Minister Kacır: We increased the number of our OIZs to 374

The 17th International Iron-Steel, Casting, Non-Ferrous Metallurgy Technologies, Machinery and Products Specialized Fair (ANKIROS 2026), which is among the international events of the metallurgy sector, started at Istanbul Expo Center.

The 23rd International Metallurgy and Materials Congress is held simultaneously with the fair, which brings together manufacturers, technology providers, investors, purchasing professionals, engineers and academicians in the sector.

Speaking at the opening of the fair, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said that this important meeting, where the pulse of the metal industry will beat for 3 days with the participation of more than 1100 local and foreign companies, will lead to new collaborations, commercial partnerships and investments.

Explaining that they expanded the production capacity of the industry and advanced its competitiveness and ability to produce added value with the reforms, incentives and infrastructure investments they implemented for more investment, employment, production and exports, Kacır emphasized that they made Türkiye a global production and technology development base with its strong and competitive production infrastructure, R&D and innovation ecosystem, entrepreneurship culture and qualified human resources.

Minister Kacır stated that the metal sector, which provides qualified input to many branches of Turkish industry, from automotive to defense industry, from energy to construction, from ship industry to white goods, has an important place in Türkiye's development process.

Stating that the Turkish iron and steel industry plays a critical role in global supply chains with its annual production capacity of 62 million tons, wide product range and environmentally friendly production infrastructure, Kacır continued his words as follows:

"Last year, when world crude steel production contracted by 2 percent due to the weakness in global demand and increasing protectionist measures in trade, our industry differentiated itself positively from the global trend thanks to its ability to quickly adapt to changing market conditions. Today, we are the largest steel producer in Europe and the 7th largest in the world. Our foundry industry, which reached a turnover of nearly 8 billion euros and direct exports of over 6 billion euros last year, is another branch of our metal industry that makes us proud. With steps that nourish the production capacity of our sector and increase its technological capacity. "Today, we have become the second largest producer in Europe and the 7th largest producer in the world in the casting industry."

Minister of Industry and Technology Kacır noted that they have determinedly implemented our incentive and financing mechanisms that will accelerate the green and digital transformation of the sector and advance international competitiveness, and shared information about the supports provided in this field.

Source: TRT Haber Ekonomi RSS (Open Press / Translated Full Text)