PLASFED Chairman Comments on İSO 500 List

Istanbul Chamber of Industry's announcement of results from Turkey's 2021 Second 500 Large Industrial Enterprises survey was followed by remarks from Plastik Sanayicileri Federasyonu (PLASFED) Board Chairman Ömer Karadeniz.

Production and Export Are Critical

Emphasizing the importance of significantly increased exports compared to previous years, Ömer Karadeniz continued as follows: "Despite severe currency fluctuations, particularly in the second half and recent periods of 2021, our enterprises have continued production and focused on exports to mitigate exchange rate risk. Enterprises that experienced revenue loss in dollar terms have remained afloat thanks to exports, demonstrating how essential production and export are for the sector's continued growth. Looking at the assessment of net sales from production in the ISO Second 500, while the ratio was 14.2% in 2019, it increased to 21.7% in 2020 during the pandemic, and in 2021, with recovery in domestic and external demand along with increases in inflation and exchange rates, the ISO Second 500's production sales showed a 77.5% increase. Today, plastic sector enterprises in the ISO Second 500 continue to produce and work with utmost dedication despite these adverse developments in exchange rates."

Our Enterprises Will Increase Their Weight in the Second 500

Noting that with the pandemic's impact diminishing, enterprises are focusing entirely on production around the clock, Ömer Karadeniz stated: "While the pandemic affected our production, it dealt more serious blows to public health. For our enterprises and production, human health—that of our employees—is very important to us. During the difficult pandemic process, the support that our dedicated workers provided to our enterprises and sector while working under restricted conditions and hours has been invaluable. Although we have overcome the pandemic today, the virus continues to show serious effects. We will continue to provide healthy working conditions for our employees, who hold a major share in our sector's production, and we will work more and produce more. I have no doubt that if our plastics sector continues to work this seriously, our enterprises will increase their weight in the Second 500 in future periods."  

We Must Support Our Enterprises

Emphasizing that as the umbrella organization PLASFED Plastik Sanayicileri Federasyonu, the enterprises in our sector that make important contributions to our country must be supported, Ömer Karadeniz said: "In 2021, the ISO Second 500's net sales from production increased by 77.5%, rising from TRY 191.1 billion to TRY 339.2 billion. These figures show how seriously our enterprises are working. Looking at the distribution according to the ten-sector grouping created by ISO, we see that more than 60% are concentrated in 4 sector groups. These firms are related to our sector: 91 food products industry, 81 textile products industry, 71 basic metals and machinery manufacturing industry, and 68 chemical products, plastics and rubber products industry. According to 2021 data, these four sectors account for more than 60% of net sales from production. I would like to thank the ISO Board of Management for sharing with us this valuable information that illuminates our entire sector and industry, both the First 500 and Second 500. In conclusion, I congratulate our enterprises that create added value and make important contributions to our country in terms of economy and employment, and I wish that their success continues for many years to come."