Successfully representing the level achieved by the Turkish defence industry in the international arena with exports to more than 80 countries, SYS Group shared its export vision at the 2nd Foreign Trade Summit.
Organised by the Association of Foreign Trade Leaders (DIŞYÖNDER), the 2nd Foreign Trade Summit was held on 7 November at Istanbul Kültür University Akıngüç Auditorium, with Samsun Yurt Savunma (SYS Group), the parent company of the CANiK brand, as the main sponsor.
SYS Group Board Member Nafia Didem Aral, in her speech at the summit themed “Türkiye with a Sustainable Foreign Trade Surplus”, stated that a foreign trade surplus is not only the excess of exports over imports but also the numerical reflection of a country’s technological, intellectual and production capacity.
Emphasising that Türkiye is on the verge of this transformation thanks to the industrialisation initiatives undertaken in recent years, Aral stated that the country is now taking determined steps towards becoming an economy that grows not through labour-intensive but knowledge- and technology-intensive production models.
Pointing out that the defence industry, with its domestic production rate approaching 80%, its annual exports exceeding 10 billion dollars based on high technology, and its solutions based on advanced engineering, materials science, artificial intelligence and mechatronics, has become not only an export item but also the main source of added value, Aral underlined that each exported product is an external reflection of Türkiye’s intellectual capital, R&D strength and vision of independence.
Explaining that SYS Group’s journey, which began at its production centre in Samsun, has now gained a global dimension with its facilities in the United States and the United Kingdom, Aral emphasised that the CANiK brand proudly represents the “Made in Türkiye” mark in quality, reliability and engineering in more than 80 countries today.
Aral stated that SYS Group does not limit itself to exports from Türkiye alone but follows a strategy of manufacturing at the heart of the supply chain in the regions where the global defence industry is strongest. “Our facilities in the USA and the UK bring the technologies and quality standards developed by Turkish engineers to the world market while also providing capital inflow to Türkiye. This model is the most concrete example of ‘value transfer from local to global and from global to local’ in the defence industry,” she said.
Didem Aral stated that the defence industry in Türkiye has now become not only a sector that ‘protects’ but also one that contributes to sustainable growth and the targeted foreign trade surplus.
Emphasising that Türkiye is no longer merely a producing country but one that, through its production, shapes the world and sets new standards, Aral said: “As SYS Group, we aim not only to be a part of this transformation but also to be one of its pioneers. In every production line and every export contract, we hold this belief: by working and producing together, we will collectively build a Türkiye that consistently achieves a sustainable foreign trade surplus.”
