Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Speaking at the ceremony, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu highlighted Kocaeli’s critical role in Turkish industry.

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that Kocaeli ranks third in Türkiye with 788 products among the provinces with the highest production capacity for 4,000 products manufactured in Türkiye. He pointed out that Kocaeli is a complete production and export center with its industrial zones, technology parks, free zones, universities, and port.

Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “When Kocaeli wins, Türkiye wins. Our Kocaeli provides more than the total tax revenues of 69 provinces across our country. One-seventh of Türkiye’s industrial production comes from Kocaeli. Our Kocaeli alone accounts for one-tenth of total exports and one-third of automotive production.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu noted that he conveyed the requests from industrialists to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and all relevant ministers as part of his duties, saying, “We are getting positive results on many of these issues. Allah willing, we are all waiting for the day when all our difficulties will be overcome step by step.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the Kocaeli Chamber of Industry’s “Sustainable Performance Awards” are a well-established, beautiful organization, adding, “We will shortly be rewarding our industrialists who showcase the strength of Turkish industry to the world. I wholeheartedly congratulate all my fellow industrialists who will receive the awards they so richly deserve here. Despite the difficulties, you, our valued industrialists, who work tirelessly, give us hope for the future of our country. I am proud of each and every one of you and all my fellow industrialists.”

Ayhan Zeytinoğlu, President of Kocaeli CI, summarized the program’s purpose as supporting companies that focus not only on financial success but also on environmental, social, and governance criteria.

Zeytinoğlu stated that the organization is based on the principle of voluntarism, saying, “We evaluate our companies in seven main categories: financial performance, foreign trade, operational efficiency, environment, social impact, governance, digitalization, and R&D innovation. We provide feedback reports to participating companies.”

Following the speeches, representatives of the eight companies that ranked highest were presented with awards in the categories of “SME,” “Large-Scale Organization,” “Incentive,” and “Excellence.”

This year’s grand prize in the “SME” category went to SMS Industrial Materials Production and Sales Inc. Ford Automotive Industry Co Inc in the “Large-Scale Organization” category, Hemac Machinery Mold and Spare Parts Manufacturing Industry and Trade LLC in the “Incentive” category, and Türkiye Petroleum Refineries Co Inc (TÜPRAŞ) in the “Excellence” category.