Top 500 Anatolian companies crowned

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Kroman Steel Industry, based in the northwestern Turkish province of İzmit, has topped a newly released list of the top 500 firms active in Anatolia.

Turkey has to transform its SME’s into companies that manufacture with high technology, Industry Minister Nihat Ergün said during the “Top 500 Companies of Anatolia” award ceremony Jan. 17.

At the event, the top companies in Anatolia were granted awards according to research done by the Turkish Economy Bank (TEB) and the Ekonomist magazine, with the support of Turkcell. Attendees at the ceremony praised Anatolian companies, emphasizing the significance of thriving SMEs for the success of the economy and the development of the country.

“SMEs carried 60 percent of Turkey’s exports, which surpassed $150 billion in 2012,” said Ergün, adding that more than 95 percent of the $150 billion exports were industrial products. “However, both the country and the companies have not reached their full potential. At least 20 percent of manufacturing should be with high technology and more than 20 percent of the export portfolio should be these products.”

The minister also emphasized that comprehensive research revealing economic transactions in Anatolia served as sound resources for policy-makers. Kroman Steel topped the list as the largest company in Anatolia for the fifth year in a row, and it was also the company to make the highest increases in its profits.