Italian companies to focus on five industrial zones in Turkey

Engin Esen - ISTANBUL

The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) has concluded a research on logistical and economic opportunities for Italian companies investing in Turkey.

The final report, which will be revealed at an event in Milan on Feb. 13, focused on five sectors and five industrial zones in various provinces of Turkey.

Half of the 16 Italian automotive manufacturers operating in Turkey have facilities in Turkey’s northwestern province of Bursa, such as Tofaş Fiat, Tiberina and Sirena, the report said.

ince 47 of all the 135 foreign automotive companies investing in Turkey have production sites based in Bursa, the province was pointed as the most suitable Turkish province for Italian automotive manufacturers.

Among the 18 industrial estates in Bursa, Hasanağa Organized Industrial Zone was highlighted with its “strong automotive focus, 12 available lands and $200 per square meter land price.”

In the chemical sector, Gebkim specialized industrial zone in Gebze district of Turkey’s northwestern province of Kocaeli was selected as most suitable for Italian companies in the report. There were “allocated parcels to 21 new companies,” the report said.

“In pharmaceuticals, Tekirdağ is the main city according to key parameters after Istanbul,” it added, referring to the Turkish province near the Greek and Bulgarian borders. Çerkezköy Organized Industrial Zone, housing 12 pharma companies, was preferred to the other industrial zones of Tekirdağ in the report, despite its relatively higher land price of $150 per square meter.

The Turkish capital Ankara’s Başkent Organized Industrial Zone was pointed out for its “land availability” compared with other estates in the province. Especially Italian machinery manufacturers were advised to look into this option.

The Aegean province of İzmir’s Kemalpaşa Organized Industrial Zone was found suitable for renewable energy companies in the report.

The report also included detailed information about foreign investment incentive schemes in Turkey.

The ITA office in Turkey had started the research in September 2018, following depreciation in the value of the Turkish Lira against the dollar and euro.

We have identified some industrial zones according to different criteria such as infrastructures and logistics, main roads, distance from city centers, ports and airports, land availability, average price, well-trained workforce and other investments made by Italian companies,” Aniello Musella, the manager of the Italian Trade Agency Office in Istanbul, told Hürriyet Daily News.

“Many companies that already export to Turkey are planning to move a part of their production in industrial zones in order to take advantage of the lira devaluation and consolidate their market share,” Musella added.

Italian exporters survey Turkish industrial zones for manufacturing