At the 4th SteelOrbis Turkish Steel Market Conference held in Istanbul on November 13, Arslan Sanır, the coordinator of Turkey's Association of Machinery Manufacturers, started his presentation by pointing out the close relationship which exists between machinery manufacture and the steel industry.
Evoking the use of steel in machinery manufacturing and also the use of machinery in steelmaking, Mr. Sanır cited EUROFER statistics which showed that machinery manufacturing ranks third among the top steel consuming industries in the EU, following the construction and automotive industries, with a share of 14 percent.
Arslan Sanır also stressed that Turkey is the sixth largest machinery manufacturer in Europe. In addition, in the European Union, he said, the market share of machinery imports varies between 45 to 55 percent, while in Turkey this share amounts to 65 percent.
As regards the situation of machinery manufacturing during the global downturn, Mr. Sanır said that the most critical problem for the industry in question has been the suspension of investments. Although the crisis has had an impact on every company, he said that small and medium sized companies suffered most during the recession. Mr. Sanır also pointed out the need for the implementation of measures to eliminate causes for hesitation among investors, in order for the markets to recover.