We participated as Bursa Technical Textile and Composite Materials Cluster within the scope of State Incentives Promotion Days organized by the Presidency of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Presidency of Communication at Merinos Atatürk Congress and Culture Center between 7-8 March.

Many public institutions and organizations opened stands in the fair area and information was provided by experts about the incentives, scholarships and grant systems provided in our country and in our region. On behalf of the BUTEXCOMP cluster, Project Manager Dr. Eren Er gave information about the cluster to institutions and organizations and received information from experts about the incentives that can be used.

Dr. Eren Er, Project Manager and Mazyar Ahrari, Business Development Manager from BUTEXCOMP cluster coordination unit participated in the Bursa Textile Show organized by Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry and held at Bursa International Fair Center between 5-7 March.

Our cluster coordination team had the opportunity to introduce the cluster and explain our cluster activities to the participants at the Bursa Textile Show fair, where local manufacturers operating in the field of fabric, yarn, textile and technical textiles took place. The companies evaluated opportunities such as finding new markets, creating business opportunities and establishing business partnerships.

BUTEXCOMP Cluster Coordination Unit, we visited public institutions within the scope of our cluster cooperation development activities.

BUTEXCOMP Bursa Technical Textile and Composite Materials Cluster Cluster Manager Elif Gamze TAŞKIN, Project Manager Dr. Eren ER and BUTEXCOMP clustering expert Yeliz Çuvalcı visited Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO), Uludağ Exporters Association (UİB), KOSGEB Bursa West Directorate, Bursa Bilecik Eskişehir Development Agency (BEBKA). In the meetings held with the authorities, information about the cluster activities was given and ideas were exchanged about potential collaborations and supports.

We would like to thank the officials of our valuable public institutions for hosting us.

BUTEXCOMP Cluster Coordination Unit, company visits continued within the scope of our cluster internal network development activities.

BUTEXCOMP Bursa Technical Textile and Composite Materials Cluster Cluster Manager Elif Gamze TAŞKIN, Project Manager Dr. Eren ER and BUTEXCOMP clustering expert Yeliz Çuvalcı visited Fiba Yachting, Eurofiber Tekstil, Rudolf Duraner Kimya and Durak Tekstil, which operate in the fields of technical textiles and composites, and gave information about cluster activities and exchanged ideas.

We would like to thank our companies for hosting us.

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.

BUTEXCOMP Bursa Technical Textile and Composite Materials Cluster Cluster Manager Elif Gamze TAŞKIN, Project Manager Dr. Eren ER together with, Sage Diniz Otomotiv San. ve Tic. A.Ş. that visited General Manager İpek YALÇIN. Yalçın was given information about clustering studies and the activities planned to be carried out.

Our visits with our Cluster Coordination Unit to introduce our member companies closely will continue.

Sage Diniz Automotive San. ve Tic. A.Ş. We would like to thank General Manager İpek YALÇIN for her kind hospitality.

Ankara information event was organized with the aim of increasing the collaborations of the Technical Textile and Composite Materials Cluster (BUTEXCOMP Cluster), which was implemented in Bursa with the aim of strengthening the competitiveness of SMEs operating in the technical textile and composite materials sectors in global markets.

BUTEXCOMP Cluster, which is one of the most important outputs of the Composite Materials and Technical Textiles Prototype Production and Application Center Project (BUTEXCOMP) project carried out by Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO), supported by the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey within the framework of the Competitive Sectors Program together with the European Union, organized ‘Composite Materials and Technical Textiles Cluster Introduction and Inter-Cluster Cooperation Development Event’ in Ankara. 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.

Dr. Eren Er, Project Manager of BUTEXCOMP Cluster, made a presentation on “Bursa Technical Textile and Composite Materials Cluster Strategy and Scope of Inter-Cluster Cooperation”, while Yeliz Çuvalcı, BUTEXCOMP Clustering Specialist, informed the participants with her presentation titled “Strategic Positioning and Roadmap of BUTEXCOMP Cluster as an Innovation Cluster”. During the events, 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.

The last of the Supply Chain Twinning Program Workshops was held within the scope of the Composite Material and Technical Textile Prototype Production and Application Center Technical Support Project (BUTEXCOMP) supported by the European Union and the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey within the framework of the Competitive Sectors Program and carried out by the Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO).

Bursa Technology Coordination and R&D Center (BUTEKOM) General Manager Murat Kurtlar, who stated that they made a study visit to Germany and Belgium within the scope of the BUTEXCOMP Project at the workshop attended by sector representatives and academics, said: “We had discussions about the working system of centers similar to BUTEXCOMP during our contacts abroad. As an institution that constantly updates its goals, our basic approach is to support the efficiency of companies by using technologies that depend on the needs of the market. Again, to increase product quality through laboratory studies. Green transformation and innovation are also the most important parts of this process. The workshops were important for our companies to come together and share their competencies. “We will continue our informative activities to raise the awareness of our companies.” he said.

Noting that they received very positive feedback from the companies participating in the workshops, BUTEXCOMP 2nd Key Expert-Innovation Specialist Mutlu Sezen said, “We have achieved significant gains within the scope of our project. Within the scope of our Green Product Project, we are developing new products with 6 selected companies. We provide support to all 10 of our companies to benefit from marketing, foreign trade and financing opportunities in terms of trading the innovative products they have developed. We provide services on consultancy, prototyping, test-analysis, 3D printing, design and modeling with more than 50 companies. In this way, we move our Center to an established, active and sustainable position with all its infrastructure.” said.

Bursa Uludağ University Textile Engineering Department Head Prof. Dr. Dilek Kut said, “There was a very good participation by the companies. I observed that very productive bilateral meetings were held. We had the opportunity to improve our relations with company representatives. This was also very important for us as academics. I believe that as a result of the workshops we held, very good collaborations will be realized and very good projects will be implemented. In particular, these were works that would take the industry to great heights. The Turkish textile industry is very good at conventional production, but development in the field of technical textiles and composite materials should also be focused on. “Our companies should expand abroad in this context.” he said.

Assoc. Prof., Bursa Technical University, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. Dr. Cihan Kaboğlu said, “Bursa; A city that is the cradle of technical textiles and composite materials. Thanks to the BUTEXCOMP Project, it is very valuable for our companies operating in the field of technical textiles and composite materials to come together with academicians working in this field. I think it is very valuable in terms of making the products more technical and with higher added value. I believe that our city will produce products with very high added value with these studies focused on university-industry cooperation. It was also a huge step in terms of raising awareness of our companies. I would like to thank the BUTEXCOMP family very much. “I think similar activities should be carried out in many sectors.” he said.

At the last BUTEXCOMP Supply Chain Matching Workshop, Bursa SMEs evaluated cooperation opportunities in bilateral meetings with the suppliers, solution providers and potential buyers who participated in the workshop and were matched in line with needs/interests. Academicians also held meetings focused on university-industry cooperation.

2nd edition of the Supply Chain Twinning Program Workshops within the scope of the Composite Material and Technical Textile Prototype Production and Application Center Technical Support Project (BUTEXCOMP) supported by the European Union and the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey within the framework of the Competitive Sectors Program and carried out by the Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO). The second one was organized.

Stating that the workshop held with the aim of increasing the competitiveness of technical textile and composite materials sector companies in Bursa in global markets was productive, BUTEXCOMP 2nd Key Expert-Innovation Specialist Mutlu Sezen said, “We received very positive feedback from the companies that participated in our previous workshops. Company officials state that they are extremely satisfied with the results of the project. It turns out that collaboration between companies is beneficial and will continue sustainably. “Such activities further increase companies’ trust and interest in the project.” he said.

Bursa Uludağ University Textile Engineering Department Head Prof. Dr. Dilek Kut said, “At the meeting where we came together with the companies, we had the opportunity to introduce ourselves as a university and explain the work we have done. Especially today, the textile industry has evolved into the technical textile field. Technical textiles and composite materials have begun to come to the fore. Technical textiles and composite materials will continue to be used in many areas. “With such workshops, we also examine the scientific side of the matter.” said. Bursa Technical University Polymer Materials Engineering Lecturer and Bursateknopark General Manager Prof. Dr. Ayşe Bedeloğlu said, “Within the scope of the project, the capacities of the companies were revealed. Our companies are quite experts in their fields, but sometimes they are not sufficiently aware of their capacities. This project provides benefits for them to use their capacities in a better way. As BTU, we will continue to support university-industry cooperation.” he said.

At the BUTEXCOMP Supply Chain Matching Workshop, Bursa SMEs evaluated cooperation opportunities with the suppliers, solution providers and potential buyers who participated in the workshop and were matched in line with needs/interests in their bilateral meetings.

The road map prepared by the Technical Support Team for the clustering studies initiated within the scope of the BUTEXCOMP Project for the technical textile and composite sectors in Bursa was introduced and discussed at the workshop held with the participation of stakeholders.

The activities of the Composite Material and Technical Textile Prototype Production and Application Center Technical Support Project (BUTEXCOMP), supported by the European Union and the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey within the framework of the Competitive Sectors Program and carried out by the Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO), continue. Within the scope of the project, Bursa Technical Textile and Composite Materials Cluster Strategy Road Map and Action Plan Information Meeting was held with the participation of company representatives and Project stakeholders.

At the Bursa Technical Textile and Composite Materials Cluster Roadmap Information Meeting, the cluster strategy roadmap and action plan prepared by BUTEXCOMP Technical Support Team experts were shared with cluster members and stakeholders. At the meeting, priority strategies and development areas were discussed. BUTEKOM General Manager Murat Kurtlar, in his evaluation at the meeting, said: “As BUTEKOM, we support the implementation of this project and its activities. We continue to support our companies operating in the technical textile and composite materials sector in Bursa to benefit them in producing value-added products. A whole has a much greater meaning than the parts that make it up. It is necessary to evaluate cluster activities from this perspective. The definition of the cluster to be created in line with the studies in BUTEXCOMP is very common and well used in Europe. “Such workshops, where we improve ourselves before entering the environments required by competition, will always provide great benefits.” he said.