2008 global financial stress.” “The financial market stress is a reflection of deep anxiety and uncertainty around the real economic costs that households and businesses around the world will bear,” the statement said, adding that job losses will increase globally in the next few months. “The longer these conditions persist, the more they would potentially feed self-sustaining recessionary dynamics,

and expose existing vulnerabilities in the real economy and financial sectors,” it added.

Moody’s forecast for advanced economies is negative 2% in 2020 while positive 1.9% for emerging countries. It expects a decline of 2.2% for the eurozone. The agency, which expects negative growth rates in 2020 for almost all G20 countries, forecasts that the Turkish economy will shrink by 1.4% in 2020 and grow by 0.8% in 2021. After first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the infection has spread to at least 175 countries and territories.

The number of confirmed cases worldwide has surpassed 472,000 while the death toll is over 21,300, according to the latest figures by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. The virus has made several countries enforce a lockdown: shutting down schools and universities, markets, malls, restaurants, as well as suspending air and land traffic.

May 2020

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Quick recovery expected for local and export businesses in Turkey

Ruhsar Pekcan Turkish Trade Minister

Continued From Page 1 he Turkish economy reported one of the fastest expansion rates among its peers in the first quarter of 2020 with a 4.5% year-on-year growth, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced. The economy was expected to grow 5% in 2020 before the onset of the outbreak, as laid out in the country’s new economic program announced last September. To slow the spread of the coronavirus, Turkey in March closed its borders, halted flights and imposed weekend lockdowns, all of which led to declines in trade, tourism and domestic demand. Some factories also temporarily halted production. However, the restrictions imposed in the country were less severe than many other countries, including hard-hit Italy and Spain, and were introduced within the first days after the first case was confirmed. ‘Quick recovery expected for local businesses’ Pekcan said the economic activity will begin its recovery process, when nearly all businesses, including restaurants, cafes, parks and sports facilities, reopen.

“We are expecting local businesses to recover financially and the economic activity to return back to pre-virus levels as people get back to their consumption habits,” Pekcan said, noting that the government has continued to actively support businesses during the recovery. However, she noted that the reopening will be a gradual process and urged businesses to pay maximum attention to new safety measures. “I have no doubt that our shop owners will follow the simple ‘mask, social distance and disinfection’ rule announced by the president.” Pekcan said the government has taken extensive measures to protect small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including delaying credit payments of craftspeople

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and artisans to state lender Halkbank for three months without interest. “In addition to that, the government provided other types of assistance such as an SME relief package, short-term employment allowance, postponement of premium payments.” Pekcan said a total of 606,545 craftspeople and artisans received up to TL 15.3 billion credit as part of the Craftspeople Relief Package unveiled by Halkbank. “These credit loans provided a lifeline to businesses which were forced to shut down during this struggling period,” the minister said. She noted that Halkbank restructured and delayed around TL 3.5 billion credit payments of artisans and craftspeople that were due during the pandemic

Mehmet Soztutan Editor-in-Chief

Letter From The Editor

Business is business…

Actually, the coronavirus outbreak has changed the buying habits of consumers and the way companies do business around the globe. The services that we can use without leaving our homes continue to grow exponentially every day. The Turkish government expects economic activities to return to pre-coronavirus levels, local and export businesses to recover quickly as the country prepares to reopen the economy from June 1 after more than two months of coronavirus-induced lockdown.

As known, the Turkish economy has shown remarkable performance with its steady growth over the last decade. A sound macroeconomic strategy in combination with prudent fiscal policies and major structural reforms in effect since 2002 has integrated the Turkish economy into the globalized world, while transforming the country into one of the major recipients of foreign direct investments in its region. It is particularly important because Turkey focuses on driving its economy mainly by exports in the upcoming period. Besides a further increase in exports in 2020, the Government also expects the export-import coverage ratio

to rise, as well as the continuing downward trend in the current account deficit. The Turkish economy deserves more than what the leading international rating agencies tell the world. They have failed to assess the credibility of the Turkish economy. We are confident that the Turkish economy will not deviate from sustainable growth and development. Located at the intersection of Europe, Asia, Russia and Africa, Turkey’s geographical location and high-tech infrastructure investments offer significant advantages in terms of the global manufacturing market. Despite the geopolitical risks faced, our country continues to be the production base of Europe and the world. With infrastructure investments and the strength of its geographical location, Turkey continues to be the leading production base in the world. As for Turkey’s exporters, they wish to relentlessly invest, manufacture and export. They are particularly involved in identifying, evaluating and selecting target markets by trying to answer global questions. We wish them success and lucrative trade.

May 2020

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Turkish startups wage digital war against COVID-19 pandemic

he coronavirus outbreak caught thousands of tradesmen and institutions unprepared, as well as the public at large. With consumer behavior having necessarily changed due to quarantine conditions, tradesmen, the self-employed and every institution, small or large, have had to keep up with this transformation. With buying habits moving toward electronics, tradesmen have begun to look for a solution. Thousands of businesses, as well as educational and governmental institutions, have switched to online meetings and video conferencing. Each solution that helps prevent pileups in hospitals has come from telehealth technology startups. It is now possible to find domestic solutions for video conferencing, digital advertising, e-invoice, remote payments and telehealth services. Global companies have been giving priority to their own countries, posing various risks in terms of security in the meantime. However, the more successful have come in the form of digital transformation to shore up social distancing. Online platforms such as fast delivery startup Getir, popular online food delivery website Yemeksepeti and the Migros virtual market have all contributed to social distancing in their own way. Now, while support increases for social distancing with new-generation startups, people whose businesses have been struck economically could be enabled to participate in production again. Customer data is vital Now, it seems, customer data is many businesses’ golden ticket. With the streets empty and no one at stores or restaurants, Digital Exchange has been leading the drive to give detailed reports and information about what the customer is looking for and how companies can respond. Step-bystep, the online company both mobilizes and guides its clients, providing support for purchasing. If you have thousands or even millions of customers, then it means you need a good partner in the field of customer relationship management (CRM).

In other words, according to every item of feedback you receive from customers, you have to act flexibly and work with a solution-oriented approach. Startups like Etiya, which serve millions of customers such as Turkey’s leading information and communication technologies company Türk Telekom, allow you to manage your organization and sales teams according to customer behavior with CRM solutions.

time while shopping now try to finish their shopping much faster. While 60% of the female participants stated that they accelerated their shopping in this period, this rate stands at 55% for men. These results show that the difference in gender-based consumption habits has disappeared in terms of shopping duration during the outbreak period. Corner store of the internet In fact, being visible on the internet is much like appearing before a customer

Buy online, pay fast and safely The global pandemic has a huge impact on shopping habits and payment preferences. While e-commerce has become the most important supply platform of basic consumption needs, consumers have also been trying to minimize physical contact in terms of payment methods. Payment methods research conducted by Mastercard Turkey to study the effect COVID-19 has had on transactions shows that online shopping increased by 15% during the outbreak. Some 63% of consumers who shop with cards prefer contactless transactions. While 53% of consumers stated that they used contactless payment because it was “more hygienic,” the rate of those who stated that they preferred this method because it was “’faster” only came to around 40%. According to the results of the study, card payments in market shopping stand at 64%, while cash use remains at 35%. Another prominent finding specified in the study is the shortened duration of shopping. The outbreak has caused 58% of consumers to complete their shopping much faster than they used to. This situation has also revealed a change in gender-based shopping habits. Women who used to spend more

when it comes to Google searches or social networks. With your restaurant or store closed, Digital Exchange provides a boost to online visibility. Today, it has become even more important to reach the right target audience with the right tools since business owners already have limited resources. At this point, companies can examine where and how much they spend with detailed reporting. Moreover, it is possible to calculate the return as well. This system supports companies’ efforts to get the visibility and traffic they need in the digital world, providing support to reach the right target audience and boost customer royalty. Many tradesmen who normally conduct business in their local neighborhood markets are thinking about how to move their work online under quarantine conditions. Moreover, many tradesmen who cannot establish a company are looking for a solution to eliminating the frustration of barely making a sale. They are currently thinking about how to sell products that they cannot physically sell while maintaining production. Yes, there are very successful online marketplaces. It is possible to make sales from trendy buying and selling

sites such as Trendyol, Hepsiburada, N11 and Gittigidiyor. However, the customers on these sites are not yours, they are simply using the platform. Remote payment systems whereby tradesmen can receive secure payments and meet customers are therefore in need. PayALL provides all legal entities, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, patisseries, restaurants, lawyers, doctors and wholesalers, to receive remote payments in one day. Those who download the PayALL mobile wallet application can also pay tradesmen via the application without no need for cards or cash. PayALL enables all kinds of businesses to receive remote payments in a rapid manner. With the disappearance of neighborhood markets, farmers producing from small groves, as well as housewives selling homemade baby clothes, micro-producers and small tradesmen, can set up their own company to receive payments remotely within one day. Such small-time entrepreneurs can establish a private company within minutes with the Bizim Hesap application, receiving online payments in one day with PayALL. Precisely at this time, even if many online marketplaces offer such help, it is not easy to get noticed among the countless producers on the market. The rest is quite simple, you can make sales on the website or Instagram. Those wishing to establish a company at this time, amid social distancing measures, can establish a company in 10 minutes on Mukellef.co – all with no need to hit the tax office, notary or chambers of commerce. Mukellef.co, which brings together the financial advisors and those who want to start a company, collects the documents required for the establishment of the company on the online system and after the review of the financial advisor, the company’s set-up processes are carried out quickly and safely. The system also includes pre-accounting and e-invoice transactions. In every sector, from education to health, in-house meetings to negotiations between parties have all been

moved to a virtual realm. However, doubts surrounding privacy on global apps like Zoom are growing. Video conferencing methods used by individuals, companies and especially government institutions pose significant risks. We know that even major government institutions have been gathering via video calls, web.tv and the like, and these platforms can be used for everything from online education to business meetings. If you want, you can turn the broadcast into a training platform at your dealers or at educational institutions that students can watch. Moreover, you have a video channel that you can use continuously. This domestic startup also allows you to make changes instantly upon request. Domestic video conferencing solution, web.tv can be used for many calls from education to business meetings. Remote doctor’s appointment New platforms for telemedicine solutions have been introduced that allow doctors and patients to meet with no risk of infection. The way to reduce the pileup in hospitals and the number of those infected, as well as to protect health care professionals, is to ramp up remote health services. Doctor Turkey, which received investment from Türk Telekom’s venture capital company TT Ventures, offers a common platform for health care services of many institutions from municipalities to hospitals, thus providing pre-health services without any risk. If the number of your customers is measured in thousands, you have to respond to millions of people who come not only through the store but also through the call center, website and via social media. Everything from sales to services has to be designed with a customer-oriented approach. Here, with a correct CRM solution that sees customer data as a blessing in this regard, institutions are overcoming this challenging period. With its end-toend CRM solution, Etiya provides tailor-made solutions with its talented and experienced engineering team of 1,000 people.

Turkish lira strengthens against dollar with new swap move with Qatar, more to come Continued From Page 1 “The new era will be a process in which we will carry out swap agreements in local currencies in a much more efficient way,” Albayrak said at the meeting of Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB). Meanwhile, a statement by the CBRT noted that the goal of the agreement with Qatar is to facilitate trade in local currencies and support financial stability in both countries. The move came after Treasury and Finance Ministry officials said that Turkey’s swap negotiations with many countries continue, including trade in local currencies. The official said Treasury and central bank officials have held bilateral talks with counterparts from Japan and the U.K. on setting up currency swap lines and with Qatar and China on expanding existing facilities. Turkey has been in talks to establish

swap lines with members of the G-20, with more than one swap line possible, Albayrak said early May. “We are doing one-to-one swap negotiations with G-20 countries with which we have a trade deficit and a free trade agreement,” Albayrak told a closeddoor online meeting with international investors on May 6. He added that Turkey did not plan to negotiate swap lines with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Turkish and Qatari central banks had agreed to increase the size of a currency swap deal to $5 billion last year following an official visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The previous agreement worth $3 billion was signed in August 2018 after Qatar pledged a $15 billion investment package for Turkey. There is optimism for possible swap deals to be reached with foreign banks, helping the Turkish lira recover against

the U.S. dollar after the currency recently hit an all-time low of 7.27 on May 7. Meanwhile, economists said the news on swap agreements could affect the size of the interest rate cut which is expected to be delivered by 50 basis

points to 8.25% at the fifth meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the CBRT. The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) has cut its benchmark

one-week repo rate by 1,525 basis points to 8.75% since July last year in a muscular bid to stimulate the economy and more recently, to counter the economic downturn brought on by the coronavirus outbreak. The bank also lowered its inflation forecast for end2020 to 7.4%, from 8.2% earlier, opening the door to more rate cuts. Özlem Bayraktar Gökşen, research manager at Tacirler Investment, told that there is more than one reason for further interest rate cuts, as the CBRT revised the year-end inflation forecast to 7.4% in the latest Inflation Report and therefore produced a larger area to maneuver in interest rate cuts. Relatively strengthening the Turkish lira with the swap news could also produce space for such moves, she added. Econs Co-Founder Ferhat Yükseltürk said, “at the meeting to be held tomorrow, the 50-point interest rate cut, which is the market expectation, may

change especially with the increasing swap news.” Emphasizing that the news of the swap agreement has reduced the pressure on the Turkish lira a little more, Yükseltürk added that “a more aggressive interest rate cut from the CBRT could be seen due to the 7.25-6.77 decline in the Turkish lira.” Yükseltürk, meanwhile, noted that the side effects of the steps taken by the CBRT have also started to be felt. “When we look at the expected inflation compared to the actual inflation, both deposit and market funding rates have decreased significantly to negative real interest levels,” he said. He added that considering the extra interest rate cut could reduce Turkish lira demand from households and companies, and increase the demand for foreign currency “which are the cost analysis that may occur as a result we need to take into account.”

Economic Newspaper

May 2020 Monthly Economic Newspaper

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YOU CAN KEEP THE CORONAVIRUS AWAY FROM YOUR HOME BY PRODUCT PACKING! The consumer hopes to get the manufacturer out of these difficult days. Apart from the expectation that a brand will meet the needs stocks, it wants to keep the virus away from its home. Here is the question that comes to mind at this point, do we need an innovation in packaging?

Continued From Page 1

e often said to wash our hands, to minimize contact. These were all necessary measures, of course, but what we had to forget was that the world kept turning as we tried to tackle challenges. So even if the flow of life slowed, it would not stop. As long as

We have considered many criteria when purchasing a product to date. Some of us looked at the colors of their designs, some of us searched for ease of use, and some of them made a question of whether they are made of environmentally friendly materials. But the first thing we look at today

people lived, they would always attempt to meet their needs. Briefly, the products you produced would be on the shelves again and would continue to travel hand in hand to the consumers.

is to be able to take the product as it is not in contact with anyone and put it in our home. Yeah! The consumer wants to be protected from the virus. The consumer wants the product packaging he uses to keep him away from the virus. And at this point, packaging designers have a big job. It seems that over time, product protection packaging will gain great importance. We are curiously waiting for what about the packages, which manufacturers will protect their products, and what safe usage features we will encounter in packaging types.

A psychotic thinks that two and two are five. A neurotic knows two and two are four -but he hates it. When the man in the street says: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” the lawyer writes: “Insofar as manifestations of functional deficiencies are agreed by any and all concerned parties to be imperceivable, and are so stipulated, it is incumbent upon said heretofore mentioned parties to exercise the deferment of otherwise pertinent maintenance procedures.”

In the USA, everything that is not prohibited by law is permitted. In Germany, everything that is not permitted by law is prohibited.

THE ECONOMIST If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.

Well!!!

In France, everything is permitted, even if prohibited by law. In Switzerland, everything that is not prohibited by law is obligatory. ********************* A junior partner in a firm was sent to a far-away state to

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THOUGHT OF THE MONTH

Humor

****************

Is Your Product Packaging Ready to Fight Coronavirus?

What is the real problem?

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represent a long-term client accused of robbery. After days of trial, the case was won, the client acquitted and released. Excited about his success, the attorney telegraphed the firm: “Justice prevailed.”

the electrician who wired the house, and one to sue the bulb manufacturers.

standing up and shouting “Objection!”

None, lawyers only screw us.

Fifty four. Eight to argue, one to get a continuance, one to object, one to demur, two to research precedents, one to The senior partner replied in dictate a letter, one to stipulate, haste: “Appeal immediately.” five to turn in their time cards, one to depose, one to write How many lawyers does it take to interrogatories, two to settle, change a light bulb? one to order a secretary to “How many can you afford?” change the bulb, and twentyeight to bill for professional It only takes one to change services. your bulb...to his. How many lawyers does it take to Two. One to change it and screw in a light bulb? one to keep interrupting by You Might Be a Lawyer if... Three. One to do it and two to • you are charging someone for sue him for malpractice. reading these jokes. Three. One to turn the bulb, • you believe that a forty one to shake him off the ladder, words’ sentence is a short one. and the third to sue the ladder company. • you have a daughter named Sue and a son named Bill. Three. One to sue the power company for insufficiently • you can look at a contract supplying power, or negligent and instantly tell whether it’s failure to prevent the surge verbal or written. that made the bulb burn out • when you look in a mirror, in the first place, one to sue you see a lawyer.

England-Turkey talk starts after Brexit

Publisher: ISTMAG Magazin Gazetecilik İç ve Dış Ticaret Ltd. Şti. Adına sahibi H. Ferruh Işık

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After Britain’s decision to leave the European Union 47 years later, the 11-month transition period is on the agenda of the world. Continued From Page 1

lso, it is expected that parties may reach an agreement that will give birth to the additional customs duty on Turkish exporters.

England delegation in Turkey While reminding that Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan declared that Britain, EU and Turkey had agreed that a delegation from the UK would come to Turkey during her latest visit to Izmir, Ashkenazic, said, “With exports of 10 billion 748 million dollars Britain is Turkey’s second-largest export market. It is in third place with an amount of 831 million dollars in the exports of Aegean Exporters Union. Brought up on the agenda by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a free trade agreement between the EU and Canada is expected. For the realization of such an agreement with Turkey, the EU must first deal with Britain. The agreement between the two sides, England and Turkey, that will replace the Customs Union Free Trade Agreement, it is of great importance for Turkey. We want to continue exporting without paying customs tax. We need to maintain our relationship and at the same time strengthen our economic ties by adding new sectors in our plans.”

ESNEK AMBALAJ SANAYİCİLERİ DERNEĞİ Adres : Tunus Caddesi 54/8 Kavaklıdere 06680 ANKARA Tel : 0312 466 60 23 Fax : 0312 466 60 24 easd@ambalaj.org.tr

‹ S TA N B U L FLEXIBLE PACKAGING MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION Adres : Tunus Caddesi 54/8 Kavaklıdere 06680 ANKARA - TURKEY Tel : +90312 466 60 23 Fax : +90312 466 60 24 easd@ambalaj.org.tr

TÜYAP FUAR VE KONGRE MERKEZ‹ TÜYAP FAIR CONVENTION AND CONGRESS CENTER Büyükçekmece, ‹stanbul / Turkey

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Adil Pelister, Chairman of IKMIB: “We will continue to support the supply of chemical products that our health sector needs.”

Adil Pelister, Chairman of IKMIB

dil Pelister, Chairman of IKMIB, explained the studies against Covid-19 to our readers ...

How Covid-19 outbreak affected the sectors, in which especially chemical manufacturers and exporters operate in Turkey? Our chemical industry is a critical sector that touches many sectors directly or indirectly by producing raw materials, semi-finished products and products. In this respect, it was included among the top 5 strategic sectors in the Eleventh Development Plan, the Export Master Plan and the New Economy Program last year. Sectors such as cleaning and hygiene products, medicines, medical products, etc., which are important for our health in the process of coronavirus fight, are under the spectrum of our chemical industry. As the chemical industry, we provide a great added value for our country by touching many areas with our raw materials, from automotive to furniture, textiles to food. Therefore, we expect all the critical sectors that provide the supply chain together with our chemical industry to be evaluated within the scope of force majeure and benefit from the opportunities offered by our state. On the other hand, our sector is 80 percent foreign dependent on raw materials. In this respect, the supply of raw materials and semi-finished products is very important for our industry. Accordingly, we can say that disruption of supply processes will affect all sectors. Especially for the supply of critical products, it is important to make necessary arrangements both for the customs processes to be processed very quickly and for their transportation to be more convenient. Moreover, in order to guarantee input supply in the long term, the necessary incentives and support for their production can be provided by urgently determining the critical raw materials, semi-products or products that are not produced or sufficient in our country. In this regard, we share our expectations and suggestions with regard to distributing the risk in the supply of raw materials / semi-finished products with our relevant institutions, especially Tim. However, consumption is as important as supply. Consumption and supply need to operate in

As Covid 19 epidemic rages all over the world, Turkey continues the struggle against the virus at full speed. In this difficult period, IKMIB is one of the biggest supporters of the works carried out by the state. Istanbul Chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters’ Association (IKMIB) touches our lives, especially with its efforts to supply disinfectants and cleaning materials.

parallel. Finally, in some of our critical sub-sectors, where the production cycle must continue 24/7 due to the curfew being implemented, production faces serious risk of disruption. This situation may cause deterioration in the supply chain in the coming days. Also, stopping and restarting the process in these sectors causes serious costs. For this reason, provided that necessary

their chronic illness to be paid by SSI or at least to be free of income tax and SSI burden. Again in this process, it will be beneficial to download VAT in cleaning products and to sell them with credit cards. In order to preserve the capacity utilization rates in the temporary deceleration in export, providing stock financing support to the exporter, increasing the Credit Guarantee Fund limit from 25 billion liras to 50 billion

precautions are taken for the health of the employees in the enterprises, it is very important that the production of critical products, especially cleaning and hygiene products, packaging sector and the intermediate products needed until the market launch of these products, is uninterrupted. In this context, as IKMIB, we conveyed our request to our Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Industry and Technology and Ministry of Trade to include exceptions in the curfew of the relevant sectors and to continue production without interruption. In addition, we also sent a report to the Presidency of Turkey, Presidency of Strategy and Budget Department on the measures to be taken regarding our sector. In addition to this, by taking into account the force majeure conditions of our sector; We state that our workers who have to work in our chemistry sector, which also includes critical products such as cleaning, medicines, and medical, should not be paid temporarily. We demand the salaries of those who cannot work due to

liras, continuing the minimum wage support in order to reduce labor costs, and supporting the financial needs of our firms to meet short-term working allowance measures. and we find it important for the protection of employment. Besides rediscount credits, providing convenience to Eximbank loans is of great importance for our exporters. We expect these decisions to be implemented immediately. It is also very important to convert liquidity facilities, which are given to banks, to actual loans for industrialists at the same speed, in order to give them easier and increasing amounts of credit. In addition, postponing VAT at the customs and expanding energy use incentives for imports also constitutes moisture. In order to support the increase in demand, we believe that the measures should be taken with a slightly longer term, such as 6 months and 1 year instead of 3 months. In addition, delays in the issuance of Recovery Participation Share (GEKAP) declarations, which concern most of our chemistry sub-sectors, by one year or until the end of this year, speeding up the biocidal licensing process, and paving the way for companies that will produce biocidal products within the knowledge of the Ministry of Health, stopping Sevesso inspections and Postponement of KKDIK and KVKK applications until the beginning of the year are important for our chemistry exporters. In order to meet the demand for products in the domestic market, some products were restricted from exports. What problems did this bring to the agenda for exporters? What is important in this critical period is primarily human health and the needs of our country. As IKMIB, we act in this direction. Especially in the first days of this situation in our country, the insufficiency of ethyl alcohol used in the production of disinfectant and cologne products occurred. As a result of our initiatives, as IKMIB, we have made an important contribution in meeting the need for ethyl alcohol through bioethanol produced from molasses in sugar factories. We have been instrumental in directing the ethyl alcohol obtained from sugar beet into the medical and cosmetic industry production. In addition, our Ministry of Industry and Technology suspended the obligation to mix 3 percent ethanol into gasoline for 3 months in order to meet the ethanol requirement used in disinfectant and cologne production. On the other hand, the problems in customs importing of alcohol need to be minimized. It is very important to accelerate the alcohol import permit processes obtained from the Tobacco and Alcohol Market Regulatory Authority (TAPDK) and the permit processes related to the purchase of ethyl alcohol from the sugar factories of our domestic companies, to make disinfectant production. We have the capacity to produce 2.5 million liters of disinfectant per month. We need to make full use of this capacity right now. In the supply of raw materials and packaging materials, all obstacles must be removed. Similarly, medical devices were restricted to exports to meet the needs of our country. With the clear determination of the country’s needs in this regard, our exporter companies will increase this by increasing their production capacity according to the need. We believe that our exports will open up after meeting the needs of our country. What kind of activities do you carry out to solve the problems experienced by exporters? After protecting our health and meeting the needs of

our country, our priority is to ensure the sustainability of our businesses and to survive the process with minimum impact. As IKMIB, we take great care and effort to solve the problems of our exporting companies such as raw material and semi-finished product supply, access to logistics or financing and to minimize the impact of the coronavirus. Our expanded Board of Directors, sectors feedback we’ve received from our member companies and non-governmental organizations, by compiling issues and recommendations, Turkey Exporters Assembly, we continue to deliver to our Ministry of Trade and relevant ministries and organizations especially. However, we hold meetings with the relevant General Managers of the Ministry. Despite all the negativities, we do not stop our exports and we try to use our different logistics channels in line with the suggestions of our Ministry of Trade. Especially in this process, railway, air cargo transportation and seaway become more prominent. In road transport, a buffer zone is created and contactless trade is carried out, and new measures are taken to continue foreign trade. As IKMIB, we frequently inform our members about the incentives and measures announced, and makes decisions, developments related to our industry, via social media as well as e-mail, announcement messages, etc. we transmit by means. During this period, we hold our meetings over video conferencing and consult with our board and members. In particular, we recommend that our businesses benefit from the short-time working allowance, Eximbank and KGF opportunities. It is of course not possible to predict how long this temporary process will be completed, but I believe that we will overcome this process more easily with unity and solidarity. In this process, it is very important for our exporters to protect their employees’ health and employment, to keep production as much as possible for the needs and demands after the process, taking into consideration the precautions and warnings about health. At the same time, in this process, in which we are in digital transformation, our companies’ detection of technology deficiencies and investing in this field will make it sustainable. Contactless trade and e-commerce will be more prominent in exports in the coming period. One of the most important issues is regular and transparent communication. Continue communication It is very important to carry out the promotion and to carry out the promotional activities correctly. When this process is over, we will work harder to compensate our losses and increase our exports. As the chemical industry, we will continue to produce and export for the development of our country’s economy. Turkey is one of the latest countries to Covid-19 captured epidemic. Did you have a precaution plan regarding the problems to be experienced in the sector before the epidemic? In this regard, we were discussing the possible effects of coronavirus in the committee works of our sub-sectors. We held a coronavirus specific meeting, especially at the Medical Sector Workshop that we held at the end of February. In the workshop, where we brought together representatives of the relevant Ministry, NGOs and leading companies of our Turkish medical sector, we evaluated the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on the industry. We conveyed our problem and solution suggestions to TIM and related Ministries discussed in this meeting. You have made great strides especially in the production and distribution of disinfectants and cleaning materials. What steps will you plan to take in the coming period? How will IKMIB continue its fight against Covid-19? At such times, we believe in the importance of national unity and togetherness. As IKMIB, an association of the chemical sector, which is the second largest sector in Turkey’s exports, we put our hands under the stone and delivered 100 thousand liters of disinfectant to our Ministry of Health and hospitals on behalf of TIM. In addition, we took action to meet the needs of our healthcare workers for their face-shielded health shield. With the cooperation of the Plastic Industrialists Association (PAGDER), we will deliver 110 thousand health shields to our Ministry of Health and the Turkish Red Crescent. In the first place, we delivered 20 thousand health trenches to our Ministry of Health, and we delivered 5 thousand health trenches to Turkish Red Crescent Society. We continue to work on the production and supply of respiratory equipment. As IKMIB, we will continue to support the supply of chemical products that our health sector needs. We believe that we will survive this process together with strength and solidarity more easily.

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Hi-Tech equipment support from ARMA KONTROL for security necessity of Middle East

Arma Kontrol, who exports high technology security & barrier equipment to 52 countries, has increased their activities in Middle East. Koray Kartal (CEO of Arma Kontrol) has announced that, %25 of the company’s turnover is the Middle East market. Some of the Middle East projects that used Arma Kontrol security products are Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, Qatar Armed Forces, Baghdad Airport & Turkish Embassy in Baghdad.

Arma Kontrol supports providing strategic and high priority security necessity for 52 countries with its advanced equipment which has specially designed by Turkish Research & Development Engineers. The Middle East is one of the market where Arma Kontrol has increased its exports especially in recent years. Arma Kontrol, who made its first export to the region in 2010, has accelerated its activities with the increasing

security necessities in the Middle East, especially in the last years, as in the world. The share of the Middle East Market in our total turnover is increasing Koray Kartal provided information about Arma Kontrol’s work in the Middle East market. “Becouse of outcomes in recent years, security market in Middle East has grown significantly. Most sought items in Middle East market are anti-terror road blocker and bollards. Only these two products market share is about 100 million USD. You can clearly realize the size of security market by considering this fact. In the meantime, we offer innovative and high-tech products to the market with our %100 domestic products with international crash certificates. We made our first export to Middle East in 2010. We have made significant progress in 5 years and have been involved in many projects that require high-level security measures. Currently, the Middle East market constitutes %25 of our company’s total turnover. We intend to increase ratio of this rate to our turnover by %40 in 2021.

From Louvre Museum to Baghdad Embassy of Turkey Arma Kontrol security products are preferred in places where requires high security necessities such as military facilities, embassies, airports and areas open to thousands of visitors. Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, King Abdullah Petroleum

Studies and Research Center, KAP 5 Project, King Salman Riyadh Air Base, Manateq Free Zone, Qatar Armed Forces, Raghadan Palace, Baghdad Airport, Rotana Erbil Hotel and Embasies are using Arma Kontrol security technologies. Special solutions for specific locations and necessities

Arma Kontrol, who has motto as “We produce barriers to make you safe” has road blocker, bollard, arm barrier, flood barrier, road traps, parking guidance systems, turnstiles, sliding gates-sliding gate motors, personal parking barrier and traffic equipment in their product range.

European nations fail to agree on coronavirus economic recovery package billion euros of guarantees from all governments in the bloc to subsidize wages so that firms can cut working hours rather than sack people. Creating an emergency support fund issuing grants for medical supplies and health care is another idea, as is a French proposal to produce a joint EU solidarity fund to finance long-term recovery. If they do eventually agree, the combined panEU and national government responses could add up to the biggest fiscal support program in the world, surpassing that of the United States, Reuters calculations showed.

uropean governments failed to agree in all-night talks on more support for their coronavirus-hit economies, breaking off a meeting of finance officials who clashed over aid conditions and a proposal to borrow together to pay for the health crisis. Finance ministers from the 19 countries that use the euro spoke via videoconference and postponed their news conference until after a meeting that started ran late into the night. Diplomatic sources and officials said a feud between Italy and the Netherlands over what conditions should be attached to eurozone credit for governments fighting the pandemic was blocking progress on half a trillion euros worth of aid. “After 16 hours of discussions we came close to a deal, but we are not there yet,” Eurogroup Chairman Mario Centeno said. “I suspended the Eurogroup, and (we will) continue tomorrow.” The finance ministers, who started talks at 2:30 p.m. GMT that lasted all night with numerous breaks to allow for bilateral negotiations, are trying to agree on a package of measures to help governments, companies and individuals. They had hoped to agree on a half-trillion-euro program to cushion the economic slump and finance recovery from the pandemic and turn a page on divisions that have marred relations as the bloc struggles with the outbreak. But feuds emerged prominently again, one diplomatic source said: “The Italians want a reference to debt mutualization as a possible recovery instrument to be analyzed more in the future. The Dutch say ‘no.’” An official who participated in the talks said at around 4 a.m. GMT. The Hague was the only one refusing to endorse a text that the ministers were expected to agree on to get endorsement for a new set of economic measures from the bloc’s 27 national leaders. “In this difficult hour, Europe must stand together closely. Together with (French Finance Minister) Bruno Le Maire, I, therefore, call on all euro countries not to refuse to resolve these difficult financial issues and to facilitate a good compromise – for all citizens,” German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Twitter. Spanish officials warned the European Union’s future is in jeopardy if it cannot come up with a joint financial response to combat the outbreak. Government spokeswoman Maria Jesus Montero said Europeans will begin to lose trust in the EU if it does

not act together in the crisis, which she compared to World War II. “We need the help of other countries, and that’s why the European community was originally formed, at that time after a physical war. Now, we are fighting a war against an epidemic,” she said in an interview on Antena 3 TV channel. Agriculture Minister Luis Planas echoed that concern. “This is a crucial issue on which the European Union’s future is at stake,” he told Sur Radio station. However, both also said they were optimistic further negotiations would eventually yield positive results. “My take is that even though it may take a lot of time and a lot of meetings, we’ll reach a positive agreement,” Planas said. An ECB spokesman declined to comment. In a videoconference meeting, the EU Commission estimated that the bloc’s economy could shrink by 10% this year, officials said. The EU support would back up national measures, but the overall fiscal effort may not be enough to meet total financing needs, the officials said. In the meeting France, Italy and Spain said the European effort to tackle the crisis should be well above 1 trillion euros this year, officials said, in line with the ECB estimate of financing needs of 1 trillion euros to 1.5 trillion euros. Issuing joint debt has been a battle line between economically ailing southern countries like Spain and Italy and the fiscally frugal north, led by Germany and the Netherlands, since the financial and eurozone crises began over a decade ago. To support economies burdened by coronavirus lockdowns, the EU has already suspended state aid limits and allowed member states to inflate their debt to spend more. But Spain, France and Italy say that is not enough and have cast the discussion about more support as an existential test of solidarity that could make or break the EU. Further proposals under discussions include credit lines from the eurozone bailout fund that would be worth up to 2% of a country’s economic output, or 240 billion euros in total. The conditions for gaining access to this money remain a sticking point. Granting the European Investment Bank 25 billion euros of extra guarantees so it can step up lending to companies by a further 200 billion euros is another option. The third is support for the EU executive’s plan to raise 100 billion euros on the market against 25

While the EU is no stranger to protracted horsetrading, the discussion exposes rifts in the bloc and further strains its unity, already damaged by the eurozone crisis and the 2015-16 migration crisis, which partly contributed to Brexit. So far the ministers, discussing via videoconference through the night with some of them dozing off at times, according to officials present, have been left frustrated.Le Maire was quoted as saying at one point during the night, according to one official who participated: “Shame on you, shame on Europe. Stop this clownesque show.”

May 2020

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COVID-19: Boehringer Ingelheim steps up effort with Global Support Program EUR 580,000 relief fund made available for Making More Health communities and social entrepreneurs in India and Kenya. Continued From Page 1 “Many of our employees want to participate in the program: we offer support through donations and paid-leave volunteering, engage in significant scientific projects and bring relief to communities in developing regions in Kenya and India, with whom we have a decade-long relationship. All this, plus the drive that I see with colleagues to ensure continued production of medicines, is dedicated to the many, many people who suffer from COVID-19. Our thoughts are with them and their loved ones.” Boehringer Ingelheim initially started a EUR 1 million donations program in January for affected regions in China. With the Corona virus spreading to become a global pandemic, efforts to provide relief and scientific support grew strongly these past few weeks. This ultimately resulted in a Global Support Program with four focus areas: 1. Donations Boehringer Ingelheim has made available EUR 5.8 million for financial and in-kind donations for local emergency aid across its markets. This includes, for example, protective masks, disinfectants, inhalers and medicines. The company is also working with local organizations that use financial and medicine donations to organize help for patients in their communities. 2. Research for COVID-19 Therapies Since January, a growing team of currently more than 100 highly engaged Boehringer Ingelheim scientists from all areas of research and development (R&D) have contributed to projects aimed at finding potential treatment solutions for COVID-19.

“All of us are thinking about how we can find new ways to tackle this virus. This has led to a broad program pursuing many approaches in parallel”, says Dr Cyrille Kuhn, Executive Director Research, who leads Boehringer Ingelheim’s COVID-19 efforts since January. Moreover, an increasing number of collaboration partners and service providers is bolstering the team’s efforts. Most of the projects are part of larger collaborative efforts with academia, biotech and other pharma companies. Among them is the IMI CARE Consortium, to which Boehringer Ingelheim will be committing in excess of 11,000 work hours in R&D. The company also joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation COVID-19 Therapeutic Accelerator. In addition, Boehringer Ingelheim supports scientists worldwide with its open innovation portal opnMe. com, which offers 6 anti-viral compounds out of 43 high quality pharmacological tool compounds at no cost for testing of research hypotheses. As this work evolves, the company will commit further experts from multiple disciplines, as well as increased lab capacity. 3. Volunteering In many communities, helping hands from volunteers, for example with a medical or nursing background, are urgently needed. Boehringer Ingelheim offers all of its 50.000 employees the opportunity to take up to 10 days of paid leave to join approved external organizations as a volunteer to bring COVID-19 relief. Employees who are unable to perform their work on-site or from home, are given the opportunity to volunteer for longer while paid their regular salaries,

until they can resume their work. 4. Making More Health relief fund An EUR 580,000 relief fund has been launched to support the global Making More Health (MMH) network of social entrepreneurs in Kenya and India, as well as the communities in which they live and work. The fund will help social enterprises and their activities to sustain a longer period of low economic activity and will invest in social entrepreneurial ideas that can help reduce the risk of the Corona virus spreading. “Especially in times like these Social Entrepreneurs around the world are well placed to leverage their proximity to those in needs”, said Jean Scheftsik de Szolnok, member of the Board of Managing Directors and one of the founders of the MMH movement. “MMH communities such as self-help groups in India or people suffering from albinism in Kenya, have started to produce soap and at the same time education programs on hygiene awareness in their neighborhoods.” Over the past years more than 750 students at the MMH school and some 1,000 families in farmer cooperatives have been trained in hygiene and soap production in Kenya and India. Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to the global community and to the well-being of people and animals. As a research-driven company, it started its support activities in January and will continue to do what it can to deliver a meaningful contribution in the fight against COVID-19. The company continues to support healthcare systems by reliably supplying drugs and through our research.

Plastic recycling sets 4.3 million ton goal by 2030

Continued From Page 1 ülsün says a large amount of packaging waste was collected by unregistered collectors on the streets in Turkey and they were rarely processed or classified, producing a raw material deficit, adding this deficit is compensated with scrap imports. The zero waste project launched in 2017 aims to raise awareness on recycling and is being widely adopted by the public and private sectors. Gülsün says the more the project spreads, the amount, quality and sustainability of recyclable waste will increase. Global plastic consumption is 370 million tons annually and Gülsün said it is expected to exceed 1 billion tons in 2050. “The fledgling global recycling sector is estimated to meet about 60% of demand in 2050. He pointed out that investments in the recycling sector in countries like South Korea, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Australia and the United States gained momentum in recent years and Turkey shows a similar trend. “With the current growth, we will reduce our deficit stemming from plastic raw material imports 35.1% in 2030,” he said.

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Turkey exports more than 1,000 mechanical ventilators to combat coronavirus pandemic

Taiwan biotech companies showcase brilliant detection solutions against Covid-19 pandemic! Since 2016, the Taiwanese government has not only been focusing on the research and development of biotechnology industry, but also providing full support on worldwide partnership establishments and technology cooperation. This long-term commitment is expected to become substantial helps to Taiwan and its global partners under circumstance the world severely hit by COVID-19 crisis.

Continued From Page 1

urkey has exported more than 1,000 mechanical ventilators crucial in treating COVID-19, the country’s industry and technology minister said. Addressing a meeting of a local trade chamber via a video link, Mustafa Varank said Turkey is also carrying out innovative projects for diagnostic kits and systems that will make a name for the country in the sector worldwide. Varank pointed out that many countries are facing crises in the production of basic medical equipment. “The discrimination between developed or developing countries has disappeared. Countries boast-

n aspect of rapid test, AEP Alliance, a strategic partnership of 3 leading bio companies - AnTaimmu BioMed Co., Ltd, EirGenix, Inc. and Panion & BF Biotech, has just released antigen test kit to take results from nasal mucus of earlier-infected individuals within 10 minutes without equipment required. The member EirGenix is famous for signing a license agreement with Sandoz AG to globally commercialize recently. Leadgene Biomedical specializes in monoclonal antibody and protein development, and it launched the antigen and antibody test which only takes 10 to 15 minutes to get results and wouldn’t cause

ing their economic and technological power have been late in combating the pandemic,” Varank said. Turkey set up mass production of mechanical ventilators, which were designed by Turkish technology firm BIOSYS and produced with the backing of Baykar, major appliance firm Arçelik and defense giant ASELSAN. Baykar, ASELSAN and Arçelik supported BIOSYS’ mechanical ventilator model, rolling 100 units off the production line in just two weeks. As part of the project, 5,000 units will be produced by the end of May.

cross-reactivity to MERS and general coronaviruses. Regarding detection devices, QuarkBio develops innovative dqPCR analysis system which can detect as low as 3 copies of the virus within 10 times more sensitive than conventional qPCR tests available on the market.; Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the largest applied research institute in Taiwan creates “portable intelligent rapid molecular diagnostic system”, which is only 600 grams with 90% testing accuracy and allows an early diagnosis of COVID-19 within an hour and improves the efficiency of entry inspection at airport quarantine stations in 40 minutes. Last but not least, the world’s first fully automated virus

scanner presented by TCI Gene is operated by robotic arms to load the corresponding codes of the specimens. With the high accuracy rate, the test results of 96 specimens can be obtained in 3 hours and nearly of 900 specimens per day to achieve 24/7 comprehensive monitoring and prompt responses to the pandemic. Taiwan has extraordinary biotechnology capabilities in research and development. Besides these 7 brilliant companies/organization, Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s leading research institute, discovered antibodies that could be used to develop a 20-minute, rapid coronavirus detection kit. Taiwan’s National Health Research Institutes (NHRIs) and National Defense Medical Center

jointly unveiled a prototype of a rapid diagnostic test for COVID-19 coronavirus, where test results take about 15 minutes. Both institutes are also speeding up the process of developing vaccines, and expect to have inspiring results soon. TAITRA, as the facilitator of Taiwan’s industry development, will continue to bring in more quality anti-epidemic products and potential business partners to enhance international cooperation. Taiwan is a valuable partner to global biotechnology and medical development, and looks forward to making contributions on the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. Taiwan can help, and Taiwan is helping!

EMS Infection Control Ambulance offers innovative solutions more than ever!

EMS-Innovative in approach, outstanding in quality

STANBUL- “We operate under the motto of innovative in approach, outstanding in quality. EMS Infection Control Ambulance is specially designed for the transportation of infected patients (who have contagious diseases like COVID-19, Ebola, SARS, MERSCoV, Avian Flu, and Swine FluH1N1) within the best possible high isolation” say EMS officials. Actually, EMS-Emergency Mobile Systems and Hospital Materials Industry and Trade Inc. has turned out to be a global player in its area of specialization. In addition to special customer requests and project-based designs, EMS’s manufacturing line focuses on the following product groups: -Diverse range of ambulance production, including intensive care

ambulances, snowtrack ambulances, wheeled snowtrack ambulances -Ambulance equipments -Mobile Health Care Vehicles (Van, midibus, bus, truck, container types) - Mobile Command Control Vehicles -National Medical Rescue Teams Tool (Designed for operation in disasters and extreme cases) - Mobile Laboratory Vehicles - Mobile Screening Vehicles -Ambulance stretchers -Stretcher platforms -Medical devices - Medical materials By keeping the pulse of the sector, EMS has been participating in major medical fairs and exhibitions for years. EMS puts emphasis on R&D in

order to serve its customers in efficient manner. According to EMS officials, innovation and dynamism have become a way of life for the Company in order to survive in the competitive markets. “Innovation is a major business priority; simply put, companies become more competitive when they have a clear process that produces a reliable stream of new and innovative products. As known, permanent change is the rule of the game in the global markets. Competitiveness at the domestic level has been replaced with competitiveness on a global scale. Technology and competitive power would always be the two keys for the survival of the sector. Therefore, we have been diversifying and expanding our export markets,” they added.

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Turkish automakers rely on deferred demand, high interest in personal cars

he automotive industry is facing its worst crisis in decades as strict lockdown measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic froze production at factories and closed most dealerships across the world amid a precipitous drop in consumer spending. Despite a major slide in March and April, Turkish automakers believe deferred demand is building in the domestic market, which has been contracting by around 50% over the last two years, as expectations related to a more rapid normalization, thanks to the country’s successful management of the pandemic, will help quickly revive the sector. What’s more, industry representatives told an upward trend is expected for consumer vehicles as social distancing and fear associated with COVID-19 veer people away from public transportation. Demand had a serious drop in the second half of March when the outbreak started affecting social life and the commercial environment after the country reported its first coronavirus case on March 11. Automakers started gradually shutting down factories and halting production on March 20 in a move that was first planned to last two weeks but ended up lasting through most of April. Factory production was not completely halted as there was still demand from consumers in the Far East and South America and some automakers that took up humanitarian projects such as making ventilators. Top international automakers – including Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes, Renault and Toyota – have factories in Turkey. The facilities started gradually resuming operations on April 13, with

all having reopened by May 11. The first market impact could be seen in March as automotive production in the country slipped by 22% and further plunged by 91% in April, according to Automotive Manufacturers Association (OSD) data. The industry saw a production loss of some 150,000 units over the two months, OSD Chairman Haydar Yenigün said. Overall 2020 production between January and April dropped 28% yearon-year the data showed, with some 352,309 vehicles, including automobiles and commercial vehicles, being manufactured in the period. Carmakers in Turkey produced a total of 1.46 million passenger cars and commercial vehicles in 2019, according to OSD data, a 6% year-on-year decline. “With the effect of the pandemic, we anticipate that total vehicle production in Turkey will decrease by 26% this year compared to 2019 and will realize at around 1.077 million units,” Alper Kanca, the head of Automotive Suppliers Association of Turkey (TAYSAD). “There was almost no vehicle production at all in Turkey and Europe in April,” he stressed. Kanca said the expected global automotive sector revival in 2021, after contracting this year, will not overtake 2019 levels. “If we interpret the information today, we can say that global production will remain at the level of 72 million units in 2020, a decline of 22% from the previous year. Even though it posts a 15% increase to 83 million units in 2021, it won’t be possible to reach 2019 unit production,” he stressed. According to the latest report by Lon-

don-based global data firm IHS Markit, worldwide auto sales in 2020 are projected to decline more than 20% yearon-year to 70.3 million units. The recovery period involves many variables as the sector returns to normal, according to Yenigün. Factories are currently continuing their production at an average capacity of 60% due to COVID-19 measures and the fact that demand is just beginning to revive, he explained. “In the first stage, a slow and controlled production model, followed by a gradually increasing period, is planned. However, declining demand, slowing trade and heavy manufacturing processes pose a serious cost burden on the automotive sector,” the OSD chairman noted. Reviving the stagnating domestic market and increasing demand that came to a halt in export markets are the most important steps to returning to normal, Yenigün said. “With both our country’s success in managing the pandemic process and the impact of deferred demand in the domestic market, which saw a severe contraction of 50% in 2018 and 2019,

we expect demand to revive primarily in the domestic market,” Yenigün explained. According to the OSD chairman, however, “We anticipate that the revival of our export markets will take some time.” “In this context, the rapid deployment of measures to stimulate the domestic market will have a decisive effect on the upward movement of demand,” Yenigün noted. The industry also observes that individual car use is increasing, and will continue to do so as there remains a need to social distance, which Yenigün said would boost consumer demand. “We also anticipate that the necessity to social distance will increase not only the demand for individual cars but also the demand for commercial vehicles used in passenger transport,” he added. He said all these processes that boost interest in the domestic market, however, need to be supported economically. “It is critical to take actions such as tax arrangements, cash support and postponing regulation transition to stimulate domestic demand.” Nearly 4,400 people have so far died in Turkey from the coronavirus. The country’s daily number of new COVID-19 cases has fallen below 1,000 from some 4,500 last month. Turkey imposed weekend stay-at-home orders, closed restaurants and schools, mostly sealed its borders and halted some travel between large cities to curb the spread of the virus. The government has begun rolling back some restrictions and said it aims to reopen the economy heading into June. Passenger and light commercial vehicle sales in Turkey were up 26.3% in the January-April period year-on-year to 150,869 units, according to Automotive Distributors Association (ODD) data. Sales fell by 14.6% to 26,457 units in April following supply shortages and stock problems due to the coronavirus pandemic halting production and exports to Europe. In contrast, European car sales bottomed out last month as measures to contain the virus across the continent caused sales to collapse by an unprecedented 76%, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). Sales for the first four months of the year were down 39%. Carmakers across the continent sold just 270,682 vehicles last month, compared with 1.14 million a year earlier, the ‘’strongest monthly drop in car demand since records began,’’ the ACEA said. Southern Europe was the hardest hit with new car registrations down 97.6% in Italy and 96.5% in Spain, as both countries struggled with some of the highest levels of coronavirus infection in Europe. France saw an 89% contraction, while Germany suffered a 61% drop. Like March’s 55% drop, the decline was far worse than even the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, which triggered a six-year slump in car purchases. The steepest losses during that financial crisis occurred in January 2009, when sales fell 27%. The industry in Turkey had faced multiple problems after high volatility in foreign exchange rates in the second

half of 2018, followed by a high increase in interest rates on loans, led to a sharp decline in domestic demand. Last year was rather difficult for the industry, as passenger car and light commercial vehicle sales declined by 22.8% year-on-year to 479,060. Several measures, including tax exemptions, incentives and a loan discount campaign by public lenders, brought some relief. The industry’s production in Turkey initially declined because of a sudden decrease in demand from export markets, Yenigün said, referring to the collapse of interest in Europe. Roughly 85% of the sector’s production was being exported, of which 80% goes to European countries. Because the continent came to a near standstill, the Turkish automotive industry saw its exports to the region slide significantly in March and April. Sales were down 29% in March, dropping a further 77% in April, Yenigün explained, stressing that the situation led to the industry, which championed Turkey’s sectoral exports for 14 straight years, to drop to fourth place in April. The OSD data showed that Turkey’s total automotive exports volume saw a 33% annual decline in January-April. In the forecast at the beginning of the year, the OSD had estimated that 2020 exports would be parallel to the previous year, a domestic market increase of 18% and these to have a 1% overall effect on production. “Today, our projections are that the domestic market will be at a similar level with 2019, but exports will contract by 27% to 28% and production will fall by 19% to 20%,” Yenigün said. “When we look at our sector exports as of the end of April, we see that the supply industry has realized 57% of the total sector exports in the month, despite experiencing a 63% decline compared to the same period of the previous year,” TAYSAD’s Kanca said. The industry’s exports could drop some 20% this year, he added. The industry’s $10.6 billion in foreign sales held a major share in the overall exports of Turkey’s automotive sector, which came in at $31.2 billion in 2019. The turnover loss to the automotive supply industry in 2020 is likely to exceed $3.6 billion, Kanca lamented. Meanwhile in the rental car sector, the impact of the slowdown started being felt in the beginning of March, according to Turkish Auto Leasing and Rental Companies Association (TOKKDER) Chairman İnan Ekici. “As the operational car rental sector, we made an investment of TL 1.3 billion (around $130 million) in the first quarter of 2020. In the first quarter of 2019, this figure was TL 800 million. We would have continued to invest with the same positivity if it wasn’t for the effects of COVID-19,” Ekici told. The sector had added some 7,850 vehicles to its fleet in the first quarter of this year, or 7.5% of the all the new cars sold in the country in the period, according to the “Operational Leasing Sector Report – 1st Quarter of 2020,” which was prepared jointly by TOKKDER and Nielsen, a global marketing data research firm. The operational leasing sector contracted 13.4% year-on-year in the first quarter and 5.1% compared to the end of 2019, the report reveals. The sector’s total asset size amounted to TL 29.28 billion, with the number of vehicles in the fleet reaching some 264,000. Ekici said as early as March, consumers began holding onto their rental cars due to the pandemic. “Today, individuals who use rental vehicles do not want to leave them because they do not want to use public transportation,” he noted.

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Elektra Electronic backs up health ındustry with medical transformers Prioritizing the production of medical transformer due to Coronavirus, Elektra Elektronik ensures energy systems of hospital and clinics operate safely.

tanding out with its commitment in the transformer production and energy quality, Elektra Elektronik supports the fight against coronavirus which has taken the world and our country by storm, with medical transformers customized to the health industry. Any potential residual currents in the electric network and electronic devices monitoring the patients in the operation rooms and treatment rooms of the hospitals may pose risk on the health of patients and medical personnel. Coming into play at this point, medical transformers are critically important for hospitals and clinics. Ramping up the production of medical transformers for use in the new hospitals, notably of Yeşilköy Field Hospital currently under construction, Elektra Elektronik offers customized solutions dedicated to the medical isolation power panel and operation room control panel in around 130 hospitals and clinics across Turkey. Having an established track record

for 40 years in the transformer production and energy quality, Elektra Elektronik contributes medical transformers in the hospitals and clinics where the treatment processes are seamlessly carried out during this ongoing difficult times. This hi-tech product of Elektra Elektronik, who will do its part with medical transformers in new hospitals, notably of Yeşilköy Field Hospital which construction commenced in April as part of the Coronavirus measures, is currently used in around 130 different hospitals and clinics across Turkey. Especially playing a critical role in the operation rooms, Elektra Elektronik’s medical transformers are currently used in the medical isolation power panel and operation room control panel systems in many hospitals of Turkey, such as Ankara Bilkent Integrated Health Campus, Mersin Integrated Health Campus, Konya Karatay City Hospital, Bursa Çekirge State Hospital, Medipol University Çamlıca Hospital, Ankara Gazi University Hospital and Eskişehir Yunus Emre State Hospital. Precautions are necessary against the potential residual currents in the operation rooms of hospitals Noting that medical transformers have a vital importance for hospitals, Elektra Ele-

ktronik General Manager Emin Armağan Şakar explains “Today, there are many electronic devices which monitor the conditions of patients and effectiveness of operations in the operation rooms and treatment rooms of hospitals. It is necessary to protect patients and medical team against potential residual currents that may occur in the event of a failure in these devices or electric network. Despite acceptable as low in the normal conditions, these residual current values may lead to vital consequences on the operation table. Therefore, it is necessary to protect energy systems of medical institutions with customized medical transformers. Production conforming to European Standards Stating that it is important for medical transformer to have higher levels of isolation compared to other transformers as they are used in extremely sensitive areas such as operation rooms of hospitals and clinics, Şakar explains “Elektra Elektronik’s medical transformers are substantially superior than standard type transformers in areas such as resistance against high voltage pulses, the level of isolation strength between conductors and

Boyteks produced antiviral fabric against viruses Boyteks, which always stands out with its innovative works, is preparing to manufacture many products such as masks, protective clothing, gowns, gloves and mattresses with its antiviral fabric it developed against viruses. Yıldızhan also said, “We used particles with high antiviral properties on the textile surface. We applied these particles to our fabrics with a special polymer technology and special processes we formed a hygienic surface. “

ore than 100 kinds of bedding fabrics with different innovative features are produced at Boyteks AŞ, a textile company operating in Kayseri Organized Industrial Zone, within the body of Erciyes Anadolu Holding, managed by the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (SDIF). While bedding fabrics are exported to all over the world, an antiviral feature fabric has been developed, which is stated to be effective against viruses in order to contribute to the new type of coronavirus (Kovid-19) epidemic process. Boyteks AŞ General Manager Mehmet Yıldız stated in his statement to AA correspondent that they exported to 105 countries from Kayseri last year and had a sectoral share of approximately 10 percent in the global market. Yıldız, who said, “1 in every 10 beds in the world is produced with our fabrics,” explained that they met the fabric needs of largest global mattress manufacturers

from the USA to Chile, from Japan to China. Yıldız emphasized that they have invested heavily in technology and R&D studies and said: “When the epidemic started in China, we were brainstorming with our R&D teams to answer ‘how we can use our innovative experience, how we can contribute to this process.” We worked on the fabrics with our know-how and R&D experience about ‘how to neutralize the virus.’ The antiviral fabrics we have developed as a result of our studies will have a wide range of uses. “ “The protein and fat layers of the viruses on the fabric deteriorate” Boyteks R&D Manager Özkan Yıldızhan reminded that they have had significant production on hygiene textile in recent years and that they had done an important study on “Zika virus” in 2017. Stating that they had prepared and succeeded in a fabric project to eliminate this virus that had appeared in South America,

“We got the test reports from Germany” Yıldızhan gave the following information about the antiviral fabric they developed: “The protein and oil layers of the viruses that come on the antiviral fabric we have developed are deteriorating. The virus automatically becomes inactive. Thus, a more hygienic textile surface is formed. One of the most important points after producing the fabric is the test process. There are a number of test methods according to international textile standards, this particular one is an international standard called ISO 18184. It is a method of testing antiviral textile materials. We received the test reports from Germany. Later, it was reported by Erciyes University that the product development studies, test methods and test results were realized in accordance with the standards. “ Patent application Stating that they have completed the process in this way, Yıldızhan said, “At this point, we have made our patent application about the production with antiviral textile fabric to the Turkish Patent and Trademark Institution about 1 month ago. It is now registered.” Yildizhan added that they would be aiming to deliver this product to their customers quickly within a planning, which they consider as a project in the framework of social responsibility.

protective ground or sensitivity in preventing potential leakages in coils. Developed exclusive for the medical industry, these transformers designed to conform with the standard EN-61558-2-15 which defines the specifications and criteria of transformers intended for use in the medical applications, and produced under the ISO 9001 Quality Management System to the European Standards. The highlights of Elektra Elektronik’s medical transformers include very low level of inrush current (<12*In) and idle current (<3%), good voltage regulation (<3%), near-zero residual current, and a special built-in PTC for mid end and heat measurement for measuring the isolation level.” Exporting locally and nationally developed and produced transformers and electronics to around 60 countries in 6 continents, Elektra Elektronik designs its medical transformers, which contribute added-value in the health industry, customized to the countries with varying current voltage levels and feed types. Using 230V 50Hz Mono-Phase System for the medical transformers developed for Turkey, company produces medical transformers with 240V 60Hz Three-Phase System for foreign countries.

Turkey’s banks strong in terms of capital and liquidity ratios Continued From Page 1 “Turkey is in a strong position in terms of public finances as well,” he explained, yet suggested that the country should pay attention to the balance of payments, which has seen current deficits for many years. The Turkish government has been trying to eradicate the current account deficit accumulated over the years through a very accurate rebalancing process, he said. “Last year, our country saw a current surplus, not current deficit,” he said, warning the country should be careful about the balance of payments as well as dependence on external sources produced by the current account deficits of the past. Turkey is trying to manage this now, he emphasized. Assessing the impacts of the pandemic, Genç said it would not cause a global banking crisis – however, he stated, the biggest negative effect of the virus would be an increase in profitability and credit costs as well as credit sunk costs. Banks are good when the economy is good, but they are bad when the economy is bad, he claimed. “When we look at the countries where we operate, serious negative growth in nonperforming loans is mentioned almost everywhere,” he said.It sent a serious shock to economies, he said, adding therefore that in certain sectors, certain customer segments – especially with small businesses and on the individual side – the banking sector may face serious sunk costs. “In short, I think there is enough buffer on the capital side, although profitability will be seriously affected,” he said, adding the banks can handle this situation. A report by the leading supervisory and advisory group KPMG previously said Turkey’s banking sector hasn’t been caught unprepared for the COVID-19 crisis that hammered the world economy but instead displayed strong responses by weathering the challenging period.Turkey’s public and private lenders have stepped up in line with the government’s moves to curb the virus’s economic effects and have announced a support package, launching loan packages for their customers that include flexible payment options and corporate debt restructuring, especially for the badly hit tourism and transportation sectors.