Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Within the scope of the first agenda of the Council meeting, TOBB Türkiye Acclimatization Council Presidency Council election was held. Salih Zeki Poyraz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AFS Boru Sanayi Co Inc, who continues to serve as Council President, was unanimously re-elected as the Council President, while Mehmet Hakkı Şanal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Üntes Heating and Cooling Co Inc, was unanimously elected as the Council Vice President.

In his speech, Zeki Poyraz thanked the Council Members for their past work and support. Poyraz stated that the work carried out by the Council will continue in order for the sector to grow, to train the human resources it needs and to get more share from global trade, and that the unity of the Council has always strengthened the sector.

Stating that he has always been proud to be involved in the activities of the Council, Mehmet Şanal thanked the support given for the Deputy Chairman of the Council. Mr. Şanal stated that he will continue to work actively and conveyed his wishes for the new Council to be auspicious.

In the second part of the meeting, evaluations were made about ISK-SODEX İstanbul held between October 25-28, 2023. Then, the activities of the commissions established within the scope of TOBB Türkiye Acclimatization Sector Strategy Document, Education Buildings Minimum Design Standards Guide, Refrigerants book and EHİS LAB Project were discussed.

Finally, at the meeting, the final report of the Turkish Acclimatization Sector, International “Indoor Air Quality in Schools and Student Living Spaces” Summit held between September 19-21, 2023 was presented to the Council Members.

- Sectoral evaluation by Zeki Poyraz

TOBB Türkiye Acclimatization Council President Zeki Poyraz made evaluations to Anadolu Agency.

Poyraz stated that the interest of foreign investors in companies in the Acclimatization sector is great and said, “Foreign investors want to establish facilities from scratch or buy companies in Türkiye.” Stating that the Acclimatization sector in the world is growing every year, Poyraz said that as of the end of last year, a trade figure of 580 billion dollars was reached. Poyraz said that Türkiye’s share in this pie is approximately 1.3 percent, and that they aim to increase it to 1.5 percent.

Poyraz said that Türkiye’s exports as of the end of September increased in value compared to last year and reached 5.4 billion dollars, adding, “Our exports per kilogram amounted to 6.1 dollars. There is an increase of about 17 percent compared to last year. These developments signal that we are on the right track.” Emphasizing that Türkiye is focusing on R&D activities in order to get more share from the global market, Poyraz said that the sector is in a race with the world to develop products and services with new technology and commercialize them.

- “Türkiye has a great opportunity thanks to its geographical location”

Pointing out the need for mechanisms that provide competitive advantage in the sector, Poyraz made the following assessment:

“Türkiye has a great opportunity thanks to its geographical location and we should make good use of it. On the other hand, the European Union (EU) is making the rules of the game more and more difficult. There is a need to harmonize with EU commercial rules and design one step ahead. The development of foreign accredited test laboratories in our country is of great importance for both the Acclimatization sector and other industrial branches. We work closely with the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE). As a result of our cooperation, a laboratory was established for the testing of our products.”

Pointing to the high interest of foreign investors in Türkiye, Poyraz said that the country is seen as an important production and logistics base thanks to its proximity to consumption points, especially the EU, and the quality of its workmanship.

Stating that China has established important partnerships in Türkiye in this field, Poyraz said, “Not only Chinese, but all foreign investors want to build facilities from scratch or buy companies in Türkiye.”

- “15-20 centimeters of insulation should be mandatory in new buildings”

Poyraz also mentioned the importance of ensuring insulation in buildings and said:

“The building sector has a 32.7 percent share in energy consumption. In our country, unfortunately, a significant part of our existing building stock, especially public buildings, are not insulated, but the public is aware of the situation and has serious efforts. Efforts for energy efficiency in Türkiye are carried out within the scope of the Energy Efficiency Action Plan. Some of these are the creation of the concept of ‘Nearly Zero Energy Building (NSEB)’ with changes in energy performance in buildings, the launch of the ‘Thermal Insulation in Houses Campaign’ for buildings without thermal insulation, updating the energy saving target in public buildings to 30 percent and preparing a guide to achieve this target, and regulations for energy efficient heat pumps. As can be seen, we are not behind in this regard.”

Emphasizing that the sector needs to be prepared for the rapidly changing EU trade rules, Poyraz said that a road map needs to be prepared for this.

Pointing out that areas that will increase energy efficiency such as insulation and heat pumps should be supported, Poyraz said

“TSE Insulation Standard should be updated and 15-20 centimeters of insulation should be made compulsory in new buildings. Standards prepared for indoor air quality in schools should be put into practice. The quality of vocational high schools should be increased and a solution to the shortage of technical staff should be found. The concept and standards of professional engineering should be determined and a professional insurance for this field should be established.”

Pointing out that they have been carrying out many studies as the sector council in this field, Poyraz added that they have recently carried out measurements to ensure indoor air quality, especially in schools.