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HÜRSİAD members expand sights to international markets
Small firms from Anatolia have grown remarkably in size thanks to establishing partnerships and forming new associations or joining existing ones. HÜRSİAD, established by 50 businessmen from Ankara in 1994, is one such association. Speaking to Today's Zaman, Bıyık said their target for 2010 is to raise this number to 1,000.
Stressing the positive effects of strong collaboration between businesses, Bıyık said: “A relationship has developed between both the members [of the association] and the projects developed by members, providing significant growth opportunities for member firms in the domestic market. Most importantly, it has enabled more Turkish companies to access foreign markets. While the number of member firms which had established commercial relation with foreign firms was once about 25, now, as a result of working together, it has reached 125, rising by 500 percent. In the absence of such an association, a rise like this would not have been observed and the ability to enter foreign markets might have been delayed by many years for most of the firms.”
According to Bıyık, gathering under the roof of HÜRSİAD paved the way for companies to grow in the domestic market. In addition to this, the Federation of Anatolian Businessmen (ANFED) and the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) have also helped the firms with respect to their orientation toward foreign markets.
Cooperation among associations with few members may bring about a positive outcome with the help of federations and confederations, Bıyık said, adding that this synergy plays a significant role in the success of trade partnerships and trips abroad.
Mentioning the late President Turgut Özal, who used to take large groups of businessmen with him when visiting foreign countries, Bıyık said HÜRSİAD is now using him as an example and takes a plane full of businessmen while visiting other countries. The association is planning two important trips to foreign countries this year, Bıyık added. “Trips help small and medium-sized enterprises [SMEs] broaden their horizons. Participating members can either immediately establish business connections through these trips or plan ahead, as they have the chance to observe supply, demand and other indicators in the markets.”
Noting that HÜRSİAD attends trade summits organized by ANFED and TUSKON in order to determine new areas to invest in, Bıyık said previously established regional trade bridges between foreign and domestic firms have led to the formation of the World Trade Bridge that took place in İstanbul in June. He noted that this event, which brought businessmen and a number of statesmen together, took place for the first time in Turkey.
According to Bıyık, SME associations are developing in line with the export-oriented growth of the Turkish economy. This growth process has created the necessity for firms to become familiar with other markets and prepare for competition with foreign companies, and associations, federations and confederations together assist SMEs to achieve these goals by creating a platform in which to share information and experiences between members.
Bıyık also noted that Turkey's prestige is rising quickly thanks to its active foreign policy in recent years and its readiness to deal with the global economic crisis, adding, “Turkey is regarded as one of the first countries for investment by the majority of international companies.”
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