TUSAŞ to Build Factory in Earthquake Zone

TUSAŞ to Build Factory in Earthquake Zone TUSAŞ Board Chairman Prof. Dr. Rafet Bozdoğan said, "We will work to create employment of 100-200 people initially, and later growing to up to 500 people." Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) Board Chairman Prof. Dr. Rafet Bozdoğan, speaking about the aircraft parts production facility decided to be established in the Türkoğlu district of Kahramanmaraş, said, "We will work to create employment of 100-200 people initially, and later growing to up to 500 people." Bozdoğan, in Kahramanmaraş for a programme, told AA correspondent that companies under the Defence Industries Presidency were deployed to the region immediately after the earthquake. Bozdoğan stated that each staff member working in the region comprises specially trained, expert teams in their field, and noted that TUSAŞ was assigned duties in Kahramanmaraş. Noting that thousands of people lost their lives in the disaster and expressing their sorrow, Bozdoğan expressed his belief that wounds would be healed through state-nation cooperation, continuing as follows: "Immediately after the earthquake, our teams travelled from Ankara to here within 3-4 hours, assisted rescue teams in the region, and began rescue operations themselves. What the region needed was inventoried. This place was continuously supported with tents, food, containers and similar items. Our Defence Industries Presidency (SSB), TUSAŞ under the Turkish Armed Forces Strengthening Foundation, ASELSAN, ROKETSAN and our other companies came together, and under the Turkish Armed Forces and SSB leadership, a container city was immediately established in the EXPO Fair Area in the Onikişubat district of Kahramanmaraş." Noting that TUSAŞ planned to work on permanent investments in the region, Bozdoğan said, "With a budget of approximately TRY 1 billion, we will work to first establish a facility producing aircraft parts here, to create employment of 100-200 people initially, and later growing to up to 500 people. A decision was made to establish this facility in a process that starts with aircraft parts and can extend to the assembly and combining of aircraft parts into components," he said.

Vocational college to open for employment

Bozdoğan said that a vocational college would be opened within Kahramanmaraş İstiklal University for employment in the said facility and similar facilities, continuing as follows: "A decision was made to establish a vocational college to train a team with much broader knowledge and experience capable of working in places like Boeing and Airbus in America. Similarly, a decision was made to build permanent housing in our city. These tasks were entirely assigned to TUSAŞ. As TUSAŞ, we relocated to the region. We discussed where we can do this work in the region with the Kahramanmaraş Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, Kahramanmaraş Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KMTSO) and Trade Exchange, and in the initial phase, organized industrial zones were studied to form quickly and be able to come here." After the work conducted, Bozdoğan explained that several different locations were shown by KMTSO, and the Türkoğlu district was deemed technically and physically appropriate, stating that the production facility would be established within a few months in the said area. Bozdoğan said that parts designed in Ankara would be produced in the facility to be built, and then combined and sent by trucks or aircraft to Ankara where fuselage manufacturing would be carried out. Noting that the facility planned to be established in the region would have a closed area of 7,000-8,000 square meters, Bozdoğan added that work is progressing rapidly at this point. Source