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Opinion CHAMBER LINK


The Official Publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of commerce


Editor’s View


By John Lamb


Eye-opening visit reveals need for a new mind-set


Added value is a phrase consistently cropping up when you talk about the UK as an exporting nation. It is without question that, as always, the UK


Sutton Coldfield


Chamber of Commerce


does have a great deal to offer the rest of the world and our products and services are greatly valued in far-away places. That is why British companies are being urged


to look at markets throughout the world as we face the prospect of Brexit. Refreshing trade links with the Commonwealth will be vital but there might be the need for a change of mind- set about the capabilities of some countries.


Front cover: Chamber delegation in Bursa, Turkey L-R: Russell Jeans, Paul Faulkner, Paul Kehoe (rear), Altan Arda, general manager and board director Sinan Durmaz, both Dermazler. See pages 6, 7 & 8


Editor John Lamb 0121 607 1781, 0797 1144064 j.lamb@birmingham-chamber.com


Deputy Editor Dan Harrison 0121 607 1887, 0797 1144052 d.harrison@birmingham-chamber.com


You can now read the latest issue of CHAMBERLINK and view back issues online at: www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com


‘British companies are being urged to look at markets throughout the world as we face the prospect of Brexit’


That was certainly the impression we were left


with after an eye-opening visit to Turkey. As someone said, you could easily think of the country as a place you go on holiday and that in parts might be a bit dangerous. However, the reality is very far from that


impression. We visited Bursa, about 100 miles from Istanbul on the south side of Lake Uluabat. This is a sprawling city of 2.4 million people –


Published by


over twice the size of Birmingham. And its make-up is not unlike Birmingham with a huge industrial centre largely involved in car and component production. Textiles are also a major source of income for the city.


Kemps Publishing Ltd 11 The Swan Courtyard, Charles Edward Road, Birmingham B26 1BU 0121 765 4144 www.kempspublishing.co.uk


Managing Editor Laura Blake Designer Lloyd Hollingworth


Advertising 0121 765 4144 jon.jones@kempspublishing.co.uk


CHAMBERLINK is produced on behalf of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce by Kemps Publishing Ltd and is distributed to members without charge. The Chambers and the publisher are committed to achieving the highest quality standards. While every care has been taken to ensure that the information it contains is accurate, neither the Chambers nor the publisher can accept any responsibility for any omission or inaccuracies that might arise. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Chambers. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format without prior written permission of Kemps Publishing Ltd.


4 CHAMBERLINK November 2017 It’s easy to think of a country like Turkey being


behind technological developments in Britain. But at Ilay Textile sales manager Cemil


Parlakay showed us some of the most modern printing machinery in the world churning out thousands of metres of colourful cloth, including dress designs for Marks & Spencer. To cope with a growing market, the company is


opening offices in London and Barcelona but Cemil underlined the need for any UK companies to visit Bursa if they wanted to do business with them. The message was the same at manufacturing


giants Durmazlar, who make laser cutters and produce trams and whose customers include JCB. At Yepsan, a car component production plant, there were obvious prospects for more automated production lines. And the opportunities in Turkey were underlined by the Bursa Chamber of Commerce (BTSO), which has 40,000 members. Help is available for Greater Birmingham companies wishing to visit Bursa Industrial Summit at the end of this month (see pages 6,7,8). And Cuneyt Sener, head of the BTSO, said


they were keen to host GBCC members in Bursa in order to “forge a long-term relationship.” The BTSO’s international ambitions are


widespread and they are helping create a shopping centre in Moscow selling Turkish goods, and opening offices in New York and South Africa. With 12 Turkish Airlines flights between Birmingham and Istanbul every week, trade with Bursa seems obvious and the summit is set to open many new doors for Greater Birmingham businesses, not just on the added value front.


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