Happy 20th Anniversary - TURSSA!
TURSSA celebrates its 20th anniversary with a strong focus on sustainability awareness.
2023 is a particular year for TURSSA, due to its 20th anniversary. The Turkish Ship Suppliers Association (TURSSA) represents the ship supply industry of Turkey and was founded on July 4th, 2003. TURSSA has a longstanding partnership with ISSA and OCEAN and serves as a connection between its national members and the global ship supply community. In this blog entry, the President of TURSSA, Zihni Memisoglu, reflects.
Turkey's geography, which is home to a bustling international shipping industry, offers a natural advantage to the Turkish Ship Supply Sector. The country's strategic location and straits play a critical role, making it a vital corridor. The Bosporus and Dardanelles are the only sea passages to the Black Sea, making Istanbul a crucial maritime point. As a result, TURSSA holds a significant responsibility not only domestically but also internationally. TURSSA was founded in 2003 to support its members, facilitate global trade functions, establish business organization standards, and reflect a strong vision of alliance. Since then, it has proudly fulfilled its mission, and its 20th anniversary is a well-deserved milestone.2023 is a particular year for TURSSA, due to its 20th anniversary. When we look at the past 20 years since its establishment, its strength has been improving by adding new members from year to year, and it has 36 members at present. TURSSA, with the leadership of Chairman Zihni Memisoglu, especially in the latest period through the pandemic process, fully supported its members and the whole sector.
As we celebrate our 20th anniversary in the ship supply sector, we must now consider what the next 20 years will bring. This milestone is not only a cause for celebration but also a call for new responsibilities and challenges. We are all aware of the significant changes taking place in business terms and conditions across various sectors, including ship supply. The pandemic has caused a great differentiation in the supply chain, and the world economic outlook is uncertain due to both economic conditions and geopolitical crises. In this context, it is crucial for both advanced and developing countries to adopt new strategies to stay competitive. Moving forward, these issues will be a top priority for the Turkish Ship Supply Sector and TURSSA. But much more important than all these issues, the concept of “sustainability” takes a rapid place in our lives, not only for people but also for companies. Sustainability is defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”. Mostly it is thought as just related to the environment, but we know that social and economic dimensions are the other main principles of sustainability.
The marine sector plays a significant role in sustainability, and TURSSA, along with its members, is highly aware of this fact. We prioritize the 3R principles of sustainability- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle- to save natural resources, energy, and money. We aim to keep natural materials, products, and services in circulation for as long as possible. Thus, TURSSA encourages its members to achieve ISO certifications for quality management, environmental concerns, occupational health, safety management, and more. We only admit highly experienced firms who meet our membership criteria to ensure high-quality competition in the sector.
As a service bridge between suppliers and the shipping sector, the Turkish ship supply sector tends to supply and advise the use of recycled products, such as glass instead of plastic items and focuses on waste management. We understand the significance of eco-friendly and recycled packaging preference in the ship supply sector, where thousands of different products are purchased in small or big quantities from a wide variety of sources. Social equality, social welfare, and high female employment rates in the ship supply sector are also crucial factors that we focus on.
Every year, TURSSA conducts a survey among its members to promote sustainability in the ship supply sector. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we are committed to taking collective steps towards this goal. It is worth mentioning that TURSSA fully supports Ocean's definition of this sector as a "just-in-time sector". As always, the Turkish Ship Supplier Sector remains committed to providing prompt service 24/7 in the years to come.
We are thrilled to share our 20th-anniversary milestone with you and look forward to many more years of partnership.
Best regards to everyone in the Ship Supply Sector.
