Model factory inaugurated in southeastern Gaziantep

Hazal Özcan – GAZİANTEP

The inauguration ceremony of the southeastern Gaziantep province’s Model Factory has been held with the participation of Turkey’s industry and technology minister.

The model factory was realized as part of a cooperation between the Industry and Technology Ministry, Gaziantep’s Chamber of Industry and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Turkey.

“Model Factories are projects that increase the efficiency of the industry. As the [Industry and Technology] Ministry, we are proud to bring one of the Model Factories to Gaziantep,” Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank said during the ceremony.

Varank added that company representatives who come to the factory to receive their training on lean production, apply it in their own businesses.

“These trainings make significant contributions to digitalization,” he said, adding that the utilization of model factories increases productivity of benefiting companies up to 150 percent.

“Companies can increase their productivity by simplifying processes without making any extra investments,” Varank said.

In the meantime, UNDP Turkey’s new Resident Representative Louisa Vinton paid her first field visit to Gaziantep. She also toured the Model Factory before the ceremony and observed its operations.

The Model Factory in the southeastern city aims to support structural transformation while it aspires to become the largest applied capability, innovation, and digital transformation center in the country, as well as Europe.

The center will provide training and consulting services to enterprises, with the objective to increase productivity while guiding them through digitalization and lean manufacturing.

Although the Model Factory mostly focuses on digitalization and productivity, they are also essential for Syrians under protection in Turkey.

“The project aims to enable both Syrians and host communities to equally benefit from inclusive and sustainable growth that will create decent jobs for all, sustainable income and living in dignity,” according to UNDP Turkey.

Gaziantep hosts over 450,000 Syrians under temporary protection and ranks second with the population of Syrians among other Turkish cities.