The Technical Textile and Composite Materials Cluster (BUTEXCOMP Cluster), which was launched in Bursa with the aim of strengthening the competitiveness of SMEs operating in the technical textile and composite materials sectors in global markets, organized an information event in Istanbul following the Ankara information event in order to increase their cooperation. In the event, inter-cluster collaborations, sectoral trends, R&D and innovation opportunities, working areas and cooperation issues were discussed with national and international stakeholders.
Sectoral Innovation Strengthens with Cluster Collaborations
Stating that they continue to work on improving the prototype production, design and modeling capabilities of SMEs operating in the composite material and technical textile sectors, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karahan, Director of the BUTEXCOMP Project Operation Coordination Unit, said: “We have started to put into service the high-tech machinery park in BUTEKOM, which provides design, modeling and prototype production, testing and analysis services, which is our most important goal in the project. At the same time, the work on the establishment of a fully integrated innovation cluster in the composite material and technical textile sectors has been completed. By making great progress in our BUTEXCOMP Project, we have reached approximately 90 percent of our targeted outputs.” Prof. Dr. Karahan said, “The rapidly increasing competitive environment and developing technology, changing rules of global trade force our businesses to be more innovative and more efficient. It has become imperative to continue on the road not only with inter-company collaborations but also with inter-cluster collaborations. For this reason, we continue our activities to move our project to a platform that will provide cooperation at national and international level.”
BUTEXCOMP Will Make a Great Contribution to the Country’s Economy
Murat Kurtlar, General Manager of BUTEKOM, informed about the fields of activity of Bursa Technology Coordination and R&D Center (BUTEKOM), product groups and sectors served, production lines, national and international collaborations and said, “As an effective and competitive organization, our aim is to develop sustainable growth, value-added production and social responsibility activities. In this direction, we continue our studies and projects in order to facilitate the business processes of the companies in the sectors we serve, improve their product quality, increase their international competition competencies, support their transition to green transformation and innovation-based production processes and guide them on their digital transformation journey. The production center we established in BUTEKOM within the scope of our BUTEXCOMP Project is an important investment that will make great contributions to both our companies and our national economy.”
BUTEXCOMP Cluster Coordination Unit Manager Elif Gamze Taşkın made a presentation on “Bursa Technical Textile and Composite Materials Cluster Strategy and Scope of Inter-Cluster Cooperation”, while BUTEXCOMP Cluster Expert Yeliz Çuvalcı informed the participants with her presentation titled “Strategic Positioning and Roadmap of BUTEXCOMP Cluster as an Innovation Cluster”. During the event, sectoral trends, working areas and cooperation opportunities were also evaluated via video conference with Walter Lutz, Secretary General and Judith Bosch, Project Manager of The European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing in Belgium, and Volker Mathes, Business Development Manager of the Federation of Reinforced Plastics operating in Germany, who agreed to sign joint projects.